GateHouse Media, the financially troubled newspaper company that owns the Herald News of Fall River and the Taunton Daily Gazette in Massachusetts, said yesterday it is replacing its chief financial officer. Mark Thompson has resigned for personal reasons, Gatehouse said, and will be replaced by Mark Maring as interim CFO.

GateHouse (GHS:NYSE) shares closed yesterday at 60 cents, down 2 cents. The company said in a regulatory filing yesterday that it may be delisted by the New York Stock Exchange after its stock fell below $1 and that it had failed to meet a $75-million minimum market capitalization. The company has 45 days to outline compliance plans so it can keep its listing. GateHouse owns 97 newspapers and online publications, mostly in smaller markets.

Maring currently serves as vice president of investor relations and strategic development and will continue to oversee these responsibilities.

“Mark Maring’s experience in the finance and accounting functions as well as his business development background make him the logical choice for interim CFO,” said Michael E. Reed, chief executive officer.

Maring joined GateHouse in March. He previously held financial and accounting positions at Mendon Capital Advisors, Constellation Brands, Arthur Andersen and The Chase Manhattan Bank.

Reed also said, “Mr. Thompson’s resignation was prompted by personal reasons as he has decided to take a new job that will allow him to be closer to his family and move back to his home town.”

Thompson has agreed to stay on with Gatehouse until Sept. 28 and work with Maring.

The transition occurs after GateHouse, headquartered in Fairport, N.Y., earlier this month suspended its quarterly dividend and said it will use the savings to reduce debt.

The company will also issue $11.5 million of preferred stock to a fund managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group, the publisher’s largest shareholder. The company has $1.22 billion of long-term debt.

GateHouse cut its quarterly dividend to 20 cents from 40 cents in March after newspaper write-downs led to a fourth-quarter loss of $214.6 million. Rising paper prices and declining classified advertising are pressuring GateHouse to reduce expenses and free up cash.

The company’s second-quarter net loss widened to $443.3 million, or $7.77 a share, from $2 million, or 5 cents, a year earlier. The loss reflected a $443-million write-down of assets, triggered by a drop in the shares. Revenue rose 17 percent to $184.1 million from $158 million a year ago, GateHouse said.