Staff Report

A third-generation reporter joins the Advocate newsroom after spending more than five years at the Montgomery Advertiser.

Kevin Taylor, 33, took over as the Advocate’s sports editor on Monday to replace Griffin Pritchard, who has been promoted to sports editor of Advocate’s sister paper, The Selma Times-Journal.

Taylor’s sports background is quite extensive. Before leaving the Advertiser in Montgomery, he was assistant sports editor there for three years.

Previously he was sports editor of the Clemson Messenger and the Seneca Journal-Tribune in Seneca, S.C., where he assisted in the newspaper’s transition from a weekly to a daily publication.

Taylor said the reason for his move was the challenges ahead for the Advocate such as expansion plans in the future and his having been in a similar situation in the past.

&uot;I look forward to bringing the best community to this area,&uot; he said.

&uot;I look forward to serving our readers with a product they can be proud of every Wednesday and Saturday and hopefully every day of the week in the future.&uot;

After graduating from Auburn University in 1995 with a degree in journalism, Taylor joined The Tifton Gazette in Tifton, Ga., where he served as sports editor for almost five years.

&uot;I’m very excited that we were able to recruit someone of Kevin’s talent to handle sports coverage for our readers,&uot; said Greenville Newspapers’ publisher Dennis Palmer. &uot;Kevin brings a wealth of experience with him and I’m confident our readers will see that reflected in the pages of their sports section each week.&uot;

Jay Thomas, managing editor of GNL, also expressed his excitement over Taylor’s joining the staff and the chance to work with him again.

&uot;It is great that Kevin has joined us here and I know his vast knowledge and experience will only improve our sports coverage for the area,&uot; Thomas said.

&uot;Having worked with Kevin at another newspaper, I’m well aware of his work ethic and drive to serve the readers only the best in each new edition.

Taylor is married to the former Wendy Booker, who is a school nurse for the Conecuh County school system.

Pritchard begins his new position in Selma on Monday, April 18.