Joseph Barletta

1936 - 2019

Joseph F. Barletta

Joseph F. Barletta passed away of natural causes on October 28, 2019 at his home in Napa, California. He was 83 years old.

Born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on October 1, 1936, he would go on to become one of the most important media executives of his time, personally known to many of the nation's media and government leaders from coast to coast. He was an exacting leader in the business of newspapers at an exceedingly influential time in the history of print media. Willing to challenge business strategies he believed would prove uncompetitive, he was also an articulate champion of solid news reporting and analysis.

While he made his career as a newspaper executive, Joe got his start in the media business as a reporter in the late 1950's for the Marietta (Ohio) Daily Times. After receiving his BA degree from Marietta College, and then graduating from the School of Law at Duquesne University, Joe practiced law in Pennsylvania with his father, Michael, at the Ellwood City firm of Barletta and Barletta.

He left in 1967 to join and subsequently become manager of the labor relations department of the Wall Street Journal. From there, in 1970, Joe joined the labor relations department of the Tribune Company in Chicago, and not long after was elevated to become Vice President and Director of Operations for their flagship publication, the Chicago Tribune, the nation's fifth largest newspaper.

Five years later, the Tribune Company dispatched Joe to take the helm as Executive Vice President and General Manager of their subsidiary, the New York Daily News, the largest newspaper in the United States. In 1978 during the 88-day pressmen's union strike against all of New York City's newspapers, Joe emerged as the leader in the labor negotiations for the major publishers affected by the strike, a trio which also included Walter Mattson, President of the New York Times, and Rupert Murdoch of Newscorp, publishers of the New York Post. During that time Joe also became an advisor to then Mayor Ed Koch.

In 1981, Joe moved on to become a Partner in the New York office of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson, the largest employment law firm in the United States at that time. But the media world would soon draw Joe back, and in 1982 he moved to San Francisco to become the President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Newspaper Agency, publishers of the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. During his time in San Francisco, Joe became a key advisor to then Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and also served as a member of the City's Public Utilities Commission, and as a Trustee of the University of San Francisco.

In 1987, Joe moved to Southern California to become the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Orange County Register, and the other 37 print and broadcast entities of the Freedom Newspapers group.

Joe subsequently moved back to Chicago to become the Chief Operating Officer of Thomson Newspapers in the United States, with 164 daily and weekly publications, the largest group of newspapers in the country.

It was in Chicago in May of 1993 that Joe married Karen Porter of Berkeley, California, whom he had met during his time in San Francisco.

Later that year, Rupert Murdoch persuaded Joe to take over the helm as President and Chief Executive Officer of TV Guide and of Murdoch Magazines, distributors of over 25% of the nation's periodicals.

In 1995, Joe was retained as Senior Associate Counsel to the Office of Independent Counsel in Washington D.C., where he worked with all three of the then presiding Independent Counsels: Kenneth Starr in re President William J. Clinton, Donald Smaltz in re Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy, and David Barrett in re HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

In 1998, Joe retired to his home in Napa, California, where he continued to serve as Director of a number of organizations, including Lebhar-Friedman, publishers of Nation's Restaurant News, Armanino Foods of Distinction, and Metro/Risk, Inc. He maintained memberships in the Friars Club and the Lotos Club, both in New York City, as well as The Family, a private club in San Francisco. During his time in New York, Joe was elevated by Pope John Paul II to become a Knight of Malta.

Although by nature a private man, Joe was a wise and beloved friend and adviser to many, all of whom were most fortunate to have been a part of that inner circle, and who benefited beyond measure from his abiding friendship as well as his unerring counsel. Robert McCormick, his successor as President of the San Francisco Newspaper Agency, once observed, "If Joe Barletta was your friend, you didn't need any others".

He was proud of his Italian heritage and his family roots. As an elected Punxsutawney Ambassador, Joe proudly observed the annual celebration of his hometown's most famous resident, the notable groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.

He is survived by his wife, Karen; by their daughter Susie Porter, wife of Jerry Root of Salt Lake City, and their children Charlie and Cecilia; by their daughter Sara Johnson, wife of Michael Johnson of Napa, and their children Bellasara, Victoria, Aaron, and Steven; and by his brothers George of Cleveland, Ohio; Van of Winnetka, Illinois; and Michael of Erie, Pennsylvania.

Final arrangements are pending for a celebration of Joe's life, to be held in Napa after the Christmas holidays. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested donations in his name to Collabria Hospice, 414 S. Jefferson Street, Napa, CA 94559 (collabriacare.org)