• by Ray Schultz , May 14, 2024

Frank Blethen, publisher and CEO of The Seattle Times, plans to step down at the end of next year after almost four decades in the role. 

Blethen, 79, will remain as chairman of the Seattle Times Co. 

Alan Fisco, now president and chief financial officer of the company, will replace Blethen as CEO. The next publisher will likely be a member of the Blethen family, which founded and has owned the newspaper since 1896, if Blethen gets his wish.  

The Times has won nine Pulitzer Prizes during Blethen’s tenure as publisher, one in 2020 for its coverage of Boeing.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Blethen said, “My mantra is that good content and useful content is what you need to attract an audience, and you need to attract an audience if you’re going to get revenue and get paid for what you do. And you know, I think right now we’re putting out a really, really, really good newspaper.”

And in an interview with John Hamer of the Mercer Island Reporter, he denied that print newspapers are going away. 

“That’s too pessimistic,” he said. “It’s a possibility, but there probably will always be some community newspapers or newsletters. We’ve always put a premium on home delivery. Many people still want that. I love print. It may go away sometime, but not yet.”