McCarthy
Nic McCarthy, the new editor of OK! magazine, is hoping to boost the title’s coverage of celebrity parties with a focus firmly on British stars.
McCarthy, 31, promoted from deputy editor after Martin Townsend went to the Sunday Express this week, said: "We are very British and it is British celebrities that sell magazines. The Patsys, Martines and Davinas. The big Hollywood stars add to the mix but it is not what sells."
She also plans to increase the title’s fashion coverage, but said: "I am not going to mess with what is incredibly successful."
OK! recorded a latest ABC of 586,176 – almost 100,000 ahead of Hello! "That trend will continue. OK! has taken an incredible journey from a monthly to become the best-selling celebrity weekly. My main priority is to keep the magazine selling and keep the momentum going." McCarthy has promoted news editor Jim Maloney to deputy editor but she said it was too early to comment on any further changes. "It is such a fantastic team. The staff work incredibly long hours. They are first class," she told Press Gazette.
McCarthy said she was not aware of any complaints from staff having to work extra hours to provide copy for the Daily and Sunday Expresses.
"I haven’t had any complaints of that nature but I will be speaking to each of them to make sure they are happy," she said. "Being on board with the newspapers is such good news for the magazine. We’re on the phone all the time swapping tips, stories and sets of pictures. It works very well and I think most of them are pleased to have their bylines in the paper." McCarthy has worked closely with Townsend at OK! and accompanied him to cover the wedding of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas in New York.
She said the next big exclusive for OK! was the wedding of Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw.
Having trained at the London College of Printing, McCarthy joined the women’s monthly Bite before moving on to the royal magazine Majesty where she worked her way up from editorial assistant to editor in the space of three years.
After Majesty, she worked for The London Magazine until June 1999 when she moved to OK! as assistant editor.
Commenting on her new role, she said: "Martin is a great bloke and a great editor but I am absolutely thrilled to bits. It’s my dream job.
I absolutely love OK! It has been the most fantastic two years. It is the best job in magazines."
By Ruth Addicott
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