Richard “Ricky” Bryant’s overall goal for running the circulation department at The Meridian Star is to bring stability to a department that has seen many changes over the past few years.
“We want to let customers know we care about them and we want to be more responsive to both carriers and subscribers,” Bryant said.
Bryant joined The Star’s staff in late October. He came from the Longview News Journal in Longview, Texas. He was looking for a change at the same time The Star was looking to go in a new direction in circulation.
“The Meridian Star is fortunate to have Ricky join our management team,” said Publisher Crystal Dupré. “He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and understanding of how an efficient circulation department is to run.
“I knew he was going to be a perfect fit for the Star’s team when he spoke so passionately about the importance of customer service and the importance of the newspaper’s role in the community.”
Bryant said one thing that impresses him about The Star is that it knows what its customers want and strives to deliver that product.
“We have talent, we have resources, we just need to channel them,” he said.
The biggest challenge the circulation department faces, he said, is that people can go almost anywhere to gather national news. He believes local newspapers must to strive to deliver something customers can’t get anywhere else — local news.
Bryant said problems with circulation can’t be fixed if he doesn’t know what they are, and he welcomes comments, concerns and even complaints from readers and subscribers.
In another addition to The Star’s staff, Ben Lockridge has joined the newsroom as a reporter.
Lockridge is no stranger to Meridian or to the news business. He comes to newspapering after a six-year stint at WTOK-TV. During his time there, he worked in the production and news departments.
“I’m just in love with the art of storytelling, whether narrative or factual, and I feel incredibly blessed to be working with The Meridian Star,” Lockridge said.
Editor Fredie Carmichael welcomed Lockridge to The Star on Monday.
“We’re happy to have someone with Ben’s talent, attitude and integrity join our news team,” Carmichael said.
“Ben’s local and he’s involved in this community — two things that will certainly help him serve our readers well. His versatility and experience in multimedia will also help us as we improve the content of our Web site.”
Local News
The Star welcomes new circulation director, reporter
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Local law enforcement officials honored
State Rep. Greg Snowden said he remembered as a child looking up to those "men in blue."
He said police officers in uniform were larger than life, riding in their patrol cars and carrying guns to protect and serve the population. Today, he said he is still in great admiration of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day so that citizens can feel safe. -
MPD probes vehicle crash
Evidence of a mother's desperate attempt to save her children from harm were spread all over a car lot — and could be seen on her as well in the form of bruises, cuts and scrapes.
Tuesday night, a vehicle with three children inside crashed through a plate glass showroom floor window damaging four new cars and totaling the vehicle the children were in. -
Skeleton found in residence
Members of the forensics team of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) were called to a dilapidated home in Chunky to probe the discovery of a skeleton.
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Police search for robbery suspects
Two men who reportedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank are still being sought.
Mike Vick, public information officer with the Meridian Police Department, said the two men approached a woman about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the ATM of Regions Bank on North Hills Street. Vick said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun and after taking an undetermined amount of cash and the victim's car keys, the two suspects fled on foot. -
City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday. -
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits. -
Team Spirit
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. - More Local News Headlines
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