A new editor has been appointed to oversee a group of weekly titles acquired by regional publisher Newsquest when it bought Romanes Media Group in May.
Last June, the company announced that the newly-acquired Berkshire titles, including the Reading Chronicle and Slough Observer, would form part of an enlarged Newsquest Hampshire and Berkshire division, headed by Amanda Davison-Young.
However it has now been decided to create a distinct Newsquest Berkshire division within the wider business unit, to be headed by Gary Kendall as managing director and Tim Cole, left, as editor-in-chief.
Gary, who will also have additional responsibility for Basingstoke, will report to Amanda while Tim will report to Newsquest Hampshire and Berkshire group editor Ian Murray.
Tim, a former editor of the Willesden and Brent Times and the Islington Gazette, joined the Romanes Group prior to the Newsquest takeover as editor of the Slough Observer and the Royal Borough Observer
His new role will see him take on additional responsibility for the Chronicle and the Bracknell News, replacing Lesley Potter who resigned as editor in September.
Gary moves from the role of managing director, South London, which will be filled by Tony Portelli who is joining the company from Johnston Press.
Tony, currently JP’s regional advertising director for the South of England, will join Newsquest in the New Year.
Newsquest chief executive Henry Faure Walker said: “I’m really pleased that Tony is joining us. He brings with him a strong track record having been one of Johnston Press’s top performing sales directors for many years.
“In addition, this appointment enables Gary Kendall to take up a new role as the managing director of Berkshire. We purchased the Berkshire business earlier this year as part of our Romanes Media Group acquisition and we see plenty of opportunity to develop this business further.”
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So NQ comments on this story…
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Ah-ha, the Newsquest Big Cheese does communicate, then, but only on positive matters, I presume. Where are his comments about all the recent redundancies? No, I thought not…
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Good luck to Tim, an excellent weekly newspaper editor and thoroughly decent human being
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What’s happened to the rest of the team? Are the photographers safe? Have any reporters lost their jobs? How’s the Mumbai office?
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When the Newsquest top man was asked for his comments,HTFP should have asked him at the same time, for his views on the conveybelt on redundancies over the past couple of months.
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Something for HTFP editorial staff to consider – why do you publish newsquest’s press released comments on stories like this which make them look good, when they won’t give you a comment on negative stories?
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And what about the existing editor at the Bracknell News? And what about the photographic team? Only half a story here!
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Good luck to Tim who used to work in Slough where the Observer had a long quality reputation but has fallen back to a sad standard due to so many changes and cuts in recent years. Unlikely that Newsquest will breathe perkier life into it, we suspect.
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Good luck to Tim, hopefully it will mark the end of the redundancies at Newquest’s newly-acquired papers.
Disappointing there is no mention in the article of all the photographers that have just been sacked, though.
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The photographer job losses at the former Romanes titles were covered in this story in September: http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2015/news/newsquest-plans-further-job-cuts-after-takeover-deal-claims-union/
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Thanks Paul. I did see that, although they were reported as proposals at the time, I don’t think anybody thought there was a chance they wouldn’t happen!
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