CINCINNATI – Timothy J. Gallagher, a Scripps newspaper executive who has earned a reputation for journalistic excellence and innovative strategic thinking, has been named president and publisher of the Ventura County (Calif.) Star, effective July 1. Gallagher, 48, will be responsible for the newspaper’s day-to-day business operations and overall strategic direction. He becomes the Star’s president and publisher after serving four years as president and editor.He adds the responsibilities previously held by Patrick J. Birmingham, who was recently named president and publisher of the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times. Birmingham held the title of executive vice president and general manager at the Star. The Star and the Caller-Times are owned and operated by The E. W. Scripps Company.Joe R. Howry, 56, who has been the Star’s managing editor since 1993, will become the newspaper’s editor and vice president. “These promotions mean that Tim Gallagher and Joe Howry will continue a partnership that has helped to build the Star over the past decade,” said Alan M. Horton, senior vice president/newspapers for Scripps. “The Star has grown in circulation, profitability and journalistic excellence during their tenure.” Gallagher and Howry helped develop a successful strategy that resulted in the creation of six editorial zones for the newspaper. Gallagher joined the Star in 1995 as editor and vice president. Prior to that, he had served eight year as editor of The Albuquerque Tribune, which also is a Scripps newspaper. The Tribune, under his leadership, developed a national reputation for innovative and investigative journalism that culminated with the award of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting to The Tribune’s Eileen Welsome. Gallagher worked as a reporter and mid-level editor at The Tribune and the Scripps-owned El Paso Herald-Post from 1977 to 1986.Gallagher graduated from the University of New Mexico with degrees in English and journalism.Howry becomes editor and vice president of the Star after serving 11 years as the newspaper’s managing editor. He came to Ventura in 1993 after serving five years as managing editor of the Salem (Ore.) Statesman-Journal. Earlier in his career, he worked at weekly and daily newspapers in Montana before moving to the Nevada State Journal and Reno (Nev.) Evening Gazette, where he started as a sports writer and worked up the ladder to become city editor. As city editor, Howry led his staff to back-to-back ”Best of Gannett” awards as well as several national, regional and statewide honors.Howry has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Montana. He also has completed a year of graduate work at the university studying political philosophy. 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, 15 broadcast TV stations, four cable and satellite television programming networks and a television retailing 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. HGTV reaches about 85 million U.S. television households and Food Network can be seen in about 84 million households. Scripps Networks Web sites include FoodNetwork.com, HGTV.com, DIYnetwork.com and fineliving.com. Scripps Networks programming can be seen in 86 countries. The company’s television retailing 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 49 million full-time equivalent U.S. households, including 5 million households via five Scripps owned, Shop At Home affiliated broadcast television stations.Scripps also operates Scripps Howard News Service and United Media, which is the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT.