At the America’s Newspapers conference being held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs this week, Editor & Publisher Magazine officially named Chris Reen as the 2025 Publisher of the Year.

Reen is president and CEO of Clarity Media Group, publisher of The Denver Gazette, chairman of Colorado Politics, and publisher of The Gazette in Colorado Springs. In addition, he serves as the CEO of Media DC/The Washington Examiner.

The honor is the most prestigious award given by E&P, a longstanding trade publication that covers the news industry.

Leonard Woolsey, president of Southern Newspapers and the outgoing president of America’s Newspapers, announced the award on Tuesday. Woolsey said one of E&P’s most important goals is to “highlight the individuals who are driving this industry forward, not just making headlines, but building the future of journalism.”

Reen was chosen “for his remarkable, nearly 40-year career in news media publishing; for his record on innovation; for his insight into audience and marketplaces; for his long commitment to giving back to the news media community; and for his exemplary leadership,” according to E&P.

“This is a real honor, obviously, and so I would just tell you how grateful I am and humbled I am. This industry is all I’ve ever known,” Reen said at the conference on Tuesday morning. “I would just say that we can’t do any of what we do on a daily basis without working together. For everyone in this room that contributes to helping America’s Newspapers be the voice of newspapers in this country, we have to band together and work together to figure out what the solutions are going to be in the future.”

Rich Williams, President and COO of Clarity Media – Colorado, added, “This is a tremendous honor not only for Chris, but for all of us at The Gazette and across Clarity Media. It reflects the hard work, innovation, and commitment to excellence that Chris brings to our organization every day.”

Reen echoed Williams’ recognition of the team at Clarity.

“Fortunately, at my operation, we have a great team and we certainly couldn’t do anything we do, and I wouldn’t get any recognition without recognizing the great accomplishments and the hard work of the people that work for our operation,” he said.

Reen told E&P he came to his career in news media by “happenstance.”

Reen’s wife, Amy, said Chris was one of 10 children in his family, and when it was finally Chris’s turn to go to college, his dad told him there was no money left to pay his way.

“Chris literally put himself through school working four jobs,” Amy Reen said at the conference.

While he was in college at the University of Buffalo, he worked for the student-run campus paper — writing stories and selling advertising to local businesses.

“During his senior year, he took classes at night so he could work at The Buffalo News during the day,” Amy Reen said.

“I found out about an internship at The Buffalo News and did that for one summer,” Reen told E&P. “They thought I was doing a good job, and I really enjoyed it, so I did it for three summers in a row. Then they offered me a job selling advertising — classified and automotive. And that’s how I started in advertising.”

“I loved everything about it. I loved the pace, working with customers and coming up with creative solutions. I loved being out in the community,” he added. “It was such a fulfilling career, and it satisfied my competitive nature.”

From Buffalo, Reen went on to hold executive positions in Oklahoma, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida before landing in Colorado. 

Reen served as vice president of advertising for the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, New York. Four years later, he was appointed vice president of sales and marketing at The Oklahoman, and in 2007, he was promoted to executive vice president of The Oklahoman.

He was president of the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoman Media Co. and publisher of The Oklahoman newspaper in September 2011 when it was purchased by the Anschutz Corp. of Denver, which owns Clarity Media.

In 2019, Reen was appointed president and publisher of the Colorado Springs Gazette. In 2020, he became the president and publisher of the newly launched Denver Gazette, as well, and he subsequently took the helm at Clarity Media Group, serving as the company’s president and CEO.

The launch of The Denver Gazette is one of Reen’s proudest achievements.

“We’ve just celebrated five years of The Denver Gazette. It’s a fully digital newspaper that we launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while everyone else in the country was contracting significantly, we actually expanded,” Reen told E&P. “We hired more journalists, and we moved into a competitive marketplace.”

Reen has always believed in the importance of news media associations in mapping out the industry’s future. Early in his career, he was active in the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). Then he became engaged with the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA), including serving as president and board chair. When the organization merged with the Inland Press Association, forming America’s Newspapers, Reen served as America’s Newspapers’ inaugural president.

Reen also became the first president of the America’s Newspapers Foundation, and in 2022, America’s Newspapers honored him with the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award. 

Reen is also past president of the board of directors for America’s Newspapers.

“Chris doesn’t stand still,” said Vince Bzdek, executive editor of Clarity Media’s Colorado publications. “He’s not trying to manage a declining or shrinking media company. He’s trying to drive a growing and innovative company, while figuring out the new model for journalism. So, we experiment and innovate a lot. Now, we have The Denver Gazette and Out There Colorado, a site focused on outdoor recreation. We have Colorado Politics, the Colorado Network and we just launched a magazine, Colorado Living.”

Williams agreed: “Chris is a man of business, an industry leader, and a respected voice shaping the future of media.”

John Boogert, editor of The Gazette, noted that he has had a bird’s eye view of his boss’s energy and drive since Reen joined the team at Clarity.

“For better or worse, my office is directly across from Chris’ office in Colorado Springs,” Boogert said. “Given the large windows in both of our offices, I have a unique glimpse at all the many tasks, initiatives and organizations he’s involved in – for us, our community and for America’s newspapers. I’m truly amazed on a daily basis at his vision and accomplishments.”

The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics Editor Luige del Puerto concluded:

“It’s not surprising that Chris received this award,” he said. “The media is a tough industry under unrelenting pressure, but if there’s someone who has consistently succeeded, it is Chris. Look no further than what The Denver Gazette accomplished in just a few years.”