Jeffry Couch, editor and general manager of the Belleville News-Democrat, is retiring after 20 years leading the newsroom.
His last day on the job is Friday, Aug. 23.
Senior Editor Todd Eschman, a Belleville native and 26-year BND veteran, will assume the newsroom’s top leadership position upon Couch’s departure.
The changes were announced by Richard Green, McClatchy’s regional editor, at a staff meeting in Belleville on Thursday.
“This is a celebratory moment in the Belleville newsroom,” said Green, who is also executive editor of the Herald-Leader in Lexington. “We salute Jeff and his amazing tenure as the News-Democrat’s editor and his commitment to this community. He’s a tremendous journalist, and he will be greatly missed.
“At the same moment, I know this staff and community are in good hands with the promotion of Todd. Todd is a Belleville native and someone who has dedicated his career to this newsroom. It’s a rare opportunity for us to express gratitude to Jeff and then welcome Todd as we seamlessly transition to best serve our subscribers and readers.”
Couch joined the BND in 2004
Couch, who is 67, has been a professional journalist for 44 years, working as a reporter and editor in western Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina and Illinois.
He joined the BND as executive editor in June 2004. General manager was added to his duties in 2018.
Over the past 20 years, Couch led the newsroom through challenging times for the newspaper industry as it rapidly evolved and the BND transitioned to a digital news company. All the while, Couch kept the newsroom’s primary focus on producing strong local accountability and enterprise journalism , building on the BND’s investigative reporting traditions.
“It’s been an honor serving Belleville and southwestern Illinois readers as the editor of this 166-year-old institution,” Couch said. “I am so grateful.
“And it’s been such a privilege to work with this talented and committed team of journalists, along with dozens of others who preceded them in our newsroom over the past 20 years. I can’t imagine what it will be like not being in this newsroom everyday with my friends and fellow journalists , doing what we love.”
Couch and his wife, Kerry Warren-Couch, plan to remain in the area, living on their farm in Freeburg Township.
Eschman is a fourth generation Bellevillian
Eschman, who is 54, is a 33-year veteran journalist with deep ties to the BND and to the Belleville area. He is a fourth-generation Bellevillian and 1987 graduate of Belleville West.
After graduating from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1992, Eschman went on to work for the American Publishing Company in southern Illinois and the Journal-Gazette and Times-Courier in Mattoon and Charleston before being hired by the Belleville News-Democrat in March of 1998 as a breaking news reporter.
He quickly moved on to the BND-owned O’Fallon Progress as editor. In 2002, he was promoted to general manager of the Belleville Community Group, responsible for four weekly newspapers, two military-related publications and a weekly legal journal.
He joined the BND newsroom as sports editor in 2014 before his promotion to senior editor.
“This is a bittersweet time for me because, while I’m thrilled and honored to be stepping into this role, I’ll miss the daily collaboration with Jeff as well as his mentorship and his enthusiasm for community journalism,” Eschman said. “But the metro-east is where I’m from. It’s my home. To be able to serve my community in this capacity – providing high-utility information, ensuring transparency, holding public officials to account, giving a voice to our most vulnerable – is a responsibility I won’t take lightly.
“And I’m confident in our ability to fill that need because of the talented journalists I see every day in our local newsroom.”
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