Morris Communications Company, LLC
Will Morris became president of Morris Communications Co. in December 1996. He is the third generation of the Morris family to hold this position in the media business founded in 1945 by his grandfather, William S. Morris Jr., as Southeastern Newspapers Inc., in Augusta, Ga. His father, William S. Morris III, is chairman and chief executive officer of the company, which became Morris Communications in 1970.
In 2001, Morris was named president and chief executive officer of Morris Publishing Group, LLC, a newly formed subsidiary of the company that assumed the operations of the newspaper publishing division. In May of 2013, Morris became the CEO of Morris Venture Capital, a captive venture fund established to identify and nurture growing businesses.
On July 31, 2015 Morris was named chief executive officer of Morris Communications Company, LLC, succeeding his father as CEO. Morris has direct operational oversight of the company’s corporate operations and its business divisions.
Morris joined the company in 1990, and served in several positions, including general manager of The St. Augustine (Fla.) Record, general manager of Athens Magazine and publisher of the Athens Daily News and Athens Banner-Herald in Athens, Ga. In 1995, he returned to corporate headquarters as assistant to the president. Prior to 1990, Will worked for Gannett Outdoor Group in both San Diego and Phoenix, and for United Yellow Pages Inc., also in San Diego.
Active in his profession, Morris was a member of the board of directors of InsiderAdvantage.com and has served on the Associated Press Auditing Committee. He was formerly a member of the Board Committee on Industry Development of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) as well as the NAA Retail Council Board.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University, Atlanta.
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Morris Communications Company, LLC
The Morris extensive collection of magazines and books are part of the new Morris Media Network, an exciting new print-digital publishing group that serves highly targeted audiences. Travel The largest segment in this group is the travel category. It encompasses the powerful worldwide Where® brand and digital platform wheretraveler.com. For over 76 years, Where has been the world’s best information source for travelers, fueled with thousands of local listings, travel tools and recommendations by travel experts in the local market. As the ultimate resource for travelers, the Where products reach travelers on every platform including mobile, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Equine The Equine category serves sports men and women bound by their passion for horses. This high-income audience includes Western Horseman (founded in 1936), Quarter Horse News, Barrel Horse News and several other regional and trade publications that have powerful digital components including the award-winning equine portal site HorseCity.com. Regional/Local Regional and Local taps into Morris’s key strength of providing high-quality local content and an attractive, affluent audience. IN New York, Charlotte Magazine, Orlando Magazine, Savannah Magazine, Augusta Magazine and many more make up this strong niche category. Sporting Gray's Sporting Journal is the flagship of the outdoor group and the hallmark of its quality. A premier magazine of the sporting life, Gray's claims international readership and recognition. In 2002 Morris added American Angler, Fly Tyer and Saltwater Fly Fishing magazines to the outdoor group. Lifestyle Women who control $12 trillion in global spending are the foundation for the Lifestyle category. Strong brands such as skirt!® target women locally and nationally and boast strong editorial and robust digital communities. Charlotte Wedding, St. Louis Bride and skirt! magazine are powerful titles in the Morris magazine lifestyle arena. They serve female audiences and advertisers trying to reach them in this very upscale segment.