Wednesday 12 October 2011

Make that six daily regional editors who have quit


The regional newspaper industry is losing yet another top daily newspaper editor with the departure of Keith Perch from the Leicester Mercury.

HoldtheFrontPage reports that Perch (pictured) is standing down with immediate effect after two-and-a-half years on the Northcliffe daily and says: "His departure comes shortly after a management shake-up which saw new publishers appointed at the group’s four biggest centres – Leicester, Bristol, Nottingham and Hull."

Perch is highly thought of and respected across the regional newspaper industry. He previously edited the Derby Evening Telegraph and was md of digital publishing at Associated Northcliffe Digital.

It is fitting that HoldtheFrontPage broke the story of Perch's departure, he set-up the site.

Other daily regional editors who have resigned this year are: The Shropshire Star's Sarah-Jane Smith; the Newcastle Evening Chronicle's Paul Robertson; the Hull Daily Mail's John Meehan; the Lincolnshire Echo's Jon Grubb; and Dave King at the Swindon Advertiser.

  • When I was at Press Gazette we reported how Perch was lured away from Trinity to join Northcliffe by Alex Leys. Our headline: 'Perch Poached'. I remembered the headline right but my story is the wrong way round. (see post below by HTFP publisher Paul Linford).

3 comments:

Paul Linford said...

Your memory fails you Jon. 'Perch Poached' was the headline when he was lured away from Northcliffe by TRN to edit the South Wales Echo. Unless you used it twice.

Jon Slattery said...

Gosh Paul, You've got a good memory.
You are right my story is the wrong way round. I think once was enough.

Paul Linford said...

I still have a copy of it somewhere amongst my pile of old PGs...