StateCollege.com Publisher Daniel Myers announced this week the appointment of veteran Pennsylvania journalist Rich Kerstetter as the website’s new managing editor.
Kerstetter, formerly an editor at the Centre Daily Times, succeeds Michele Marchetti at StateCollege.com. Marchetti will continue to write twice-monthly columns on the site.
‘Rich is an award-winning writer and comes to us with 30 years of experience as a writer, editor and manager,’ Myers said in a staff announcement. ‘We are very excited about having Rich join our team, bringing his deep understanding of local issues and wealth of experience.’
As managing editor, Kerstetter will oversee and coordinate all elements of StateCollege.com’s editorial operation, from contributing columnists to community photo galleries, readership engagement and news coverage. He joins a team that includes well-known State College columnists such as Russell Frank, Patty Kleban, Joe Battista and Mike Poorman.
Kerstetter‘s arrival at StateCollege.com also reestablishes his working relationship with the site’s lead news reporter, Adam Smeltz. A former CDT reporter, Smeltz worked on Kerstetter‘s local-news staff at the paper.
‘I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Adam again and to cover the news and write about the people of the State College area,’ Kerstetter said.
He worked about a decade at the CDT as a reporter and as an editor, most recently leading its opinion page. A graduate of Trinity College, Kerstetter also brings a variety of reporting, writing and editing experience from newspapers across a swath of Pennsylvania. His work has earned him a number of Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors awards.
Kerstetter can be reached via e-mail at richard.kerstetter@statecollege.com and by phone at (814) 238-6201.
His appointment marks the latest milestone in the evolution and growth of StateCollege.com. In March, the locally owned, locally operated site announced a strategic partnership with the student-run website OnwardState.com. Together, the sites already see some 20 percent more State College-area Web traffic than their nearest local competitor, according to Quantcast tallies of local page views.
StateCollege.com is part of Myers’ Lazerpro Digital Media Group, a family of operations that includes Altoona.com and Williamsport.com. Launched in 1996, StateCollege.com has emerged as a leading provider of local advertising and news, event listings, online dining options and a full complement of other State College services.
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