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June 9, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 3:38pm

Chat’s Smith-Sheppard takes full-time role at Pick Me Up

By Press Gazette

By Alyson Fixter

June Smith-Sheppard, editor of IPC’s true-life weekly Chat and
launch editor of sister title Pick Me Up, has become permanent Pick Me
Up editor.

She hands over the reins at Chat to Gilly Sinclair, previously editor of Woman’s Weekly.

Chat’s
sales currently stand at well over 600,000, while Pick Me Up, which
launched in January, is believed to be selling about 450,000 copies a
week.

Smith-Sheppard, who has edited Chat for five years, said editing two titles at once was “not sustainable”.

She
added: “It is an enormous wrench to leave Chat and the team after five
very happy years. After months of working on both Chat and Pick Me Up,
I’m going at the knees and it’s time to hand Chat over to someone who
can give it all the love and attention it needs.

“I am thrilled that person is Gilly. She is a highly experienced and talented editor and I am sure she will take Chat on to even greater success.”

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Sandy
Gale, publishing director of Chat and Pick Me Up, said: “With this
level of success, it was no surprise that June should take on the role
of launch editor of Pick Me Up.

“It is equally no surprise that
Pick MeUp achieved the highest launch sale of a women’s weekly for
almost 10 years and continues to smash all our launch targets.

There could be no one better than June to continue to lead this hugely successful launch.”

IPC is now looking for an editor for Woman’s Weekly.

Smith-Sheppard
was brought in to launch edit Pick Me Up by IPC last year, but it was
originally thought she would stay at Chat post-launch and another
editor would be found for Pick Me Up.

Chat is currently the second-highest seller in the true-life weekly market, behind Bauer’s Take A Break.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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