Champion is CNPA president and CEO through 2027

Champion has been the head of CNPA since May 2020 when the board asked him to become the association’s interim leader upon his predecessor’s retirement. Later that year, following a national search, the board named him president and CEO.

Not long after, the state’s economy was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, subjecting the industry and CNPA’s own advertising services network to unprecedented declines in revenue. In response, Champion successfully led efforts to get Visit California ad dollars for the state’s community newspapers and temporary extensions from AB5 for newspaper carriers.

“Chuck is the rare executive who combines leadership, strategic insight, operations talent and communications skill,” according to CNPA Services, Inc., Board Chairperson Simon Grieve. “All of those qualities were evident as he has guided us through the effects of a series of existential threats for many of the state’s publishers.”

“There is no question we have the right person for this job,” said Steve Falk, CEO of Sonoma Media Investments and the board director who negotiated the new four-year arrangement and won unanimous board support for it.

“The momentum that Chuck has created for our activities in Sacramento and across the country,” he said, “is strengthening our ability to advocate for freedom of the press and preserve local journalism for the people of California.”

Under Champion’s leadership, CNPA has undergone a transformation. The association has modernized its reporting systems, revamped its communications programs and ushered in a strategic focus on key industry issues. His team has developed new publishing initiatives, expanded outreach with legislators and political allies and improved service efficiency.

Champion is a former executive of California newspapers including The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, San Marino Tribune and South Pasadena Review. He has spent his entire career in publishing and digital media, holding executive positions with the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Daily News and Youbet.com.