UK – 24 November 2016

This week’s Media Updates covers moves and changes at news titles including 5 News, BBC Radio Wales, BBC News, Grand Designs, Country Homes & Interiors, Auto Express, TTG, Travel Weekly, The Economist and MCV.

News & current affairs

• Newsquest Scotland have named Donald Martin as editor in chief across a group of brands including The Herald, Evening Times, The National and heraldscotland.com. Acting editor in chief Graeme Smith has also been named as editor at The Herald. He will deputise for the editor in chief
• ITN and Channel 5 have appointed ITV News London editor Rachel Corp as editor of 5 News. Rachel takes up her new position in the New Year, replacing Cristina Nicolotti Squires who leaves ITN after 22 years for a new role at Sky News
• Colin Paterson has been appointed editor at BBC Radio Wales and will join the station next year leaving his current role as general programmes editor at BBC Radio Scotland. He replaces former editor Steve Austins who stepped down in October
• Amol Rajan has been appointed media editor at BBC News and will report on and oversee coverage on all stories about the rapidly developing media industry, from global mergers to digital advances and their impact on business, politics and culture across the world. In addition, Amol will continue to present on BBC Radio. He starts his role in December
• Gemma Mullin has been appointed online news reporter at Sun Online
• Emily Hodgkin has been appointed lifestyle reporter at the Daily Express
• Anna O’Donohue has been appointed video editor at i News. In addition David Levesley will join as social media editor on 29 November
• Rich Sharpe has been appointed Blackburn Rovers reporter at the Lancashire Telegraph

Fashion, lifestyle and entertainment

• There have been a couple of changes at Grand Designs magazine. Emily Seymour has been promoted to deputy editor at the title from her previous role as features editor. Joining the team is Seoana Sherry-Brennan who is the new features editor
• Thea Babington-Stitt has been appointed news and features editor at Country Homes & Interiors. She was previously deputy news and houses editor at Livingetc
• Zoe Briggs has been appointed lifestyle and features editor at OK.co.uk
• Charlotte Blazeby has been appointed fashion editor at MATCHESFASHION.COM. She was previously at THE EDIT
• James Brodie has been appointed editorial assistant at Auto Express. He was previously automotive and technology editor at The Week
• Cameron Tait has been appointed automotive and technology editor at The Week
• Time Inc. UK has announced the discontinuation of Essentials. This December’s issue is the final edition

Business and finance

• Katherine Lawrey has been appointed group editor across Cruise Trade News and Cruise Ports & Destinations. She was previously features editor at TTG
• Abra Dunsby has been appointed deputy features editor at TTG. She was previously a features reporter at Travel Weekly
• Laura French has been appointed features reporter at Travel Weekly
• Cathryn Newbery has been appointed multichannel editor at People Management. She was previously deputy editor at the title
• Pete Apps has been promoted to news editor from his previous role of deputy news editor at Inside Housing. Former news editor Carl Brown is now the assistant editor (digital)
• Merle Crichton has been appointed reporter at Global Investor. She was previously a reporter at Trade Finance
• Will Hazell has been appointed reporter at TES. He was previously a correspondent at the Health Service Journal
• Lucy Kellaway, current associate editor and columnist, is set to leave the Financial Times next year to become a teacher

Health, science and technology

• Hal Hodson has been appointed technology correspondent at The Economist. He was previously technology editor and reporter at the New Scientist
• Hannah Breeze has been promoted to deputy editor at CRN
• Katharine Byrne has been appointed news editor at MCV and starts her role on 5 December. She was previously reviews editor at expertreviews
• Dominic Preston has been appointed staff writer across PC Advisor and Macworld. He was previously film editor at CANDID
• Charlotte Turner has been appointed health reporter at the Herald (Plymouth)
• Anuji Varma has left her role as health correspondent at the Birmingham Post, Birmingham Mail and Sunday Mercury to join the communications team at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust