Howard Lovy Named Managing Editor of JTA

Howard Lovy, a journalist with 15 years of professional experience, has been named managing editor of JTA — the Global News Service of the Jewish People.

Lovy, 33, who began work this week at JTA, succeeds Kenneth Bandler, who left the worldwide news agency in December. He comes to the post from the Detroit News, where he had served as copy editor and page designer since 1995.

Lovy’s appointment was announced by Caryn Rosen Adelman of Chicago, president of the JTA Board of Directors. It culminated a worldwide search that included interviews with more than a dozen candidates.

As managing editor, Lovy is responsible for assisting JTA Editor Lisa Hostein in overseeing editorial operations for the 82-year-old news agency. This includes supervising the agency’s global network of correspondents and managing relations with JTA’s more than 100 newspaper clients.

One of his primary responsibilities is working with JTA’s distinguished staff of reporters and correspondents to develop fresh, timely stories on issues and events affecting the lives of Jews around the world.

He is also responsible for editing and supervising production of JTA’s monthly Community News Reporter, which chronicles Jewish communal and organizational news.

“Howard brings to JTA both his extensive experience of working on a big-city daily and a deep appreciation of Jewish issues,” said Mark J. Joffe, JTA’s executive editor and publisher. “We’re delighted to have him on board.”

“I look forward to working with Howard to keep JTA on the cutting edge of Jewish news as we enter the new millennium,” said Hostein.

Throughout his career, Lovy has written commentary and analysis on Jewish and Israeli issues.

The mainstream media, where he previously worked, devoted only a limited amount of space to such issues — a situation that prompted Lovy to join JTA.

“These are important times for Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. I wanted to make a difference, and I felt I could do this best through the Jewish media,” Lovy said.

The new managing editor also spoke of his vision for JTA.

“One of my goals is to maintain a high level of insight into the issues behind the headline-making stories affecting Israel and Diaspora communities,” he said.

From 1983 to 1986, Lovy majored in English and journalism at Wayne State University in Detroit.

While still in college, he served as a contributing writer for The Jewish News in Southfield, Mich.

He pursued his interest in journalism after leaving school, serving first as a reporter and then as an editor at a variety of newspapers, including the Roscommon County (Mich.) Herald; the Haverhill (Mass.) Gazette; The Times- Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette; and The Detroit News.

JTA, founded in The Hague in 1917, was the first news agency that not only gathered but disseminated news in every part of the world. Today, it is based in New York, with correspondents in Washington, Jerusalem, Moscow and two dozen other locations around the globe.

In addition to its news and features service for newspapers, JTA publishes a Daily News Bulletin, Weekly News Digest and monthly Community News Reporter. A Daily Electronic Edition is available by e-mail, and the agency also maintains a full-fledged news site on the Worldwide Web, which can be found at http:// jta.org.