Fox Buys Beacon Communications, Howell Remains Beacon Editor

WARWICK, RI — Longtime publisher and editor of the Warwick Beacon John Howell is selling Beacon Communications to Joy Fox, former Cranston Herald editor and 2022 Congressional Dist. 2 primary candidate.

Fox plans to begin her stint as publisher today, starting with a meeting with staff members, said Howell, who will remain editor of the Warwick Beacon. The sale is expected to be final sometime in June, Howell said.

Beacon Communications publishes three weekly Rhode Island newspapers — the Beacon, Cranston Herald and Johnston SunRise — as well as a weekly shopping guide, The Reminder. Howell, 82, bought the Beacon in 1979, and has managed the weekly and other publications for 52 years.

“Obviously this is a pivotal moment for local newspapers,” Fox said, according to the Warwick Beacon’s story announcing the sale. Community news will continue to be our priority and our focus going forward. I think that these papers are such a part of the fabric of these communities, not just from a news perspective, but from a local business perspective.”

Fox, 46, a Cranston native and Warwick resident, started her career in print and broadcast journalism. She is CEO of consulting firm Clarendon Group, which advises public and private leaders, and will remain in that position.

Fox served as Director of Communications to Gov. Gina Raimondo, and before that was her Transition Director and a Deputy Campaign Manager. Fox has also served as the Director of Communications and Community Relations for former Congressman Jim Langevin and as the Senior Information/Public Relations Specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. She serves on the executive committee and board of trustees for Sophia Academy, an all-girls middle school, where she volunteered for more than a decade.

“I’ve known Joy since she did a high school, one-day-a-week, senior internship with the paper. She returned as a reporter and went on to become editor of the Herald. I know her work ethic, commitment to accuracy and fairness. I trust her judgement and I believe she will build upon what we have and  maintain strong community relationships for the betterment of the municipalities we cover,” said Howell.