 Veteran Texas newspaperman Donnis Baggett was named publisher of the Waco Tribune-Herald, effective June 1, Gordon Robinson, president of Robinson Media, announced in the newspaper’s May 13 editions.
Before joining the Waco daily, Baggett, 57, was editor-in-chief of The Bryan-College Station Eagle for 15 years. He also served as publisher of The Eagle for 12 years.
“We received well over a hundred applications from across the country, and Donnis really impressed us as the person we want leading the Trib,” Robinson was quoted in the announcement story.
Baggett earned a statewide reputation for his efforts with the Texas Legislature to keep government records open and accessible to the public.
In addition to his role as editor and publisher, Baggett served for two state legislative sessions as chair of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and Texas Press Association Legislative Advisory Committee, which tracks and weighs in on pending legislation that may affect open government in Texas. Baggett is also a director of the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation.
“I can hardly wait,” Baggett said after Robinson’s announcement. “I want the Waco Tribune-Herald to become what the Robinsons and the community want it to be — one of the very best newspapers in the country.”
Baggett is a 37-year veteran of the newspaper industry and a lifelong Texan, who attended Stephen F. Austin State University.
He has worked for such newspapers as the East Texas Eye and the Longview News-Journal. In 1976, he joined The Dallas Morning News, working his way up the ranks as a reporter, assistant city editor, assistant state editor and state editor in 1982.
He was state editor for more than a decade, helping build statewide coverage as The Morning News solidified its reputation as one of the premier regional newspapers in the country. Baggett then was promoted to assistant managing editor in Dallas and was in charge of producing its Sunday edition.
In 1995, A.H. Belo Corp., owner of The Morning News, bought The Bryan-College Station Eagle and appointed Baggett editor and publisher.
He stayed in that capacity through the 2000 sale of the newspaper by Belo to the South Carolina-based Evening Post Publishing Co., which still owns The Eagle. In 2007, a new publisher was named to The Eagle, and Baggett became editor-in-chief.
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