Joo named chairman of Times; McDevitt to become president

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Douglas D.M. Joo was named chairman of The Washington Times LLC yesterday, and Thomas P. McDevitt was named to succeed him as president of The Times.

Mr. McDevitt, 55, a former marketing director of the newspaper and a member of the corporate board, is currently senior vice president of the Points of Light Foundation. He will assume his new duties March 5.

The influence of the newspaper has grown throughout the nation and the world, the company said in a statement issued yesterday, creating opportunities requiring the full attention of a company chairman. This position has been vacant.

Mr. Joo joined the newspaper as vice president in 1991 and became president, or publisher, the following year. During his administration, The Times launched a national weekly edition, the sister newspaper Tiempos del Mundo in South America, the AmericanLife cable network, and washingtontimes.com. The Internet site was ranked last year as the nation's fastest-growing daily newspaper site among the coveted 24-45 age group, according to PressTime, the industry trade publication.

Mr. McDevitt joined The Times as a business director in 1994, and guided the launch of the national weekly edition, which gained a circulation of more than 100,000, with subscribers in all 50 states, in just three years. As the marketing director of the newspaper, he supervised market research, supervised the community relations program and, as vice president, served as special assistant to Mr. Joo.

"I'm honored to return to a unique media company that has built a respected brand in our nation's capital," Mr. McDevitt said last night. "Every day for the past 25 years, The Washington Times has offered its readers an excellent choice for the news and opinion that matters. Together with the talented team of professionals in the newsroom and business side of the company, we will chart a secure course for the future. I welcome the challenges ahead to bring even greater value to our readers and advertisers, expand our markets nationwide and deliver a reliable and dynamic presence on the Web."

Wesley Pruden, editor in chief of The Times, took note of the changes. "Mr. Joo has been the indispensable man with the biggest job at The Times," he said. "He has fairly mediated the inevitable tension between the business and editorial departments, common to all newspapers, with the sympathetic insights necessary for a successful newspaper publisher, which we can continue to call on in his new position.

"Tom McDevitt brings the sure knowledge of the institution along with enthusiasm and vision for new initiatives. Fran Coombs, the managing editor, and I look forward to working with both of them as The Times, like other major newspapers, deals with the unique challenges ahead in the Internet age."

Mr. Joo's legacy includes the Citizens Forums, which he initiated and organized to bring together a wide array of government officials, community activists and others to work on solutions to neighborhood problems. He served for several years as chairman and chief operating officer of United Press International, chairman of the American Family Coalition, and president of The Washington Times Foundation and the World Media Association.

Mr. McDevitt is organizer and chairman of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the newspaper. The Times will be 25 years old on May 17.