Editors given new roles in light of Google-funded project

Alan McCabe, editor-in-chief of Aberdeen daily the Press & Journal, and Richard Prest, editor of the Sunday Post, are taking up long-term secondments with a team being set up to “manage the transformation of the business to extend subscription and reader revenues.”

The move comes as part of Google News Initiative-funded Table Stakes Europe project, aimed at helping the publisher create a “more sustainable future”.

DC Thomson was unveiled as one of 15 media companies across Europe chosen to take part in this project which is designed to help local and regional newspaper companies and is aimed at supporting business transition “to improve audience and digital capabilities”.

Other aims of the project are to “funnel occasional users to habitual and paying/valuable loyalists” and “diversify and grow the ways you earn revenue from the audiences you build”.

Richard Neville, head of newspapers at DC Thomson, will oversee the new project.

“Table Stakes will give us a real kick-start to the process of creating a more sustainable future for our brands based on the strength and quality of our journalism, and on serving the audience with the content and service they want and expect from their local news brands. The fact that we are appointing two of our most senior editors to the project shows how seriously we are taking the challenge of mapping out a long-term future for our brands and newsrooms,” he added.

Jim Wilson, post deputy editor will take over Richard’s role from 28 Oct. Additionally, search has also begun for a new P&J editor.

“The opportunity to edit the Press & Journal is one not to be missed. It is the United Kingdom’s biggest selling regional newspaper. It consistently wins awards and maintains an envious record on sales and commercial performance. Only the best and most ambitious senior journalists need apply,” Richard concluded.