Stuart Layne named publisher of Metro Boston

Metro Boston, the free newspaper partly owned by The Boston Globe, said today that Stuart Layne has been named publisher, effective immediately.

Layne's resume includes a stint as executive vice president of marketing and sales with the Boston Celtics; most recently, he created a sports and entertainment marketing company called Seven 2 Sports Marketing, Metro Boston said.

"Having someone with Stuart's local experience and marketing expertise shows our serious intentions to grow aggressively in Boston," Robert Patterson, Metro International's executive vice president for the Americas, said in a statement.

Metro International SA is the majority owner of Metro Boston. The Globe acquired a 49 percent stake in Metro Boston in 2005.

Metro Boston started in 2001 and describes itself as a free daily newspaper with more than 235,000 readers every day.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)