Ex-Casino Executive Named Publisher Of Orange County Register

SANTA ANA (AP) — The Orange County Register has hired former casino executive Richard Mirman to be its interim publisher and chief executive, the newspaper said Monday night.

Mirman will take over for Aaron Kushner, who will remain principal owner and CEO of the Register's parent company, Freedom Communications Inc. Kushner's co-owner, Eric Spitz, will also remain with Freedom.

The 48-year-old Mirman, who has both bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics, is a former executive at Nevada-based casino and resort operator Harrah's Entertainment, since renamed Caesars Entertainment. He worked in several positions from 1997 to 2007, including senior vice president of business development and chief marketing officer.

Mirman, who has been an investor in Freedom Communications, will head both the Register and the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

"My goal is to get the business on a trajectory of growth," Mirman told the Register in a story posted on its website Monday night.

His arrival comes amid struggles for Freedom Communications, which last month shut down the Los Angeles Register, a would-be competitor for the Los Angeles Times, just five months after it began publication.

The company has also gone through a series of employee buyouts and layoffs, and announced the sale of the Santa Ana headquarters of the Orange County Register for $27 million to local developer Michael Harrah. The Register said it would lease space in the building.

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