CINCINNATI – George H. Cogswell III, director of circulation and marketing services for the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers in Florida, has been named president and publisher of the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News. The Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and the Reporter-News are owned and operated by The E. W. Scripps Company.Cogswell, 43, succeeds David Mercier who last week announced his resignation. Cogswell’s appointment is effective Feb. 1.“George Cogswell has a thorough understanding of what it takes to operate a successful newspaper,” said Stephen W. Sullivan, vice president/newspaper operations for Scripps. “During his nearly 20 years in the business, George has proven himself to be an energetic and knowledgeable leader.”Cogswell moves to Abilene after serving two years leading the circulation and marketing efforts for the three Scripps Treasure Coast newspapers – The Stuart News, The Tribune in Fort Pierce and the Press Journal in Vero Beach. He previously had been circulation director of the Scripps-owned Wichita Falls (Texas) Times Record News from 1997 to 2000.Before joining Scripps, Cogswell worked from 1993 to 1996 for Freedom Communications, first at the company’s newspaper in Fort Pierce (before it was acquired by Scripps) and then at Freedom’s Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette Telegraph. He served as assistant circulation director and then circulation director for The Tribune before accepting the position of subscriber sales and retention manager in Colorado Springs.Cogswell began his newspaper career in 1985 as a district circulation manager at the Middlesex News in Framingham, Mass. From 1986 to 1993 he held various positions in the circulation department at the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette before serving a year as circulation director for The Call in Woonsocket, R.I.Cogswell is a graduate of the Scripps Leadership Institute.Celebrating its 125th anniversary, The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks, interactive media and television-retailing. Scripps operates 21 daily newspapers, 10 broadcast TV stations, four cable and satellite television programming services and a home shopping network. All of the company’s media businesses provide content and advertising services via the Internet.Scripps Networks brands include Home & Garden Television, Food Network, DIY — Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living. Home & Garden and Food Network each can be seen in about 80 million U.S. television households. Scripps Networks is home to three of the Internet’s most popular Web sites – foodtv.com, hgtv.com and diynet.com. Scripps Networks programming can be seen in 25 countries. The company’s home shopping subsidiary, Shop At Home Network, markets a growing range of consumer goods directly to television viewers and visitors to the Shop At Home Web site, shopathometv.com. Shop At Home reaches about 46 million full-time equivalent U.S. households.Scripps also operates Scripps Howard News Service and United Media, which is the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT.