West 10 Newpapers, Inc2850 Stage Village Cove, Suite 5 Bartlett, TN 38134901-433-9138 phone 901-529-7687 fax

The Bartlett Express, The Millington Star, The Oakland News, The Shelby Sun Times, The Collierville Independent, The Bluejacket, The Shoppers Guide/Classified Advantage

To Whom it May Concern;

In 35 years of newspaper management I’ve always believed it to be important to hire individuals more talented and more intelligent than myself. Kristal Kuykendall fits the bill.

Dedicated, driven and dynamic, Ms. Kuykendall has proven herself to be a strong newsroom manager with superior design skills. As editor of the Benton Courier, Ms. Kuykendall took over a newsroom in disarray. Veteran news reporters had been given little to no direction and the print product was all but ignored in the market. In her first 48 hours of employment she took over a 44-page magazine (our first glossy effort) and created what was later named Arkansas’ best by the state press association.

That “can do” attitude extended to the building of her news team. Through collaborative efforts, Ms. Kuykendall directed a new sports editor, sports reporter, news editor and general assignment reporter. She put the pieces together to make the Courier one of Arkansas’ best news products and assisting me in making our vision a reality.

It’s without hesitation that I recommend Kristal for any position for which she feels herself qualified.

Brian BloomGroup PublisherWest 10 Newspapers