20 Under 40 - 2004 Profile: Rich Ramhoff

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: December 2004

Director of Custom Publications | Lansing (Mich.) State Journal

For Rich Ramhoff, the awakening came four years ago during a conference on attracting young readers. "It was sort of an epiphany to me," he says. "It made me want to make what we're doing in the newspaper business more relevant. Sometimes we just weren't being smart enough, bold enough and creative enough to break through the clutter."

Ramhoff got the opportunity to reach young readers directly in 2002, when he led the launch of NOISE, a lifestyle and entertainment weekly geared toward those in their 20s and mid-30s. Published by the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal, a Gannett-owned, 73,000-circulation daily serving the greater Lansing area, the free tabloid enjoyed near-immediate success.

"We became profitable after about 15 months," Ramhoff says, pointing out that NOISE, with a circulation of about 17,000, is reaching readers who want a newspaper that reflects their interests and attitudes.

As a result of that reach, the paper has increased pages from 40 to approximately 56—with 45 to 55 percent ad space—and published a whopping 80 pages in its annual Campus Guide in August.

That success helped earn Ramhoff oversight of all of the Lansing State Journal's custom publications, including a coupon product, a rental product and a recently launched four-color magazine titled Greater Lansing Woman, which published its first issue this fall.

"Rich has got vision and passion," says Michael Kane, president and publisher of the Lansing State Journal. "He really works hard to understand what the readers want."

Ramhoff's leadership and creative skills have served him in spearheading custom publications, Kane says. "In many ways, Rich represents the hope for our industry's future."

Education: 1989, B.S., journalism, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
Career: 1989-2000, reporter, assistant city editor, business editor, online director, Rockford (Ill.) Register Star; 2000-02, online director, Gannett Newspapers (Wis.); 2002-present, general manager and editor, NOISE weekly, director of custom publications, Lansing (Mich.) State Journal.
Personal: Age, 37. Born, Youngstown, Ohio.
Married, wife Lori, one daughter, one son.
Diversions: Cooking, reading tech magazines and Web sites, playing with Hot Wheels cars and Bratz dolls with his kids.
Connections: Lansing State Journal, 120 E. Lenawee St., Lansing, Mich. 48919, (517) 702-4231, rramhoff@lansing.gannett.com.