Former Times journalist Frank le Duc has been named deputy editor of the Argus in Brighton.
Le Duc, who previously worked for the Argus from 1988 to 1991, said he has always dreamed of helping run his home-town paper.
He replaces Pat Lewis who left the paper to work in PR.
Le Duc worked for The Times for 12 years, including the period the paper relaunched as a compact, and later became a consultant at a Westminster law firm.
He said: "It's a dream come true to land this job, because I have personal and professional reasons for returning to Brighton. I was born and bred here. My only ambition as a young journalist was to be a reporter on the Argus. Since then I have longed to be a part of the team running the paper.
"Apart from my local knowledge, I've got a great deal of experience on successful newspapers to bring to the job.
During 12 years at The Times I was fortunate enough to be part of the compact launch team.
"I'd like to pay tribute to Pat Lewis — she is going to be a hard act to follow."
Le Duc joins the Argus on 18 September.
The departure of Lewis came at a difficult time for staff relations at The Argus and followed the forced redundancy of another long-serving journalist, crime reporter Phil Mills, who had worked for the Brighton paper for 26 years. There has also been a high turnover among the reporting staff at the paper, although that is not uncommon on a regional daily.
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