A former weekly newspaper reporter who went on to a career in radio as well as climbing the Himalayas has died aged 67.

Tributes have been paid to Ian Rufus, pictured left, who worked at the Rotherham Advertiser before making the switch to broadcasting.

Ian was at the Advertiser in the 1960s and served as news editor at Sheffield-based Radio Hallam following its launch in 1974.

Five years later he became managing director of Mercia Sound in Coventry, then BRMB in Birmingham and GWR radio group, which ran more than 30 stations.

Ian later became a magistrate in Warwickshire and was a keen hill walker who climbed the Himalayas with his son Simon.

Former Advertiser and Radio Hallam colleague Roger Brooks said: “Ian was a popular man and a successful media manager.

“He always attributed his success to the thorough journalistic grounding he received when he was with the Rotherham Advertiser, and he often spoke very fondly of his time there.”

Ian leaves his wife, Kate, and three children.