"We have a readership that demands the quality reporting and compelling storytelling you do," Cook told staff members yesterday while acknowledging they are working harder than ever. "We will be smart about the things that we do, and we will beat the hell out of the competition on the things we do best."
Cook was the architect behind b, which launched in April and now has a circulation of 76,000. b Editor Anne Tallent described Cook as a strategic, "big-picture" thinker who is always looking beyond the next day's paper to six months or a year down the road.
"He's really attuned to readers - how they read, how they process information," Tallent said. "I think he can push an organization to be innovative and to look at things in a new way."
Timothy E. Ryan, publisher of The Sun, said in a statement: "Monty Cook is a bold thinker, bringing the kind of leadership The Baltimore Sun and the industry need in this rapidly changing media world. He's a true innovator who will help The Sun grow audiences in print and online."
Yesterday's announcement came shortly before 2 p.m. In an emotional meeting with newsroom employees, Franklin praised their talent and dedication. He said he had not expected to leave at this point but was approached about a job he could not pass up.
"I'm leaving because of an opportunity that came my way. I'm not leaving for another reason. There's no grand backstory there," he said.
Franklin was initially greeted with skepticism at the paper, replacing an editor, William K. Marimow, who had been fired after differences with a former publisher. For his part, Franklin vigorously fought for newsroom resources, said his friend Michael Tackett, the political editor at Bloomberg News.
"I think he has kept a great institution focused on doing high-quality journalism in an unbelievably difficult economic climate," said Tackett, who has known Franklin since they were students at Indiana University.
In his new job, which begins Jan. 12, Franklin will establish a sports journalism center to train journalists to look at sports in new ways, said Brad Hamm, dean of the Indiana journalism school.
"Tim was and is one of the stalwarts of our craft," said David Shribman, editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It's always a loss when a great journalist leaves a great paper."
