Charles R. ìRandyî Hammer

McLEAN, Va. ó Charles R. ìRandyî Hammer, formerly vice president/audience and content at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., has been named president and publisher at the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times.
He replaces Jeffrey Green, who has resigned.

ìRandyís rich background in the newspaper industry has made him a valuable asset to our company,î Sue Clark-Johnson, president of Gannettís Newspaper Division, said.

ìStepping him up to president and publisher is a great move for him and for Gannett. He will demonstrate excellent leadership at the Citizen-Times and in the Asheville community.î

Hammer had been the vice president/audience and content at Louisville since 2006, and previously was the executive editor at the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal for seven years.

He began his career in the newspaper industry as a sports writer in Florida, working his way up to sports editor.
He then held multiple titles in Pensacola before being named managing editor at the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun. In 1995 he became the executive editor at the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader. Hammer is a winner of multiple President Rings at Gannett.

Hammer is a graduate of West Florida University with a bachelorís degree in communication.

Founded in 1870 as a weekly, the Citizen-Times became a daily newspaper in 1885.

Writers Thomas Wolfe, O. Henry, both buried in Asheville, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, a frequent visitor to Asheville, often could be found in the newsroom in earlier days.

The paperís circulation is 58,504 daily and 68,116 Sundays, according to its Web site. The Citizen-Times employs about 300 people.