Alex Taylor, vice president of Cox Media Group Ohio, on Tuesday was named executive vice president of Cox Media Group, a unit of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.

Taylor, who led the integration of the Dayton Daily News, WHIO-TV and Cox radio stations in Dayton, will succeed Doug Franklin, who has been named president of Cox Media Group.

Franklin succeeds Sandy Schwartz, who will replace Dean Eisner as president of Cox’s automotive services unit, Manheim. Eisner has retired .

All changes were effective immediately.

Taylor plans to complete his move to Cox headquarters in Atlanta by the end of April, by which time he expects to have a successor in place in Dayton.

“Dayton will be in very good hands,” he said. “There’s a very good team in place now.”

Taylor will oversee operations in both Dayton and Atlanta, and said he will continue to push the integration of digital, broadcast and print media.

“Every market is different,” he said. “But I think a lot of what we’ve accomplished here in Dayton sort of validates a lot of our assumptions that media businesses can find new ways to operate and more creative and innovative ways to work together to fulfill their public service to the community.”

Taylor previously served as publisher of the Palm Beach Post in Palm Beach, Fla., and The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, Colo. He was also vice president and general manager at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In his new role, Franklin will be responsible for managing operations that include 15 broadcast television stations; 86 radio stations; eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications; and more than 100 digital services.

“Doug is a seasoned veteran with a great understanding of our CMG properties and a great vision for their future,” said Jimmy Hayes, president and chief executive officer of Cox Enterprises.

Franklin has been president and CEO of Cox Ohio Publishing, and publisher of the Dayton Daily News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Palm Beach Post.