A weekly newspaper has a new ‘interim editor;’ after the previous post-holder was promoted to a new role.
Jon Ball has been appointed to lead the Mansfield Chad series and sister titles in North Nottinghamshire following the departure of Phil Bramley, pictured left, last month.
Phil, who held the role of editor for two years, was appointed as group editor of South Yorkshire weeklies, leading the Sheffield Telegraph, Doncaster Free Press, South Yorkshire Times and Epworth Bells.
Jon, who will have the title Head of Content, temporarily vacates his role of deputy head of multi-media content for Sheffield’s The Star and other Johnston Press titles in South Yorkshire.
His appointment is one of a series of temporary ones made at the publisher’s North Midlands titles since Derbyshire Times editor Graeme Huston took up a six-month secondment in May in Northern Ireland, to roll out the ‘newsroom of the future’ initiative.
Titles led by Jon in his new role, which he took up at the end of last month, include the Mansfield Chad series, the Hucknall Dispatch, Worksop Guardian and Gainsborough Standard.
An announcement made by editorial director James Mitchinson, which has been seen by HTFP, said: “Following on the back of Phil Bramley’s promotion to group editor, South Yorkshire Weeklies, an opportunity has arisen for an interim editor in the North Nottinghamshire market place.
“Reporting to acting group editor for Wilfred Edmunds and North Notts Newspapers, Nancy Fielder, Jon Ball will take up the role of head of content for Chad Series, and associated titles.
“Jon temporarily vacates the role of deputy head of multi-media content for The Star and South Yorkshire. His role will be filled in the interim by Gael Stigant.
“Please join me in congratulating these two individuals on their appointments, and offer them your continued support in their new roles.”
Congratulations on the ‘promotions’, but it seems to me all these reshuffles and new titles are part of a process of devaluing editorial work and spreading people even thinner than before – probably for less reward.
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Why don’t JP simply admit they’ve got it all wrong and return to producing well-written newspapers that local communities want to read? They’ve created a shipwreck. The first rule in any business is a quality product giving honest value for money.
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JP seem to be unable to fully staff the Newsroom of the Future, even at this early stage. What will it be like when it’s gone from bad to worse? In total agreement with ‘Sad': the products are losing quality, pictorially, editorially and in terms of advertising. Readers want good quality local news and sports reporting. Advertisers will only advertise locally if competitors are doing so, but JP is obsessed with getting national advertising instead. By failing to focus on local (and not just give lip service to it) and quality, JP has indeed created a shipwreck. Print readership is being lost ahead of time and before any idea of how digital can make revenue because of it.
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