Who's the publisher again?

As young journalists, much of our interaction with the top brass in our organizations are usually limited to head nods, hellos and water cooler talk.

As a fairly new employee of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (one year in September), I've barely had interaction with my publisher. However, my former publisher in the Pacific Daily News has recently been announced as taking over our competitor, the Honolulu Advertiser. Both papers are Gannett owned.

Immediately people began asking me how he is as a person and as a businessman, and I was surprised at the amount of knowledge I had about him. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I did have a lot of interaction with the Big Cheese on Guam, mostly because it's a very small paper.

Here, in a middle-size metro, I've only had two official interactions with my publisher. The first time was during my first week. I think it's important to know who signs my checks, so I went upstairs and asked to be shown around the administrative offices, including having a short chat with the publisher. He seemed like a very laid-back person, a stark contrast then what I was used to. I also know he's more of a manager than a journalist, which I suppose most publishers are.

The second time was at our Christmas party at a bar, and boy was he living it up. It was good to see a publisher in an untucked Aloha shirt with the top two buttons loose, having fun and cavorting with his troops. Besides that, I never really see the guy, unless we share elevator rides.

So how well do you know your publishers? Do they fraternize with the common folk? Do they mostly just speak to their lieutenants? Would you even want to hang out with the guy/gal?

I sometimes wish I had more mentorship with publishers, not just editors. I have a keen interest in all aspects of the news business, even to the extent that I almost applied for  advertising and circulation jobs, and I'm eager to learn more about how newspapers run as a business, not just as an information gateway for the public.