Another Cooke has joined the staff at The Rockdale Reporter.
Kyle Cooke was welcomed to the general manager position last week and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the newspaper.
“We Cookes grew up in this industry and Kyle has 25 years of newspaper experience to draw from for his return to Rockdale,” said Ken E. Cooke, publisher of the Reporter. “He has deep roots here and cares about this town deeply.”
Kyle Cooke is in the process of moving from Houston to Rockdale. He was born and raised in Rockdale and graduated from RHS in 1982.
He is the son of Bill and Peggy Cooke of Rockdale, publishers emeritus of The Reporter.
Kyle studied journalism and English literature at Texas State University, San Marcos.
“I decided that living in the big city for 30 years was enough,” he said. “Plus, I was tired of being three hours away from my parents. That had become a big deal for me over the years.
“I put my house on the market and decided to come visit for a while to get out of the Realtor’s hair. I actually didn’t know that The Reporter was looking for a new GM until I got here,” he said. “The person who had been offered the job didn’t work out, so I was offered a chance. Serendipity, I think there may have been some divine intervention smiling on me.”
Kyle Cooke worked as an inside sales representative and supervisor for the Houston Post, Houston Business Journal, the Houston Chronicle and the Greensheet.
“In this industry, people either come up on the ‘news side’ or the ‘sales side’,” said Ken E. Cooke. “Kyle has news experience, but his strength is a passion for sales and helping business owners be successful with their marketing. Kyle has won many sales awards at other publications, and he will draw on his extensive sales experience to guide this newspaper and help it continue to fulfill its mission of being the go-to source for news and in-depth coverage of Rockdale and Milam County.”
Kyle Cooke said he looks forward to the town’s growth and exciting things ahead in Milam County.
“We are already big cheerleaders for Rockdale and the best source for news about Rockdale and the surrounding communities. As we grow we will be able to do even more of that,” he said.
After being away from Rockdale for 37 years, Kyle Cooke said he missed the slower pace, friendly people and quiet atmosphere.
“I need to reconnect with old friends, meet new friends, and become part of our community again,” he said. “Since my sister’s passing, there hasn’t been a lot of that for various reasons. I’m here full-time now and I plan to be out there to remind people that the Reporter can help businesses grow.”
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.