1. Keith Kendrick
IPC Media spent more than a year searching for someone to take the
editorial reins at the troubled lads' magazine Loaded. Then it surprised
everyone by handing the job to the editor of its women's weekly Chat.
Early talk of Loaded growing up tailed off pretty sharpish when it
became clear that Kendrick was ready to make up for lost time on the
hardcore front. Before long, a train of disgruntled staffers were
leaving the magazine, complaining that it was being turned into
pornography. Poor sensitive souls!
2. Colin Myler
The Sunday Mirror's editor was certainly sick as a parrot after an
ill-advised interview with the victim's parents collapsed the trial of
the Leeds United footballers Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer. Worse, it
emerged he was absent from the news desk when the decision to proceed
was made. Myler resigned, leaving the paper to face contempt of court
proceedings. He was later given the role of managing editor at Rupert
Murdoch's New York Post.
3. Don Hale
The Matlock Mercury's editor started the year on a career high. His
campaign to free Stephen Downing, who was convicted of murder in 1974
despite a mental age of 11, achieved its end in February. After picking
up a PPA, he was then forced out after a row with the paper's
management.
4. Jeff Randall
Randall's nicely timed leap from the failing Sunday Business to become
the BBC's first business editor created a whirlwind of speculation as to
how he could slap Auntie's business reporting into shape. Randall
finally arrived at his new job to find his office had been blown up by
the Real IRA.
5. Richard Lambert
The Financial Times' stalwart bowed out in July after a decade at the
helm of the pink pages. His successor, Andrew Gowers, has a hard act to
follow - not least now that economic tides are turning against the
paper.
6. Piers Morgan
Never a shrinking violet, despite threats of legal action hanging over
his head, Morgan's profile has again overshadowed that of his red-top
rival, David Yelland. Media commentators rushed to compliment The
Mirror's coverage of the international crisis that followed the attacks
on the US on 11 September.
7. Phil Hall
The News of the World's celebrity poacher turned gamekeeper at the turn
of the year when he bounced back from his shock dismissal to become the
editor of Hello!. Observers will have to wait until February to see if
Hall's news-focused agenda can regain leadership over OK!.
8. Peter Hill
The Daily Star's chief is the only trump card in Northern & Shell's
diminished editorial pack. While the Express titles have struggled,
Hill's uncanny eye for red-top readers' instincts have overseen a
circulation charge for the Jordan-enhanced title.
9. Paul Dacre
When the Daily Mail and the Daily Express clashed repeatedly earlier
this year, it was the Mail's deliberately low-profile editor who
received most of the attention. Coverage focused on his growing
domination of UK editorial coverage and his role as bastion of - or
affront to - journalistic standards in the UK.
10. Jo Elvin
The Australian editor of Glamour has overseen the most successful launch
in recent publishing history, wholly eclipsing potential rivals such as
In Style's Dee Nolan and leading a host of established titles to
experiment with Glamour's A5 format.
