A regional daily reporter who went on to work for an American newspaper abroad before becoming a police press officer has died aged 73.

Tributes have been paid to Mike Maber, who worked on the Dorset Echo before undertaking a variety of jobs in the media and beyond.

Mike’s career began at the Echo in the late 1950s after leaving Weymouth Grammar School, before he landed a job at the Paris office of the international edition of the New York Herald Tribune.

After five years in France he began a decade-long stint with the BBC producing documentaries.

He later set up a production company specialising in writing and directing corporate, training and sales videos for companies such as Esso, Mars and Westland.

In later life he ran a hotel with wife Ros, before heading up Dorset Police’s press and media office as well as his own PR company.

Former chairman of the Dorset Police Federation Clive Chamberlain told the Echo Mike had a “unique capacity for friendship” and was also a respected journalist.

He said: “I first knew him in the 1980s when I was a beat officer.

“He was very much a larger than life character with a witty sense of humour and a great sense of fun but underneath there was a very accomplished journalist with great media experience.”

“When he worked for Dorset Police he was well respected by the people he worked with and by the local media. He was always very helpful and believed in being transparent.”

Along with Ros, he is survived by two daughters and five grandchildren.

Lifelong friend Eric Church said: “Mike had a very strong personality.

“He was a gregarious person and very humorous. He got on well with people and his love was for journalism, he loved asking questions.”