Del Favero named group publisher; Howe resigns.

In a management shake-up announced last week, Village Voice Media (VVM) promoted Executive Vice President Albie Del Favero and Art Howe resigned his position as the company’s president.

Del Favero was named group publisher of four VVM papers, including the Nashville Scene, the paper he sold in December, 1999 in a deal that ultimately led to a position as executive vice president with VVM as well as an equity interest in the company. The other papers reporting to Del Favero are Seattle Weekly, Cleveland Free Times and City Pages in Minneapolis.

“Albie really understands the mid-sized papers in our group,” said VVM Chief Executive Officer David Schneiderman, explaining the move. “He’ll be able to devote the attention to those papers that they might not have received before.”

The papers’ publishers previously reported directly to Schneiderman.

Del Favero last month declined the position of CEO of the Alternative Weekly Network (AWN), the national sales organization in which VVM is a member. “Once the AWN thing didn’t work out, Albie was freed up to take on these new responsibilities,” explained Schneiderman.

Del Favero will report to Schneiderman, along with Executive Vice Presidents Greg Goff and Michael Sigman and The Village Voice Publisher Judy Miszner. Sigman will maintain his position as President of LA Weekly and OC Weekly. “My role hasn’t really changed,” he said. Goff, who was hired late last year, is in charge of national sales and marketing, business development and new media.

Howe leaves the company a little over a year after he surprised the industry by putting together the deal that led to the management buyout of VVM’s predecessor, Stern Publishing. He was instrumental in bringing the private investment firm Weiss, Peck, Greer on board to finance the acquisition. Prior to joining forces with VVM, Howe was president of Montgomery Newspapers, which counts among its many media properties AAN member-paper Philadelphia City Paper. Earlier in his career, he won a Pulitzer Prize as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to Del Favero, Howe will remain a shareholder and will continue working with the company as a consultant to Schneiderman. “He was living in Philly and commuting to New York,” said Del Favero. “I think it got to him.” Howe couldn’t be reached to comment.

After the VVM reorganization was announced, Howe resigned his position as Marketing Chair on the AAN Board of Directors. Del Favero’s Board seat as immediate past president of the association is due to expire in July.

Rebekah Gleaves is a staff writer for the Memphis Flyer.