Regional newspaper legend Freddy Johnston is to step down from the board of the company his family founded 243 years ago.

The departure of the 75-year-old patriarch at Johnston Press’s forthcoming AGM will mean there is no Johnston on its main board for the first time since 1767.

Mr Johnston began his newspaper career as a trainee reporter on the Liverpool Echo, then became a sub-editor and leader-writer on the Liverpool Daily Post.

He joined the family firm, then known as F Johnston & Co Ltd, in 1962 and became managing director in June 1973, chairman in 1975 and chief executive of Johnston Newspaper Group in 1980.

Mr Johnston, who was president of the Newspaper Society in 1989-90, subsequently led the company through its major period of expansion in the 1990s before stepping down as chairman in 2000.

Since then he has remained as a non-executive director of the company, which is still 28pc owned by the Johnston family.

However although there will now be no Johnston on the main board, the family’s links with the company continue to live on.

Mr Johnston’s son Michael is divisional managing director of its Scottish operations.

Comments

prionmonkey (09/03/2010 12:28:48)
When I started in journalism, the family-run JP was a great company to work for.
Now it is run by “mediocre” businessmen (FT’s words not mine) and they are destroying it. Thye have no respect or regard for news.
“Life is local” what a laugh!

DunSubbin (09/03/2010 16:23:16)
He is a decent chap, and probably as heartbroken as the rest of us at the way this company is going. JP has no heart and no soul now.

Sandy (12/03/2010 08:35:29)
Freddie is an ok guy. I met him at the Edinburgh Book Festival and he remembered me as a young reporter on the Falkirk Herald and was charming to my duaghter and young granddaughter