Editor on AP biz news desk says hello, I must be going

Greg Stec, an editor for the Associated Press business news desk, sent out the following email to the staff on Monday:

Apologies to Groucho Marx for stealing his line for the subject of my email.

Aug. 2 will be my last day at AP as I start a new life chapter. Call it retirement, if you will, but I don’t plan on spending a lot of time in a rocking chair. I feel it’s time to pursue some projects I’ve been thinking about for a while; in writing, photography, websites, apps and social media. Travel is also high on the agenda.

It’s been a very fulfilling seven years at AP. I started on the old APFN desk in April 2006 and managed to sample a variety of roles–from spot news editing to running the airlines team to doing podcasts on the top business stories of the week. Few other places that I’ve worked have had the combination of opportunities, professionalism and teamwork that I’ve experienced here.

I’ve been a journalist in print, broadcasting and online media since the 70s, when I stumbled into my college radio station and sat down behind a microphone to read a piece of copy I ripped off an AP teletype. Since then I’ve had the privilege of writing and editing many memorable stories for the RKO Radio Networks, CBS News, Dow Jones, Bloomberg News, AP and other outstanding news operations.

My wife and I will be based in New York for the foreseeable future, and I hope we can stay in touch.

It’s been a blast.