Edward L. Woods resigned July 5 after 11 years as chief executive officer and regional publisher of New England Newspapers Inc., based in Pittsfield, to undertake other opportunities. New England Newspapers publishes The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield and three Vermont newspapers, the Bennington Banner, Brattleboro Reformer and the weekly Manchester Journal. Woods resigned after four local investors recently purchased New England Newspapers. Martin Langeveld, who is on the board of New England Newspapers and a former publisher of the Berkshire Eagle, has been named acting publisher. Woods was an advertising director from 1995 to 2004 for Gannett Co. Inc., based in McLean, Va. In 2005, Woods joined New England Newspapers as publisher of the Bennington Banner and Manchester Journal. He was promoted to publisher of the company’s Vermont Group in 2008 when he took on additional responsibilities for the Brattleboro Reformer. In 2013, he became regional vice president, overseeing all advertising for the New England Newspapers publications. He became their chief executive officer and regional publisher in 2014. Langeveld joined the Berkshire Eagle in 1978 as marketing director of UpCountry, a monthly supplement published by the Eagle Publishing Group in Pittsfield. He later was named general manager for The Eagle Publishing Co. In 1995, he became publisher after the four newspapers — the Bennington Banner, Berkshire Eagle, Manchester Journal, and Brattleboro Reformer — were sold to MediaNews Group, based in Denver. He was publisher of the former North Adams Transcript from 2000 to 2006. Since 2008, Langeveld has been a marketing consultant in Brattleboro and a media consultant, analyst and blogger. He helped the new owners of New England Newspapers during the purchase process and became a member of the board of directors May 1, the time of the purchase.
The Transitions were written, at least in part, from published reports by Bulletin correspondent Nimra Aziz, an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.