Meet the Team
Carlton Veirs
Publisher
[email protected]
Carlton began on the air at Brownsville Radio at age 14. He spent a short time on WMC-FM 100 in the mid-70s.
In 1978 he joined with Lyle Reid and James Haynes to buy Brownsville Radio. Reid and Veirs eventually bought Haynes’ interest in the business and grew the company to include the award-winning Brownsville States-Graphic. The newspaper was merged with the Brownsville Press in 2017.
Wireless Group Inc. has owned radio stations located in Trenton and Jackson and published outdoor magazines including national titles, Fishing Tackle Retailer, Boat US Foundation, Hunter’s Handbook, the IHEA Journal, Bill Dance’s Fishing and Bass Club Digest and regional title Mid-South Hunting & Fishing News. The company owns an interest in The Fishing Wire, a daily e-mail news service focused on fishing business. Carlton manages sponsorships and personal endorsement agreements for TV fisherman, Bill Dance.
In 2017 the company entered the digital advertising business forming Exact Marketing. Exact provides digital services to individual brands and advertising agencies.
Lyle Reid
Vice-President/Secretary of The Wireless Group, Inc.
Lyle Reid is the Vice-President and Secretary of The Wireless Group, Inc., which owns and operate several print and broadcast media, including the Brownsville Press and Brownsville Radio.
Reid is retired Chief of Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court; he has held other public offices, including State Representative, Assistant State Attorney General and 22 years as County Attorney for Haywood County. After retiring from the Supreme Court, Reid was Vice-President of Hospital Corporation of America in charge of its Litigation Department. He has practiced law in Brownsville with Larry Banks, in Nashville with Charles Bone and others, and in Covington with J. Houston Gordon. Throughout his career, Reid has maintained an active role in the management of The Wireless Group and its subsidiaries.
“As we begin a new year, we thank our readers, our advertisers and the public for the support you have given the Brownsville Press and Brownsville Radio,” Reid stated. “Our mission is to report the news for and about our community and also to promote Brownsville/Haywood County as a very special place. We have a great staff and our mission is to be the responsible voice of this community.”
Brooke McCain
Managing Editor
[email protected]
(731) 772-9962
A native Haywood Countian, Brooke graduated from Haywood High School in 2008. She earned degrees in Mass Communications and Speech and Theatre from Middle Tennessee State University (2012) before joining the Brownsville Press team as a staff writer in 2016. She became Managing Editor in 2017. Since becoming editor, the newspaper has won more than 30 statewide awards from the Tennessee Press Association.
Brooke is a member of the Haywood Leadership Class of 2019-2020, sits on the board of Haywood County Reading Railroad, Brownsville Exchange Club, and is a member of the 16th Review Club. She has two children, Ian and Caroline.
Zoe Faught
Office Manager
[email protected]
(731) 772-9962
Zoe Zaleski Faught has been with Brownsville Radio for 14 years, and Brownsville Press since the beginning in 2015. She serves as the Office/Billing/Circulation Manager for both companies.The daughter of Keith and Allyson Zaleski, she has three siblings, Mia Potter, Eli Zaleski, and Ede Kenny. She and her husband of seven years, Jeremy Faught, are both lifelong members of the Brownsville-Haywood County Community.
Mark Kendrick
Design Manager
Mark is a 25-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine printing business. He has worked for the Brownsville States Graphic, Mid-South Hunting & Fishing News, The Jackson Sun (Jackson, TN), The News Leader (Parsons, TN) and has come full circle as the Design Manager for the Brownsville Press. With over 40 years of creative work under his belt, he has received several awards for art, graphic design, writing and photography. He hopes to continue the tradition of quality and visual appeal to the Brownsville Press along with its special sections and projects.
Mark is married to Dale, who works in Loan Operations at INSOUTH Bank. They have one son, Caleb, who is a professional videographer (Kendrick Productions) and works at The Bramblett Group in Henderson, Tennessee.
Lacey Gaylord Baggett
Sales Manager
[email protected]
731-772-9962
Lacey is a graduate from the University of Memphis, working primarily in education since graduation. She lives in Tibbs with her husband, Anthony, and her son. George. She enjoys traveling with friends and family in her spare time.
Tommie Rowell
Reporter/Sales Associate
[email protected]
(901) 481-6779
Tommie is a reporter for the Brownsville Press as well as a sales associate for both the newspaper and the radio. Native to Brownsville, she is a 1995 graduate of Haywood High School. She temporarily called Shelby County home while pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Memphis, then a decade-long stint in corporate finance before she and husband Matt returned “home” to rear their two young children, Emma Hayes and Lucy.
Eliza Ford
Reporter
[email protected]
731-772-9962
Eliza Ford is a reporter for the Brownsville Press. She has returned to the place of her first job as DJ of Swap Shop! A graduate of Haywood High School, she is currently earning her Masters in Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Memphis, and also works on a farm in Whiteville. She’s the head coach of Haywood Middle School Girls Soccer, and is involved in local non-profits in Brownsville and Memphis.
The Brownsville Press and the Brownsville Radio are jointly owned by Wireless Group, Inc. Meet the team from our radio operations.
Drew Magruder
Brownsville Radio Operations Manager
Drew was born in 1965 in Philadelphia, Penn. At age 4, he and his family moved to Millington, Tenn. Though raised in Millington, Drew considers Brownsville his hometown.
Drew has wanted to be on the radio since the age of 10. After working a few years in radio and then trying a few other professions, he landed at Brownsville Radio in 2006 as the assistant to the station manager.
He is married to Darlene Holt Magruder. They have four children – the youngest a 17-year-old senior at HHS. They also have two granddaughters and one grandson.
Paul Jackson
Brownsville Radio Host
Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1976, after 20 years of service, Paul came to Brownsville where he built a recording studio and sound reinforcement company. In the late 1970s, he joined Brownsville Radio part time, spinning records which turned into a 35-year stint. The radio program quickly evolved into a news talk format which has lasted to date.
The recording studio expanded into a video production studio and has produced commercials, corporate videos and some documentaries, as well as local programming on four cable channels in surrounding counties.
Natalie Woods
Brownsville Radio Host
Natalie Elaine Liggins Woods has been with Brownsville Radio as a Nighttime Radio host for about 20 years. Natalie says every one of those years has been a delight and she’s looking forward to serving many more years to come
Michael Osburn
Graphic Design/IT
In addition to graphic design duties for the several print publications Wireless Group, Inc., publishes, Michael administers the various websites the company manages and serves as the “IT guy.”
Contact Us
42 South Washington Avenue
2nd Floor, Brownsville, TN 38012
Office: (731) 772-9962
Fax: (731) 772-9763