Felkins named new Lebanon Publishing content director

By Staff Reports

Aug 28, 2012 12:00 am

Joseph H. Adams, vice president of Lebanon Publishing Co., announced Monday that Jared Felkins has joined the team at The Lebanon Democrat, Mt. Juliet News and Hartsville Vidette as its new director of content and audience development.

“We are delighted and fortunate to welcome Jared into our family,” Adams said. “He brings a huge variety and vitality of experience that perfectly complements the needs of our community. Jared will continue our tradition of providing an important printed and digital news source to our readers, which will serve as a valuable vehicle for our advertisers.”

Felkins, an Alabama native, started his role as content director of the three publications Monday and plans to move his family to Lebanon on Sept. 8.

“It’s a tremendous honor to have the responsibility of developing and delivering news and sports content for the Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and Hartsville communities, as well as all of Wilson and Trousdale counties,” Felkins said. “It is my pledge to be significantly involved in each of these communities and learn as much as I can to best bring our readers everything that is important to them.”

Felkins most recently was managing editor of the Fort Payne Times-Journal in northeast Alabama. While there, he helped lead the newspaper to four consecutive general excellence awards in the Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contests from 2008-11. He also won first place for freedom of information reporting in the 2011 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Contest.

“It is my goal to work with the talented staff at The Lebanon Democrat, Mt. Juliet News and Hartsville Vidette to make the three publications the go-to source for news, sports and valuable information these communities deserve,” Felkins said. “We plan to deliver this information like no other and strengthen our service as the news leader in Wilson and Trousdale counties.”

Prior to his six-year stint in Fort Payne, Felkins also held positions with the Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, Ala., The Union Springs, Ala. Herald, the National Wild Turkey Federation in Edgefield, S.C. and The Selma, Ala. Times-Journal.

Felkins is a graduate of the University of Alabama and holds a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in public relations. It was in Tuscaloosa, Ala. where he met his future wife, Mary, and the couple recently celebrated their 12th anniversary.

The couple has three children, Bryant, 10, Bailey, 9, and Bryley, 4. Bryant will be in fifth-grade and Bailey in fourth-grade at Castle Heights Elementary School.