Julia Wallace is no longer AJC editor

• COX Communications

Big changes are afoot today at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Staffers were informed during a meeting earlier today that Julia Wallace, who oversaw the AJC’s redesign and shifted its resources and focus on the northern ‘burbs, has stepped down as the daily paper’s executive editor.

Kevin Riley, editor of the Dayton Daily News, another paper in the Cox Communications empire, has been named editor.

An AJC spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

UPDATE, 11:24 Confirmed. Wallace will move to Dayton to become senior vice president of news and programming for Cox Media Group’s Ohio properties. In that role, she’ll oversee “all newsgathering, entertainment and programming for CMG Ohio’s properties, which include 12 newspapers — the Dayton Daily News, The Springfield News-Sun, The Middletown Journal, the Hamilton Journal News and eight weekly newspapers — as well as three radio stations, WHIO-TV and all associated digital products.”

Riley, a former publisher who became the Dayton paper’s editor in 2007, starts Jan. 4. Interesting tidbit included in paper’s release: “He has been deeply involved in strategic planning for Dayton’s multi-media project, which includes bringing together the newsrooms for radio, TV and newspapers.” Keep in mind that Cox also owns a TV and radio station in metro Atlanta. Synergy!

After the jump, the internal announcement sent by publisher Michael Joseph to AJC staffers.