Robert Tabern, a former broadcast journalist, has been named editor of the (Frederic) Inter-County Leader — the sixth editor in the newspaper’s 90-year history, according to the newspaper’s announcement. He will work alongside retiring editor Gary King during a transition period over the next few months.
Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Tabern discovered a passion for journalism in high school, writing for the student newspaper and hosting shows on the school’s radio stations, as well as local cable access television. In 1997, he moved to Jonesboro, Ark., to attend Arkansas State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. During college, he worked on-air and behind the scenes at several local radio stations and served as an assistant producer for three years at KAIT-TV, the ABC affiliate serving portions of Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee.
After college, he held various media and communication roles in the Chicago area, including producer and reporter for WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne, Ind., and senior news/web producer at WDJT-TV in Milwaukee. Most recently, he worked as operations coordinator for an Elm-Grove based travel company and as director of passenger development for the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Trego.
