WS Chronicle

BY LISETTE GUSHINIERE 

CHICAGO CITIZEN NEWSPAPER GROUP (NNPA MEMBER)

William Garth Sr., the CEO of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. (CCNG) and chairman of the Chatham Business Association (CBA), died on  Friday, Sept. 23. He was 79.

A pillar in the community, Garth led the Citizen with a steady hand and worked hard to make the news operation the largest Black-owned ABC audited newspaper in the Midwest. Starting out as an advertising salesman for the Citizen, Garth lived the American Dream.

After gaining recognition as a master salesman at the Citizen, he ended up owning the newspaper chain in 1980 when he purchased the business from Gus Savage, a six-term Democratic congressman, who represented Chicago’s South Side.

The sale to Garth included the “Chatham Citizen,” “Southend Citizen” and the “Chicago Weekend” newspapers. Under Garth’s leadership, the Citizen flourished. Between 1984-1987,  Garth grew the newspaper chain when he added the “South Suburban” and “Hyde Park Citizen” newspapers.

The Citizen was a business Garth nurtured and loved. He once said, “I’ve been good to the Citizen, because the Citizen has been good to me.” He was right. With a current circulation of 112,000 newspapers and a following of 400,000 readers weekly, the Citizen established itself as an important source for community news focused on the African-American market.

Garth deeply understood the power of the Black press and was an active member in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), an organization whose mission he vigorously supported. As the former President of Midwest Region III of the NNPA, he was also Region III Advertising Representative with the association.  In addition to the  NNPA,  Garth was active throughout the publishing industry. He became the first Black person to be elected president of the Illinois Press Association (IPA).