Bill Browne, editor-in-chief of Gazette Newspapers, is leaving Basingstoke to take up his third editorship.

After six years Bill will leave the Gazette on March 22 and take up his new role as editor of the Salisbury Journal and Avon Advertiser series on April 2.

He said: "I will take much of what I have learned here in Basingstoke with me - and this will benefit my approach to leading the Salisbury team.

"My brief in Salisbury is to continue the success story that is already The Journal."

Although looking forward to the challenge his new role will bring, Bill says he will miss the Gazette.

He said: "In the time that I have been in Basingstoke we have made great strides forward.

"We won two major weekly newspaper of the year awards in 1998 and several of our journalists have won individual awards.

"I'll miss the people and the place. I can happily say I am leaving behind a great team that works well together and is continuing to achieve.

"Our circulation figures are looking very healthy; we have just launched a new publication - The Tadley Gazette - and reached our highest figure with the Friday publication for four years (over 27,000).

"I have had the support of a superb management team in all the time I have been here and I have enjoyed working in a thriving community."

Before joining the Basingstoke team in 1995, Bill had previously worked at Southern Daily Echo where he spent six years on the newsdesk, working his way up to news editor.

He was also previously editor of the Southampton Advertiser Series and has spent 25 years with the same company - joining Southern Newspapers, which became Newscom and was later bought by Newsquest.

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