A regional daily editor is to take on a group-wide editorial development role as part of a newsroom transformation plan at regional publisher Newsquest.
Toby Granville, editor of the Bournemouth Echo and Dorset Echo and group editor of Newsquest Dorset, is to become group’s editorial development director from 16 February.
His role will include working with editorial teams across the country to position the group’s titles for a multi-platform future.
The appointment will initially be a 12-month secondment and an announcement on who will replace Toby in Dorset in the interm will be made shortly.
The US-owned company is the latest regional publishing group to embark on a newsroom transformation programme.
Trinity Mirror introduced its digital-first ‘Newsroom 3.1′ blueprint across its regional centres last year, Johnston Press is trialling a new-look newsroom at its North Midlands titles, while Local World has a “transformation room” to which centres give a daily progress report.
Henry Faure Walker, chief executive of Newsquest said: “This exciting new appointment is an important part of our editorial plans as we seek to continually improve and innovate the way we publish the best local content both in print and online.
“Toby has a strong track record and the right experience to be a great fit for this role which will see him work closely with our dedicated editorial teams across the country.”
Toby, pictured above, added: “I am delighted to have been given this fantastic opportunity. These are challenging but exciting times for regional media.
“Clearly the future is multi-platform and we need to transform our newsrooms so we can provide the highest quality content first, fast and best.”
Toby began his career in journalism 25 years ago on the Sunday People. At the age of 26, he became editor of The Wharf, which was named Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year at the UK Regional Press Awards during his tenure.
He joined Newsquest in 2002 as editor of the Wiltshire Times, which won the Newspaper Society’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year under his editorship.
Following roles as assistant editor and then deputy editor of the Oxford Mail, he became editor of the Dorset Echo in 2009, increasing its sales in his first year by 2.1pc.
Toby was appointed group editor of both the Dorset Echo and Bournemouth Daily Echo on the departure of Neal Butterworth in 2011, shortly before being named Newsquest’s editor of the Year.
During his editorship the Daily Echo has been awarded EDF Energy’s Daily Newspaper of the Year in 2013 and the number of monthly combined visitors on Newsquest Dorset’s websites has trebled to 1.2m.
In his new role, Toby will report to Gavin Steacy, Newsquest’s regional managing director for Wales, Gloucestershire and Midlands South.
Newsquest Dorset managing director, Vincent Boni, said: “Plans to replace Toby for the duration of the secondment are in progress and an announcement will be made shortly.”
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There’s that word again…seventh paragraph, second from end! Sod any more work…it’s Friday…I’m off to the pub!!!!!!!
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You jammy B…… Toby.
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“first, fast and best.” Oh yeah. Certainly knows the facile executive spiel. Let’s hope he can walk the walk.
Good luck in the job, though.
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Excited – Why does the word ‘and’ send you off to the pub?
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As an axed Newsquest sub, I just can’t stand the thought that I’m missing out on all this excitement.
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yeah – what is it about ‘and’
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One day newspapers will just resembled NORAD with those big screens all over the place, but they will all be pictures of snow.
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More crap on the way for hard-working editorial staff, no doubt. I can imagine just how “excited” they all must be right now. The only “excitement” I experienced in my last five years as a Newsquest sub was being able to retire at the age of 60.
Notlob
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Not so very long ago the circulation of the Dorset Evening Echo was in excess of 24,000. Under Toby Granville’s leadership the circulation has plummeted. An unpalatable fact but no less true for that. Sadly, this simple fact implies this appointment does not bode well.
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Recall a similar thing at a so called flagship JP paper Steve H.
Lacklustre leader watched sales plummet, then got promoted and helped slash staff. Now even higher. Nice work and all that…
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Steve H. Be fair, circulation figures have plummeted across the regional press for years now. As a former circulation director myself, I can only recall working with two editors who made a difference to sales, the rest were over promoted, remote, egotistical and boot lickers!
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By “highest quality content” I suppose he means more unsolicited and unchecked contributor copy from PR firms that reporters simply cut and paste straight onto the web. Reporters in the Newsquest office I worked in had no time to get out looking for stories. They spent their time uploading submitted copy to the website and nicking stuff from Facebook, most of which their newspaper readers had already seen.
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Re John Ellaby. At least you had most of your career working for the Bolton Evening News and Journal series when they were great papers. I remember with happiness working with you back in the 70s. Glad you are out of it, mate. These current managements are not for the likes of us.
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Steve Hutchings, you can’t blame Toby for the impact on his circulation from the interweb or aggressive cover price rises born out of necessity. He’s a top Editor and you are misinformed, making his appointment good and your comment quite the opposite. Peace haters!!
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I deal in facts not fiction, reality not spin. This does not endear me to all but I stand by my words. I also have the moral fortitude to use my name not a pseudonym. Long John Silver please note.
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Steve Hutchings, your facts are a little fictional. The Dorset Echo (no longer ‘evening’) circulation hasn’t been ‘over 24,000′ for decades. It was WAY under that when Toby took over. And it’s circulation has performed much better than most dailies in the UK (though it has, of course, still plummeted.) Facts.
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I always use my name – and location to avoid confusion because I have a fairly common name. Pseudonyms are not necessary. If you haven’t got the courage to use a name, don’t bother commenting. Often these people are only sniping and making negative comments anyway. Credibility is everything.
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Hear, hear, Roger Jones.
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You are right Roger Jones. And to be positive JP is a great company to work for, it has plenty of staff, and its digital policy is going to make everyone rich. What could be nicer?
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Read the comments above some slight interest as I was editor when the circulation was in excess of 24,000(1980s). I still live in Weymouth. I know the place–and the people–inside out. I seldom buy the Echo now because it makes me rather sad and a little angry. I’m not getting at Toby, personally, but I sometimes wonder whether those in journalism today(management and senor editorial) know what a reader is, how they live, or what they actually want from a newspaper. I could go on, but I won’t bore you. . .
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Sorry about the literal!!!
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Actually, Ivy Likes, there are previous editors of the Dorset Echo who may well venture on to this forum and verify the essence of what I have stated.
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Never mind all that – what’s strange about the word “and?” I use it all the time and it never did me any harm…or prompt me to take to the bottle.
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Production hubs on the way?
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Looking up the figures online, the Bournemouth Daily Echo (ABC) circulation was 25,811 for July-Dec 2011.
The previous editor left in December 2011.
The Bournemouth Daily Echo’s ABC figure for Jan-June 2014 was 18,049.
I make it that that’s a drop of more than 30 per cent in two and a half years.
What will it be when the July-Dec 2014 figures are released later this month, could it?
It is good that the online figures quoted are encouraging… but that’s about getting eyeballs to look at a free site. It would be interesting to hear how the revenue (separate from that generated by the print edition) is doing.
Good luck to this editor in his new role… but isn’t ‘Group Editorial Development Director’, the sort of move upstairs and away from the front line (and home) that every editor hopes he or she never gets asked to do and would never willingly apply for? (But I’m not a journalist so what do I know?)
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And, like the fellow above, sorry about the rogue ‘Could it?’ creeping in.
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It seems that out of all this mess, there will still be some regional newspapers that survive, because they serve their communities. I don’t believe the public at large log on to the online editions with any enthusiasm. Or only when they are looking for something specific. I would like to wager that the majority of the web ‘hits’ are from people in the industry, those who have a journalist interest, or those who are actually ready to rip off a story. As a very small local news magazine publisher I have had my material stolen by the likes of ……
Unique content is the way forward.
Final thought, the biggest internet company in the world Google, recently had a huge printed direct mail campaign promoting their ‘Adwords’ product – ponder that one!
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Fury Old Grey Badger.
“over promoted, remote, egotistical and boot lickers! “.
That’s how I remember many of my editors, with a couple of glorious exceptions (no longer in the trade).
Certainly as things got tough many editors never fought for their papers, just their jobs. Some of the toadying to head office was sad to see and opened the eyes of some staff who thought they were good guys.
Still, survival is the keyword now. First in the lifeboats,
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