Blake Bell has been named General Manager and Executive Editor at Vicksburg Newsmedia LLC.

Vicksburg Newsmedia publishes The Vicksburg Post, VicksburgPost.com, Vicksburg Living magazine and various specialty print products. Boone Newsmedia, Inc. (BNI) owns and manages the company.

Bell is a native of Mobile, Ala. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri before transferring to the journalism program at the University of Alabama.

Bell has worked with BNI in Alabama as editor of the Atmore Advance from 2011 to 2013 and as editor of the Andalusia Star-News from 2013 to 2014. He joined Emmerich Newspapers Inc. in 2014 as publisher of the Madison Journal in Tallulah, La., where he served until 2016, and again as publisher from 2020 until 2023. He has two children, a 14-year-old daughter, Sawyer, and a 9-year-old son, Colin.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining the staff of the Vicksburg Post,” Bell said. “I’ve lived in Vicksburg for a total of four years and I love this community. There is so much potential here and so many wonderful things already happening. I cannot wait to get started and to become a bigger part of this great community.”

Bell will lead day-to-day operations of the Post as Catherine Boone Hadaway, who will continue to serve as president and publisher, takes on new responsibilities as senior vice president of BNI, her family’s company founded by her late father. BNI owns and operates more than 20 other newsmedia companies in Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota. She and her husband, Harrison, will continue to reside in Vicksburg.

“The Vicksburg Post, Vicksburg Living magazine and its affiliated products will be in great hands under Blake’s leadership,” Hadaway said. “I look forward to his joining the excellent team that makes up The Vicksburg Post staff. Blake is a talented writer who understands the importance of good community journalism and is passionate about a newspaper’s mission to build and serve its community.”

“I’m thrilled that Blake is joining the team in Vicksburg,” said Stacy Graning, regional editor. Graning, whose sister Dr. Geri Weiland is a longtime resident of Vicksburg, works with Vicksburg editorial staff as well. “Blake has built his career in community journalism and innately understands the importance of what we do to serve our communities. He will be a terrific asset to an already strong group of journalists committed to serving Vicksburg and Warren County.”

Bell resides in Vicksburg and will begin at The Post Dec. 18. He joins Ernest Bowker, Anna Guizerix, Terri Cowart Frazier, Tracye Prewitt and John Surratt in the newsroom; Shandale Goodman in the business office; Justin Clarkston, Mallory Hoffman and Raegan Pope in the advertising department; and Regina Smith and Hannah Smith in distribution.