Time Out editor Gordon Thomson has resigned after more than four years at the helm of the London listings and lifestyle magazine, the publisher announced today.
Staff were told this afternoon that former Heat editor Mark Frith is joining the title as editorial consultant and will lead the search for Thomson’s replacement.
“The board has reluctantly accepted [Thomson’s] decision to pursue new challenges, but has asked him to stay with the title until the end of March,” Time Out said in a statement.
Frith, who left Heat last May, will “oversee the development of the magazine over the coming months”.
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Thomson, a former deputy editor of the Observer Sport Monthly, was appointed Time Out editor in October 2004.
He was previously features editor and senior editor of Maxim and has written for Marie Claire, The Sunday Times, The Independent and The Guardian.
His departure is the latest in a series of senior management changes at Time Out, which celebrated its 40th birthday last year.
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Time Out Group chief finance officer David King was promoted to chief executive earlier this month, taking over the day-to-day running from founder and chairman Tony Elliott.
Last January, Emap publishing consultant Mark Elliott joined the magazine as publisher.
Time Out publishes titles in 28 world cities including Hong Kong, New York and Barcelona.
Time Out London had an average circulation of 67,377 in the second half of 2008, down 22.5 per cent year on year, according to ABC.
The website, timeout.com/london, claims 1.7 million monthly unique users.
Frith began his career at teen title Smash Hits, where he became editor at the age of 23.
After a stint editing Sky magazine, he joined Heat as editor in 2000.
Since leaving the title last summer, he has worked as an editorial consultant – and helped launch Katie Grand’s new Conde Nast style title Love, which has just published its inaugural issue.
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