CINCINNATI, Ohio – Tom King, editor of The El Paso (Texas) Herald-Post since 1988, will become editor of The Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight. Both newspapers are owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company.At the same time, Larry R. Wakefield, the Record Searchlight’s general manager since 1980, will be promoted to president and general manager. In this position, Wakefield will have final fiscal responsibility for all of the newspaper’s functions, including planning, budgeting and employee hiring.“The readers of The Record Searchlight soon will notice the impact of this superb new leadership team,” said Alan M. Horton, Scripps’ senior vice president of newspapers. “Tom King brings to The Record Searchlight an extensive news background and keen editorial judgment. He understands the values and culture of the community. He’ll be a perfect fit with Redding.“Larry Wakefield already is a leader in the community. He does a great job managing the business affairs of The Record Searchlight and has earned the new title and responsibilities,” Horton said.When King assumes his new position Jan. 15, he will become only the third editor in the 58-year history of The Record Searchlight. Paul C. Bodenhamer co-founded the paper in 1938 and remained at its helm until he was succeeded in 1972 by Robert W. Edkin, who announced his retirement on Jan. 5.King began his journalism career in 1969 as a sports writer for The Macon (Ga.) News and served as its sports editor from 1970 to 1974. He joined Scripps in 1974 as a sports writer for The Knoxville News-Sentinel. After four years, he moved to general news, beginning as a cityside reporter and eventually becoming a city editor.In 1982, he became the News-Sentinel’s assistant managing editor, a position he held for five years until his promotion to managing editor of The El Paso Herald-Post. He has been the paper’s editor and president since 1988.King is a member of the Associated Press Managing Editors organization, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Texas Daily Newspaper Association. He served as a director of that organization from 1991 to 1994. The graduate of Georgia Southern University is married to Susanne Smith King. They have two daughters.Wakefield has been with Scripps since 1957 when he joined the business office of The Bremerton Sun. In 1961, he became credit manager and assistant office manager for the Watsonville (Calif.) Register-Pajaronian, a daily newspaper Scripps sold in 1995.He was named controller of the Ventura County Star in 1967, a position he held until becoming general manager of The Record Searchlight in 1980.Wakefield is a past president of the Redding East Rotary Club as well as the Redding Chamber of Commerce. He serves as a board member of the Mercy Foundation, the Redding Forward Foundation and the Shasta Community Health Center.He lives with his wife, Nancy, in Redding, and has five children and six grandchildren.In addition to The Record Searchlight and The Herald-Post, The E.W. Scripps Company operates 16 daily newspapers, nine large-market television stations, cable systems with 800,000 subscribers, two television production companies, a licensing and syndication unit, and Home & Garden Television, a 24-hour cable channel.