Publishing executive Paul F. McPherson Jr. has been named vice president and general manager of trade publishing at Imaginova, the parent company of Space News.
McPherson is replacing William A. Klanke, who stepped down March 30 after nearly 10 years with Space News to join AOL Inc.
“It has been a pleasure working with Bill over the past several years and we wish him the best with this new step in his career,” Imaginova board member Garrett Potter said. “We are also very happy to have Paul McPherson joining the team. Paul is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of leading and developing strong publication businesses. He understands the evolution of the media business and has the vision to execute in all its facets. We are excited and optimistic about the future for Space News.”
McPherson worked for Access Intelligence — the Rockville, Md.-based publisher of Via Satellite magazine — for more than a decade, leading the media company’s aerospace and satellite teams as division president. After leaving Access Intelligence in 2009, McPherson founded Firoin Media Advisors where he consulted with medium and small media companies on developing and implementing next-generation digital media strategies.
He began his career in advertising sales at Vance Publishing, a business-to-business magazine publisher, and worked for McGraw-Hill and International Data Group (IDG) before joining Access Intelligence — then called Phillips Business Information Inc. — in 1998 as group publisher.
“It is very exciting to be joining such an outstanding brand as Space News,” McPherson said. “It is also very humbling to be working with such talented people.”
McPherson, a Boston native, lives in Potomac Falls, Va.
