Steven J. Smith is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Journal Communications.
Smith joined Journal Communications in 1976 as an advertising salesperson at WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee. He was named general manager at WKTI-FM in Milwaukee in 1980. Three years later, he was named vice president and general manager of WTMJ-AM and WKTI-FM.
In 1985, Smith was appointed vice president and general manager of KTNV-TV, which is the ABC affiliate in Las Vegas. In 1992, after serving five years as president of WTMJ Inc. - now Journal Broadcast Group-Smith became president of Journal Communications. While in that role, he also served separate terms as interim president of two Journal Communications businesses Norlight Telecommunications Inc. and PrimeNet Marketing Services.
Smith added the title chief operating officer of Journal Communications in 1996. He was named chief executive officer on March 3, 1998, and chairman on December 1, 1998.
Smith sits on the board of directors of Badger Meter Inc. in Milwaukee. Smith, who grew up in Milwaukee, earned a degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1972. In 1995, he completed the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. |