Garry D. Howard, the only African American currently editing the sports section at a major daily newspaper, is coming to Charlotte as editor-in-chief of the Sporting News, a national publication based here.

Howard currently works as assistant managing editor for sports at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

As recently as 2007, six African Americans were sports editors at major dailies, according to Richard Prince’s Journal-ism, which tracks African Americans in media. But with cutbacks at many of the nation’s big newspapers, those numbers have dwindled.

The Sporting News is owned by American City Business Journals.

"As editor-in-chief, I’ll get to touch every platform,” Howard told Qcitymetro.com. Some of those platforms include Sporting News magazine, Sporting News Today, SportingNews.com and Sporting News Yearbooks.

When Howard joined the former Milwaukee Journal as executive sports editor in 1994, he became one of the first African Americans to lead a major newspaper sports section. He became sports editor of the merged Journal Sentinel in 1995 and assistant managing editor/sports in 2000.

Howard said top newspaper editors must do more to recruit and cultivate people of color.

“I think it needs to be a reflection of the athletes who are in those professional ranks, collegiate ranks and in high school,” he said.

As for his new home, Howard said that he was born in New Bern, NC, and that he looks forward to coming to Charlotte.

“I think Charlotte is a gem of a city,” he said. “I think from a sports standpoint, it has really grown over the years. When you’re a sports editor you really don’t get the chance to be a fan, but with Michael Jordan, one of the greatest icons in the history of sports, owning the franchise there with the Bobcats, with NASCAR there, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte Motor Speedway, I think Charlotte is a wonderful place to be.”

Howard began his career at the Trenton (N.J.) Times and has worked at the New Brunswick (N.J.) Home News; the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y.; the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Independent; the St. Petersburg Times; and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

He ended a year-long term as president of the Associated Press Sports Editors in June.

Howard is married with a 10-year-old daughter. His first day at the Sporting News will be Jan. 3.
 

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