Lynn J. Richardson, President and Publisher of Elizabethton Newsmedia LLC has announced her intent to retire after 43 years in the newspaper industry.
In a meeting with the staff of the Elizabethton Star on Friday afternoon, Richardson told the group she didn’t make the decision easily or quickly.
“This is something I’ve been considering for quite a while,” Richardson said. “Much thought and a lot of prayers have gone into this decision, and I’ve decided, that after more than four decades, it’s just the right time to move into a different phase of my life.”
Richardson said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family, doing some traveling and pursuing some other interests. However, she said she hopes to continue to stay engaged and active in the community.
Friday, November 27, will be her last day in the office, with December 4 as her last official day as publisher.
“Our industry and the Elizabethton Star are both better because Lynn chose newspapers as a profession. I will miss working with her,” said Tim Prince, Vice President and Group Manager of Boone Newspapers, Inc.
Delaney Scalf, longtime Star employee and current General Manager, will take the leadership role at the newspaper moving forward. Scalf is a native of Elizabethton and has worked in all facets of the newspaper industry.
President and CEO of Boone Newspapers Todd Carpenter said, “It has been our pleasure and privilege to work with Lynn and the team she has built at the Star. We will work hard toward a smooth and good transition for the Star’s employees and customers.”
Jim Boone, Chairman of the Board of Boone Newspapers, echoed Carpenter’s comments, saying, “Lynn has been an excellent partner with us in serving the Elizabethton and Carter County community. We wish her well in her retirement. We join Delaney in being pleased at the opportunity coming his way. We know the late Frank Robinson would take pleasure in Delaney’s development and progress.”
Richardson started her newspaper career while in college, working as a reporter and columnist for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph in her hometown, Princeton, WV.
After graduating from Concord College in Athens, WV, she attended East Tennessee State University and then returned to Concord as their Director of Public Information.
In 1979, she accepted a job as the Director of Newspapers In Education, a program she founded, at the Johnson City Press.
Then, in 1999, Richardson was named general manager and two years later became the publisher of the Johnson City Press’ sister paper, the Herald & Tribune of Jonesborough. She served in that capacity until she came to the Elizabethton Star in March 2014.
She is a past president of the Tennessee Press Association and has won numerous awards from the Tennessee Press Association, the Advertising Federation of America and Editor & Publisher magazine.
Richardson currently serves on the board of directors for the Sycamore Shoals Hospital Foundation, the Elizabethton/Carter County Boys & Girls Club, the Elizabethton-Carter County Community Foundation and the Tennessee Press Foundation. She is a member of First Baptist Church, the Elizabethton Rotary Club and the Downtown Business Association.
She is married to Dean Batchelder, Jr. and they have three children, a daughter, Keely Goodwin and husband, Nathan Goodwin; Matthew Batchelder, and his wife Michelle Batchelder; and Cory Richardson. They also have two grandchildren, Jovie and Lindy Goodwin.