AddThis SmartLayers

Editors pay tribute as journalist turned MD dies aged 72

A former regional daily editor who went on to become a newspaper company boss has died aged 72.

Alan Goode was editor of The Herald, Plymouth before ending his career as the chief executive of Bristol United Press, parent company of the Bristol Evening Post.

He passed away at Weston General Hospital yesterday following a four-year battle with melanoma.

Editors past and present who worked with Alan have been among those paying tribute.

Former Evening Post editor Mike Lowe said:  “Alan was a true newspaper legend who was fortunate enough to live through the golden age of the regional industry.

“He was a brilliant newspaperman and an inspirational leader who was hugely respected by his peers. He had a great sense of fun and mischief and was incredibly loyal to his staff.

“One of my great memories of him in Bristol was the Sunday morning Princess Diana died. We all piled into the office and managed to get a newspaper into the shops and supermarkets by 11.30am.

“And in the midst of the chaos was the chief executive of Bristol United Press, handing out bacon rolls and revelling in the sights and sounds of a newsroom at full tilt. He’ll be sorely missed.”

Terry Manners, editor of the Western Daily Press under Alan, said:  “In the rough and tumble world of journalism, Alan Goode was the rough and tumble. A straight-talking, no nonsense kind of guy his editors believed in and trusted. Especially when the chips were down.

“A closed-door session with Alan might find you pinned up against the wall – but in public he would stand by your side and with his natural charm win over those baying for your blood, as so often happens in our industry.

“Alan Goode loved his beer, his memories of newsdesk life and his newspapers. They were in his blood. He was as at home on the editorial floor as he was in the board room.

“When Alan was at the helm in Bristol he opened the doors that made it possible for me to build an energetic, loyal and creative editorial team that made the Western Daily a proud old lady again. I will always thank him for that.”

Also joining the tributes was Andy Gough, managing director of Iliffe Digital, who worked with Alan at the Herald and the Express & Star, Wolverhampton.

He said:  “Alan was one of the leading regional journalists of his generation – a natural born leader of men who took his publishing passion and unerring instincts out of the newsroom and into newspaper general management with phenomenal success.

“He was one of those rare individuals who truly inspired those around him to excel in efforts to meet his very high and exacting standards. I lost count of the number of walls I ran through simply because he made me believe I could. I was not alone.

“I feel privileged to have been able to call him colleague and friend – we have lost an industry giant and he will be sorely missed.”

Steve Egginton, editor of the Mendip Times, said: “Journalism was in his blood. “Despite the gravity of his illness he was proud of the fact that he only ever missed one deadline. As a committed grassroots journalist that’s a record he would be proud of.”

Philip Welch, editor of the Wells Journal and Mid Somerset News & Media, added: “Alan was a wonderful man, a mentor to me and a friend to many.”

Alan  landed his first job in journalism as a trainee reporter at the Oldbury Weekly News in 1960. He had two spells at the Express & Star – one as chief reporter and then as deputy editor – and a spell at the Birmingham Post and Mail before becoming editor of the Herald.

He moved into management with the Plymouth paper in 1987 and then moved to the Cornish Guardian and Western Gazette in senior management roles in the early 1990s, before he was appointed BUP chief executive – a role he held until retiring in 2004.

Alan leaves behind his wife of 47 years, Jennie, children Tim, Susie and Daniel, and grandchildren Hannah and Becky.

Said Jennie: “He loved his time in Bristol and loved his journalism. Everywhere he went, he worked very hard and did very well. He loved his garden and his family but his journalism came first.”

20 comments

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • February 7, 2012 at 2:21 pm
    Permalink

    What sad news…..I worked with Alan during his time the Express & Star.
    It was a pleasure to be part of his team in the better times for the
    Regional press.
    A true professional and he always had time for his staff.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 2:32 pm
    Permalink

    I was on Mike Lowe’s news desk in Bristol that morning and have the same memories of Alan. He was a great boss and great fun. Alan Goode never forgot his journalistic background when he moved into the boardroom and he was a credit to the industry.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 2:53 pm
    Permalink

    “Alan was a great adversory when I was chief news editor of the Birmingham Evening Mail in tghe 70s and he was news editor of the Express & Star.A real inspirational guy.

    ” I remember visiting him in Bristol when Terry Manners had just become editor of the Western Daily Press.He took me to see him and said:’ Well, Terry,here’s two real professionals to show you how it’s done”.

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 3:11 pm
    Permalink

    Sad news indeed. I worked at Northcliffe at the same time as Alan. I was working for London office in those days and had never met Alan before. I was warned that he had a bit of a temper… he threw a yardbrush at me within minutes of my arrival in Plymouth for talking bollocks as he put it!
    We went on to have a lot of fun for many years after that meeting

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 3:18 pm
    Permalink

    Alan was my mentor and inspiration. During his time as editor of the Evening Herald he taught me the true meaning of good journalism and to always strive for the highest standards. Throughout my career when asked who in newspapers had inspired me, Alan’s name was top of the list. A great man and a great journalist.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 5:19 pm
    Permalink

    Alan Goode was a great news man and I had the privilege of working for him when he was editor at the Evening Herald in Plymouth.Sadly journalist of his calibre who make it to the editors chair are few and far between these days

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 7, 2012 at 6:37 pm
    Permalink

    A terribly sad loss. Alan was a truly brilliant newspaper man and, together with former editor Keith Parker, who died last year, played a leading role in the Express and Star becoming Britain’s best-selling regional newspaper. On a personal note, both he and Keith were enormous influences on me and to lose them both within a year is a tragedy.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 9:49 am
    Permalink

    The last of the truly great inspirational editorial-managers, a giant of regional press, so lacking in these days of declining editorial content and standards.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 9:59 am
    Permalink

    What a sad start to the day – reading this news. I really enjoyed my time working for Alan. He enjoyed a drink and was a great storyteller – often funny, like the time he was arrested by Midlands police suspected of being the Black Panther because he fitted the description being circulated. Often just compelling – while at Wolverhampton, he told me he and a reporter from the Birmingham Mail had taken down verbatim a 45-min speech from a trade unionist about British Leyland. The pair had worked in shifts to get every word down. That was going to be the lead and he rushed back to the office to file only to be told a slag heap had engulfed a village in south Wales. His shorthand marathon wasn’t used.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 10:18 am
    Permalink

    Very sad news. Alan was a great newspaperman who never forgot his roots. I was his deputy when he moved to Plymouth to be editor of the Evening Herald in 1984. To say he livened things up would be a huge understatement! A legend and an inspiration. It was a privilege to have worked with him.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 11:04 am
    Permalink

    Like many others Alan was a huge inspiration and great mentor to me. He gave me my first opportunity as an MD, and in those early days he guided me in the key principles that have allowed me to have further progressed my career over the past 20 years. I, like many others owe him so much, and feel so fortunate to have worked with such a unique and special man. He will be very sorely missed.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 11:31 am
    Permalink

    I worked with Alan when he was CEO at Bristol and Mike Lowe was editor. What a double act! Brilliant days – and more than a few eventful nights. Anyone remember his Charles Barnfather story? Classic. A true newspaper man who will be sadly missed.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 8, 2012 at 5:53 pm
    Permalink

    Alan was among many in our profession who encouraged, and inspired, me many years ago when I was doing linage for the Express & Star. Their help was greatly appreciated. Sadly, these days, our profession is not a patch on what it once was – and neither are many of the people who work in it.
    Although I didn’t realise the connection initially, I also worked with his father-in-law Bert Broom while assistant publications editor with 3M UK.
    Alan was one of the best and will be sadly missed. My condolances to his family.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 9, 2012 at 9:35 am
    Permalink

    I was one of the many who was lucky enough to have Alan as a mentor in BUP and to learn from his wide experience. He was always an editor first, manager second, a winning combination. He was entertaining, great company and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 9, 2012 at 11:38 am
    Permalink

    Sad news. Fortunate to work with Alan at Express & Star where he inspired and encouraged me to find my niche in journalism as a crime reporter. Demanding, but fair. And always good company.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 9, 2012 at 12:04 pm
    Permalink

    I was lucky enough to work for Alan reporting The Black Panther trial alongside Tony Bishop for the EandS and Shropshire Star. He was a tough boss but immensely likeable. More recently at The Western Daily Press I met him again in his role as a director of Bath and West Show where he could not have been more helpful and had lost none of his sparkle.
    Andy Wright, former editor WDP and Shropshire Star

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 9, 2012 at 5:34 pm
    Permalink

    Farewell Alan, a decent, honest and excellent journalist. I was fortunate to share those golden years at the Express & Star with Keith Parker as editor, and Alan, as his deputy. Sad though the occasion of Keith’s funeral was, last year, it was a delight to meet up with Alan again. He revelled in a bout of E&S nostalgia. Keith would have loved it.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 10, 2012 at 4:02 pm
    Permalink

    Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave such happy memories of our father. He was very special to us but we had no idea he was so special to so many other people. Reading all of these comments has really helped us through a very difficult time. We will miss him greatly.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 13, 2012 at 10:14 am
    Permalink

    I was away last week and was very sad to hear this news on my return. Alan Goode was a real newspaper man who cared passionately about the printed word and he inspired passion and loyalty in all those around him. He had an excellent head for business but the light really shone in his eyes when he talked about the craft of journalism. I will always remember him with a mixture of awe and affection. Rest in peace Alan.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)
  • February 14, 2012 at 3:00 pm
    Permalink

    An absolute legend who helped shaped the Bristol papers, RIP.

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)