PADUCAH — Matt Jones retires today from the Paxton Media Group after 25 years of service, serving as The Paducah Sun’s operational manager from December 2014 to January 2019 and as its general manager since January 2019. In his capacity at The Sun, Jones worked with several of PMG’s weekly newspapers, including The Times Leader and Lyon County Herald-Ledger.
Jones also served as The Sun’s circulation director for four years and worked at the Metropolis Planet and the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer before that, but his service goes beyond a resume list of positions.
Jones was ever-present throughout The Sun’s building, helping with deliveries, working on the press and myriad other jobs that needed to be done despite not being listed in his job description — all on top of serving as the liaison to the newspaper to Publisher Bill Evans.
Jones provided optimism and a positive spirit to The Sun, working to meet the needs of The Sun’s editors and reporters.
“I must say that it has been an honor and a privilege to have served our communities, readership, advertisers and staffing for over 25 years within the Paxton Media Group,” Jones said. “I am eternally grateful for the opportunities and support that Paxton Media has granted to me and my family, and I wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Evans praised Jones for his service and longevity within the Paxton Media Group.
“Matt rose through the career ranks at Paxton Media Group. His term as general manager for The Paducah Sun has been punctuated with several worthwhile milestones and is rivaled by few in our company,” he said. “He is a servant leader, standing side-by-side his team in every task.
“I want to thank Matt for being a mentor to this publisher. He helped me find my footing here at The Sun. He is a confidant who has counseled me through many difficult decisions and celebrated many more accomplishments.
“I will miss Matt, this team will miss Matt, and this company will miss his tireless efforts and dedication to create a better newspaper for our community,” Evans added. “Matt only deserves the best in his retirement, or whatever he chooses to do after being a newspaperman.”
Jones and his wife, Tamara, have a daughter, Loren, who is a graduate of St. Mary High School.
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