Dave Neill, who has served as an interim publisher of the Naples Daily News since April, has been named the paper’s president and publisher, and a regional publisher for the newspaper division of The E.W. Scripps Company.
Neill, 48, assumed the interim leadership role when Chris Doyle, then publisher and president, became vice president of content for the Scripps newspaper division.
“Dave’s experiences in leading major technology changes coupled with his success in driving sales will serve the Daily News well during this time of a rapid change in the media industry,” said Mark G. Contreras, senior vice president of newspapers for Scripps. “From news photography, to production, to circulation, and sales, he has first-hand experience in nearly every facet of the newspaper business. Moreover, Dave is a passionate, energetic and inspiring leader who will lead our efforts in Southwest Florida to new heights of performance.”
Neill joined Scripps in 2006 as general manager of the Bonita Springs Banner and was later promoted to vice president and general manager of Naples Daily News in 2007. In this role, he managed the advertising, circulation and marketing departments. He oversaw the restructuring of each of these departments to drive additional revenue and to improve efficiency.
Most recently, Neill assisted in the management and installation of the Naples Daily News’ new office and production facility, which was completed in 2009.
He has been instrumental in the paper’s sales efforts with Yahoo!, which propelled the Daily News to one of the top-performing newspapers in the Yahoo! consortium.
Neill’s passion for photography ushered him into the newspaper business in the late 1970s. He began as a photo intern at the Detroit News, located in his hometown.
He served as the chief photographer at the Chandler Arizonan from 1980 to 1984. In 1984, he became assistant pre-press production manager at Cox-owned Tribune Newspapers in Mesa, Ariz.
While continuing news and studio photography, and studying art in Arizona, Neill secured an internship with noted photographer Richard Avedon in New York City.
In 1986, Neill returned to Michigan and began work as the pre-press and quality assurance production manager at The Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich. While at the Pontiac paper, he oversaw the transition from analog printing to a fully digital color photographic process in production.
In 1993, Neill became an advertising sales representative at The Kansas City Star and a few years later became The Star’s evening pre-press production manager. He later returned to Detroit to become vice president of sales for Page Litho, Inc., a book and magazine manufacturer based in Detroit.
From 2001 until 2004, Neill served as associate publisher of the Detroit Jewish News and Style Magazine located in Southfield, Mich., where he served as a member of the Jewish Renaissance Media’s operating committee.
In 2004, Dave was contracted as vice president/advertising for the Journal Newspapers which later became The Washington Examiner. Following this, he was contracted as publisher of Washington Jewish Week, serving the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Neill serves on the board of the Naples Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce and the National Press Photographers Association.
The Naples resident and his wife, Gina, have a daughter, Madison, and son, Brendan.