Scott Peterson, group editor of Adams Publishing Group-Southern Wisconsin, has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the month. Peterson, who will turn 65 in October, has spent more than four decades in journalism.
Peterson was named managing editor of the Watertown Daily Times in April 2019, succeeding Tom Schultz. About a year later, he was tasked with overseeing 28 editorial staff across APG’s southern Wisconsin division, which also includes the (Fort Atkinson) Daily Jefferson County Union, Sun Prairie Star, Waunakee Tribune, Lodi Enterprise-Poynette Press, (Cottage Grove) Herald Independent & McFarland Thistle, Lake Mills Leader, Cambridge News-Deerfield Independent, Milton Courier and The (Waterloo-Marshall) Courier.
Prior to joining APG, Peterson spent 29 years with Journal Communications — most of which was spent overseeing suburban news coverage at the company’s Waukesha-based newsroom that, at its peak, produced 19 weekly news publications and several magazines.
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After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1980, Peterson began his career at Edward “Jim” McLoone’s twice-weekly Lake Country Reporter in Hartland. In 1982, he was promoted to editor of the Hartford Times-Press. A few years later, he was named editor of the Lake Country Reporter and then managing editor of all of McLoone’s newspapers. In 1990, the papers were sold to Journal Communications and Peterson was put in charge of editorial operations. Three years after the 2016 sale of Journal Media Group to Gannett, Peterson took a voluntary buyout.
During Peterson’s tenure, the publications under his oversight earned more than 1,200 national, state and regional awards.
He also has served on the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Board of Directors since February 2015. He has been president of the group since November 2018 — a role he plans to continue in following his retirement.
“I am blessed enough to spend my whole career doing something I love,” Peterson said in an article announcing his retirement. “When I notified APG officials early last month that I would be retiring, I felt fortunate I could retire on my own terms, but saddened that I will miss a lot about this field, the community and the great people I have worked with during this time.”
APG-Southern Wisconsin, which is based in Janesville, is conducting a nationwide search to find a new managing editor for both papers and expects to hire someone this fall. During the transition, Jim Ferolie, executive editor for APG-Southern Wisconsin and will take over Peterson’s duties.
Peterson said he plans to spend more time with Nancy, his wife of 40 years, their children and two grandchildren.
