Jimmy Finkelstein, former owner of The Hill, is set to appoint Dan Wakeford top editor of his new digital outlet The Messenger.
Initially set to be called The New Statement, the name was changed as it resembled that of the British outlet The New Statesman.
The Daily Beast reports:
“Wakeford’s hiring comes after Finkelstein failed to convince a number of prominent journalists to take the gig, including former Daily Beast EICs Tina Brown and John Avlon, along with ex-Daily Mail boss Geordie Greig, and former Hearst magazines editor Joanna Coles, among others.
“Multiple sources further told us there is still no official launch date and that The Messenger is struggling to attract top reporters, but JAF did recently hire one-time Bustle Digital Group flack Kimberly Bernhardt to handle media relations.”
Wakeford worked at Meredith Corporation as editorial director of Entertainment Weekly and editor in chief of People Magazine. He also served as deputy editor and executive producer.
He was with Bauer Publishing for more than 11 years holding various roles, including editor in chief of In Touch and Life & Style Magazines. He was a show business reporter at News UK.
Wakeford graduated from the University of Leicester.
Connect with Wakeford on Twitter.
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