Karen Lincoln Michel has been promoted to a dual role as publisher and editor of Madison Magazine, a city-regional magazine covering Wisconsin’s capital city and surrounding region for 40 years.
Michel had been serving in this position on an interim basis since April, after the departure of former publisher Mike Kornemann.
The announcement was made Oct. 1 by Tom Keeler, vice president and general manager of Morgan Murphy Media, which owns WISC-TV, Madison Magazine, Channel3000.com, TVW and Phase3 Digital.
“Karen has demonstrated exceptional leadership as interim publisher and quickly proved she was the obvious choice to take on this important role as publisher and editor,” Keeler says. “Her journalistic instincts and experience will enhance what Madisonians have come to expect from Madison Magazine over the years as it covers hard-hitting, local issues that improve the quality of life of the community it reflects every month.”
Keeler added, “We look forward to the impact Karen makes on increasing the value of this local treasure to both its readers and advertisers for years to come.”
Michel started at the magazine in 2015 as editor. Most of her career has been in newspapers, where she held positions from reporter to top editor. Previously, she worked as executive editor of The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana, and assistant managing editor of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. She is the board president of the Madison-based Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and a past president of the Native American Journalists Association.
“It’s a time of great transition in our industry and I’m excited to work with a staff that has the creativity and drive to meet the challenges ahead,” says Michel, who is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. “We will innovate while building on the strong editorial standards and client-based approaches that have made our publication the most influential magazine in our region.”
Michel succeeds Kornemann, who worked for the magazine for 18 years, five years as publisher.
