McLellan plans more surprises on Sunday

McLellan: planning New Year changes for paper

John McLellan, confirmed this week as editor of Scotland on Sunday, rejoiced that "all the uncertainties of the past 10 months are behind me" and is planning more change for the paper in the New Year.

McLellan, 40, has been acting editor of SoS since editor Margot Wilson left last year to have a baby. Wilson will take a new role with Scotsman Publications, the paper’s owner, as consultant to the magazine division.

It was also a good moment for Ian Stewart, who has been acting editor of the Edinburgh Evening News for the same length of time, when he heard managing director Steven Walker confirm his appointment as well.

McLellan told Press Gazette: "We have already achieved a hell of a lot over the last year. We have introduced a new section, The Review, we’ve redesigned and expanded Business and redesigned the whole of the news section. We’re doing seven pages of foreign news at the weekend.

"Those are all staples you need to develop, but we need to do more to make our package stand out in an astonishingly competitive marketplace."

McLellan is about to take a fresh look at SoS magazines and added-value supplements. "We need to surprise people on Sunday mornings. All broadsheets cover the news and you may well cover the news better than your rivals, but the general public asks, ‘What else are you going to give me to persuade me to pick up your paper?’."

McLellan is reconsidering accepted wisdom that added sections bring success. "There are other sections we can consider, but it’s not just a question of doing more and more and more but of doing things differently," he said.

He has previously been sports editor at the North-West Evening Mail and was assistant editor at The Journal, Newcastle, before moving to edit the Edinburgh Evening News 10 years ago.

Stewart was his deputy at the Evening News before becoming acting editor.

By Jean Morgan