Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen to step down after 4 decades in charge of family-owned paper

Seattle Times publisher and CEO Frank Blethen has announced he will step down at the end of next year, after four decades leading the newspaper his family has owned since 1896. Blethen, 79, confirmed his plans Monday in a Seattle Times interview. He said he expects to retain his position as board chair of The Seattle Times Co. Blethen, the newspaper’s seventh publisher, led The Times as it won nine Pulitzer Prizes, including one awarded in 2020 for the paper’s coverage of mistakes by Boeing leading to two 737 MAX crashes. Alan Fisco, the company’s president and chief financial officer, will be named CEO when Blethen steps down.