Wichita Biz Journal names editor Roy its Executive of the Year

Bill Roy

The Wichita Business Journal has named editor Bill Roy one of its Executives of the Year.

Managing editor Kirk Seminoff writes, “He spent a short time at a local news and weather content service before he made contact with WBJ publisher John Ek, who in 2003 was looking for a managing editor.

“‘I liked him mainly because Bill had done everything,’ said Ek, the WBJ’s publisher since 1998. ‘He had done radio, TV, the Eagle. He was a news guy.’

“Within the year, after Jim Cross’ departure as editor, Bill was in charge. Over 18 years, the WBJ went from a once-a-week paper with no website and 2-3 annual events, to a 24/7 digital news operation while continuing the weekly paper and between 16-20 events a year.

“‘He oversaw the evolution,’ Ek said. ‘Then our commitment to coverage of women and our coverage of diversity increased and improved on his watch.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.