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Civitas CEO steps down [The Lima News, Ohio](Lima News (OH) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 10--DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Michael Bush, the president and chief executive officer of Civitas Media, the owner of The Lima News, announced Thursday he was stepping down to pursue other opportunities. The company will now be led by Kamal Advani, a member of the company's board of directors from Versa Capital Management LLC, to lead the company as interim CEO during the search for a successor. "I have served in the community newspaper arena for many years and have enjoyed bringing the Civitas newspapers into an integrated group of newspapers that serve their respective communities well," Bush said in a statement. "Civitas is well-positioned in its communities thanks to the loyal readers and advertisers, and our dedicated editors and staff." Bush had led the company since its formation in 2012. He previously served as CEO of Heartland Publications, one of the four companies that combined to create Civitas Media. The company intends to conduct a CEO search, targeting its conclusion by the first quarter of 2015. "Michael Bush led the creation of Civitas Media through the consolidation of Heartland Publications, Ohio Community Media, Impressions Media and certain newspapers from Freedom Central," said Civitas Media Chairman Gregory Segall, CEO of the company's controlling shareholder Versa Capital, in a press release. "Under his leadership, the company achieved significant cost synergies by successfully streamlining operations. It also launched new online and mobile platforms and introduced a number of creative revenue initiatives. We are extremely grateful to Michael for his efforts in the past few years and wish him the very best as he moves on to his next big challenge." Civitas Media employs more than 1,200 people across 12 states, including Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The company publishes more than 100 publications for a combined weekly distribution of more than 1.6 million copies. ___ (c)2014 The Lima News (Lima, Ohio) Visit The Lima News (Lima, Ohio) at www.limaohio.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |