Tim Gallagher, publisher and president of the Ventura County Star, announced Friday that he is leaving the newspaper.

Gallagher plans to start his own consulting business and continue to work for the newspaper's parent company, E.W. Scripps. He will be an assistant to Mark Contreras, senior vice president for the company's newspaper division.

Contreras said in a release Friday that the company is conducting an internal and external search for Gallagher's replacement.

"This new arrangement will allow Tim to continue his entrepreneurial interests independently while at the same time helping us in a variety of significant ways," Contreras said in the statement.

Gallagher, 51, said the new corporate position is still being fleshed out, but he is starting with some research work for the division. He will remain with The Star through mid-September, by which time he expects a replacement will be named.

E.W. Scripps is a diverse media company based in Cincinnati with daily and community newspapers in 17 markets, 10 broadcast stations, a news service, several online businesses and a network division, which includes HGTV, Food Network and Fine Living.

Named publisher in 2004

Gallagher joined The Star as editor in 1995, added the title of president in 2000 and was named publisher in 2004. He is leaving at a time that the newspaper industry is going through some turmoil.

People are getting their news from more sources than ever, said Michael Parks, director of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication.

"The business model for newspapers has changed and is still changing, and newspapers are working to define their new business model and new roles in society," he said.

Parks said different newspapers have approached the challenge in different ways, some more successful than others.

He said The Star's newsroom has made its Web site a leader in the industry while doing good journalism.

The Star has had its own challenges, providing voluntary buy-outs to nine employees and outsourcing its advertising artists. The company has struggled with drops in classified advertising revenue that mirror what is going on in the industry.

Gallagher started his career with Scripps as a 19-year-old intern at The Albuquerque Tribune, returning there as a reporter after he graduated from college. He was editor of The Tribune for eight years before moving to The Star.

He said one of the highlights of his career was winning the newspaper battle against the Los Angeles Times in the Ventura County market.

Contreras was at the newspaper in Camarillo on Friday to make the announcement to directors of The Star. Directors held staff meetings afterward to share the news of Gallagher's departure with employees of the 86,000-daily circulation newspaper.

Trend to cut costs

Parks said the hot commodity for publishers these days is to find those who not only understand the traditional side of the newspaper but also have the vision for how digital media can serve readers.

Gallagher said he is confident that the next publisher will support and push for innovations that The Star has made in digital media to maintain the paper's progressive reputation.

With a new publisher comes some uncertainty about how the paper will be managed.

Parks said a new publisher often means new initiatives. In recent years, however, there has been a trend for new publishers to cut costs, he said. That's despite the fact that long-term plans should focus on increasing revenue.

Gallagher said he can't answer how a new publisher will lead, but the approach within Scripps has been to look for growth, not ways to cut.

"In this company's approach to problem solving, scraping the meat off the bone hasn't been the answer," he said.

Joe Howry, editor and vice president of The Star, has known Gallagher for 14 years. He and Gallagher combined the staffs of four separate newspapers into one at The Star.

He said Gallagher made a point of making everyone feel a part of the organization.

"Tim took the time to connect with people personally," Howry said. "They knew that, on both a professional and personal level, he cared about them."

Howry said any change brings fresh ideas but shouldn't change The Star's commitment to readers.

"We will still be a very strong, committed local newspaper," he said.

Being his own boss

Gallagher will remain in Ventura County. He intends to consult businesses on strategic growth planning, media relations and Internet business strategies.

He looks forward to being his own boss, putting to use some of the business insights he gained as publisher.

"I love taking some chances and don't mind the risk of failure," he said.

Well-known throughout the community, Gallagher said he would continue to be involved in nonprofit and advisory boards.

"I love doing that," he said. "I enjoy being involved in the community."

He and his family are members of Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo. Gallagher, who lives in Somis with his wife, Cheryl, and four of their six children, serves on boards of Boys & Girls Club of Conejo and Las Virgenes, Mary Health of the Sick Convalescent and Nursing Hospital, California Lutheran University School of Business, CSU Channel Islands, Community Memorial Hospital and the Museum of Ventura County.

Richard Rush, president of CSUCI, said Gallagher has been a "terrific supporter" of the university from the beginning. Rush said he wanted Gallagher to continue his involvement with the university, offering his ideas and good judgment.

"I am deeply pleased he'll be remaining in this community," Rush said. "He's a wonderful friend and citizen."