Publisher Trinity Mirror finally ended weeks of speculation by confirming that the Birmingham Post is to go weekly from 12 November while the Birmingham Mail is to be printed overnight.

Mail editor Steve Dyson and Post counterpart Marc Reeves have both chosen to leave their jobs, with Coventry Telegraph editor Dave Brookes taking over as editor-in-chief of the Birmingham titles.

His job goes to Darren Parkin, currently editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror’s Coventry weeklies series.

Steve, who also edits the Sunday Mercury, said today: "It has been a privilege working on these fine newspapers. They have provided me with great experiences, from my days as a reporter to my last seven years as an editor. I've been really lucky and will never forget my 17 years with the company.

"It has been quite a wrench to come to the decision to move on, but I feel it is the right time to seek new challenges elsewhere. I leave wishing everyone at the company the very best for the future."

Marc added: "I'm delighted that I am able to leave the Post on a high as it takes a really ambitious and brave step and one that puts it in an even better position to meet the challenges of the economy and the changing media environment.

"It was my lifelong ambition to edit the Birmingham Post, my home town newspaper, and I've had nearly four years doing exactly that.

"I feel truly honoured to have been editor when the Post celebrated its 150th anniversary, and to have played a part in the development of its online services and forays into social media.

"My focus now is shaping the Post for the changes and challenges ahead and handing over the reins to my successor before I leave at the end of the year."

Marc has gone into further detail about the reasons for his departure in a post on his blog, saying that had he stayed, he would have needed to commit to being editor "for a considerable period in the future."

The post can be read in full here.

Managing director John Griffith said: "We wish both Steve and Marc every success in the future. They have both made a great contribution to their titles and to the Birmingham business. I respect the fact that both have decided this is an appropriate time to move on."

Both Steve and Marc will stay with the business until December to help implement the planned changes. A new editor of the Post, reporting to Dave Brookes, will be appointed in due course.

Dave's appointment as editor of the Birmingham Mail and editor-in-chief of all the Birmingham titles marks a return to Fort Dunlop for the former Sunday Mercury editor.

Said John Griffith: "Dave knows our Birmingham titles inside out. Under his editorship, the Mercury won numerous awards and in Coventry he has gained valuable experience editing a successful overnight newspaper. I'm delighted to welcome him back to Birmingham."

Darren Parkin's move to the editorship of the Coventry Telegraph was described by his managing director Debbie Davies as "a richly-deserved promotion."

Darren became the youngest editor in the country on the Wolverhampton Ad News in 1996 and editor of the Solihull News in 1997. After a break, he returned to Coventry in 2005 and has been editor of the Times series of weeklies for the past four years.

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