Express editor-in-chief Tom Hunt is stepping down after less than a year to lead efforts to create distinctive content and drive loyal audiences across Reach’s national newspaper brands.
This means the editors of the Mirror, Express and Daily Star, Reach’s editorial director for under 35s and its online safety editor will all report to Hunt.
Hunt (pictured, top right) is being succeeded as Express editor-in-chief by his deputy Geoff Maynard (top left), who has been at the title for 25 years.
Hunt’s new role is part of a senior leadership shake-up at Reach to coincide with the creation of a live news network of journalists, meaning one team will cover general news, including breaking news, events and diary stories, across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
The new live news network will be led by Paul Rowland (pictured, bottom left) as editorial director for news, staff were told on Tuesday as they were given more information about the latest restructure.
Chief content officer David Higgerson (pictured, bottom right) told staff in a memo seen by Press Gazette that the restructure is being carried out so the publisher can “increase our video and audio output, get closer to our communities and grow our brands”.
Press Gazette understands staff at Reach are expecting a further announcement relating to redundancies under the new structure later in September.
Higgerson told staff last month that the proposal will result in a smaller editorial team overall but that new roles will be created in key areas like video, as the publisher starts to create less text-only content.
Leadership of new Reach editorial structure
Live news network
Explaining the plan for the live news network to staff, Higgerson said it “will be the bedrock of our journalism… The team will have wide reach so we’re on the ground and closest to the local, regional and national news agenda. Many will be based in brand newsrooms, working together with their journalists – with dedicated teams for the Mirror, Express and Star.”
The existing regional audience and content directors in England, Ireland and Wales – such as Helen Dalby, who leads the newsrooms in the North East and Yorkshire – will become editor-in-chief for their regions reporting to Rowland.
Higgerson said these regional editors-in-chief will be responsible for their brands and for delivering live news from their areas into the live news network.
“The network will also work closely with national editors and US teams to curate the right general news stories for their audiences,” Higgerson said.
Also included in the structure for the live news network will be regional print production for England, Scotland and Wales, the data unit, the What’s On and immersive storytelling teams, and a new digital graphic art team and a forward planning lead.
Paul Rowland, now editorial director for news, was previously editorial director of Reach’s Live network of websites.
He has been at Reach for 20 years and his other previous roles have included editor-in-chief for Media Wales and audience and content director for Wales.
Brands
A brands team led by Hunt “will be responsible for making sure our national brands develop distinctive content, grow more loyal relationships with audiences and attract new followers”, Higgerson said.
It will also work with the regional teams to develop their brands.
The focus on brands comes as Reach prepares to start charging readers for premium content on some of its titles, such as the Manchester Evening News.
Hunt told Express staff that in his new role he will be “focusing on supporting our iconic titles to find new audiences and growth opportunities, and to hone in on the distinctive content that makes them special”.
Sport
Earlier this summer Reach created a new structure for its sports coverage, creating one sports hub by merging many of its national and regional teams with about 50 redundancies.
The aim was to reduce the extent of writers in different newsrooms covering the same events in a similar way.
Higgerson told staff: “We’ve already created this new single Sport team. Like News, it’s emphasising the people closest to their subjects getting their work amplified across our titles.
“The Sport team will continue to create sports content, freeing up brand journalists to focus on stories unique to their titles, and we’ll reach more people across more platforms – in particular through video.”
A team of specialist journalists continue to be dedicated to the biggest football clubs and certain specialist sports like F1 and tennis but will write across Reach brands instead of for one title. A small number of sports journalists remain dedicated to one national brand.
The new team is led by director of sport Jake Murtagh, who joined the Mirror as a reporter in 2015 before becoming sports news editor and digital sports editor.
Content hub
The Reach content hub was created last year with about 300 journalists moved into a central team aimed at creating traffic-driving content about verticals like trends, wellbeing, screen time and money. The aim was, again, to reduce duplication between newsrooms.
The team continues to be led by director of content hub Jon Livesey.
Higgerson said: “We’ll continue building on the success of the Content Hub. The hub will keep focused on starting, leading and joining topical conversations across lifestyle, money, social media, leisure and entertainment. We’re also adding travel and gaming to the Content Hub’s list of story topics.
“The team will play a big part in maintaining and growing our audience, particularly through a fresh and innovative approach to targeting Google Discover and a focus on meeting people where they are through brilliant video content.”
Audience
Director of audience Ellen Stewart, formerly Conde Nast director of content strategy and growth, is leading a team that Higgerson said would “become a one-stop-shop for audience development, working as a network of specialists who are also embedded into newsrooms to strengthen partnerships”.
It will also be the home of new “everyday journalism video teams” under the leadership of Anna Jeys, former digital distribution director who is becoming director of audience and engagement.
“That’ll enable us to tell more audio and video stories – from short social clips to longer-form vodcasts and videos – and make sure we create the best possible opportunities for them to be showcased,” Higgerson said.
The existing Reach Studio video and audio team will lead on video formats that drive direct revenue.
“Our Audience team will provide more insight and guidance to all our newsrooms to help them make the best possible content choices for their audiences,” Higgerson added.
Growth
A growth department will “build on the great work of affiliates” to help find new ways for Reach editorial to make money.
This will include leading the new digital subscriptions strategy, marketing, evolving Business Live and “maximising” the In Your Area local news and information brand.
David Bartlett, currently affiliates director and formerly audience and content director for the London and South East region, has been named director of editorial growth.
Transformation
Gary Rogers, who was named director of newsroom transformation last month, will lead a team working “across the whole of Editorial to make sure technology supports our work effectively and gives us new ways of working that cut low value work and give us all more time to create the journalism we’re rightly proud of”, Higgerson said.
This will include “a big focus on how to harness the power of AI without losing sight of our most fundamental work – creating high-quality stories”.
Rogers is a former independent newsroom consultant, BBC TV news editor and Channel 5 News editor.
Operations
Director of newsroom operations Stacy Denton will lead a team that will include print production for the English, Scottish and Irish nationals (with that area led by former Scotland editor-in-chief David Dick as head of print for nationals) and the central photographic team.
Higgerson said: “This team will make sure Editorial runs efficiently and effectively – and work hard to make our journalists’ lives easier.”
Express editor changes after a year
Hunt became editor-in-chief of the Express on 20 September last year, succeeding Gary Jones, and has spent the past year making some radical changes to set it up for the future.
He told Press Gazette earlier this year his first major change was to merge the daily, Sunday and digital news teams, which were still being run separately, into one. He said this was a structure that would “enable us to grow over the next few years”.
The second phase of his plan was to test: “Can I step back slightly and it still work?” in part due to the appointment of four associate editors around him. The third phase was to do more on the brand identity of the Express and promoting it externally.
Hunt also said that becoming “best in class” for core topics including politics, defence and royals will set up the Express to survive and thrive for the next century.
Hunt told staff in his memo on Tuesday: “I was particularly impressed by how much everyone embraced our new ways of working over the past year, and the strong foundations we’ve built will continue to put the Express in great stead for the future.”
Hunt said Maynard has been a “stalwart” of the Express since 2000 and that he “has provided a strong editorial steer and his characteristic humour and flair ever since”.
Maynard first joined the Express as a newsdesk forward planner and worked his way up to becoming head of news and then deputy editor.
Maynard said in a statement: “We have an amazing, hard-working team with lots of brilliant ideas to strengthen our brand and continue our outstanding campaigns and investigative journalism.
“I look forward to building on the successful one-team Express model developed by Tom and want to thank him for his support and wish him well as he takes on his new role in the editorial leadership structure.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
