Former casino executive Richard Mirman has been hired as interim publisher and chief executive at the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspapers. Betweem 1997 and 2007, Mirman served as senior vice president of business development and chief marketing officer, among others, at Harrah’s Entertainment, now Caesars Entertainment.
Mirman will take over for Aaron Kushner, who will remain principal owner and chief executive officer of the newspaper’s parent company, Freedom Communications Inc. Co-owner Eric Spitz also will remain with the company.
“My goal is to get the business on a trajectory of growth,” said Mirman, who has been an investor in Freedom Communications. Last month the struggling company shuttered the Los Angeles Register, positioned as a competitor for the Los Angeles Times, just five months after it began publication. In addition, Freedom has had a series of employee buyouts and layoffs and recently sold the Orange County Register’s headquarters in Santa Ana for $27 million.
Mirman holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics.
