Freedom Communications co-owners Aaron Kushner and Eric Spitz resigned from their executive positions at the company, as well as the Orange County Register this week.
Kushner (pictured above), who stepped down as the paper’s publisher last fall, gave up all executive duties at both Freedom and the OC Register on Tuesday, while Spitz stepped down as president, and assumed a new role as Freedom’s chairman of the board.
According to the OC Register, Spitz will work with the company’s directors and investors. Rich Mirman, the former casino marketing executive who replaced Kushner as publisher, will fill in as the president and CEO of Freedom.
Kushner, a former greeting card executive, conceded to OC Register staff that not all of his initiatives panned out since taking over the publication in 2012 with Spitz.
Bumps in a the road included the failure of the Los Angeles Register, three rounds of layoffs, newspaper delivery struggles and an ongoing legal battle with the Los Angeles Times.
“It has been a privilege and honor to serve as a leader of this institution,” Kushner told the staff when announcing his departure. “Thank you for hard work, your patience and commitment to the Register.”