Trinity Mirror has restructured its regional newspapers into north
and south territories, a precursor to a merger of Mirror Group’s sales
team into Trinity sales house Amra.
Amra, which was acquired by Trinity last November and represents all of
Trinity’s titles, is expected to take over the selling of Mirror Group’s
regional titles. An announcement is expected in the next month.
Trinity Mirror’s 155 regional newspapers will, combined, have a 26.5 per
cent share of the regional market and will make Amra the clear market
leader in regional sales.
The north territory will be headed by Stephen Parker who formerly headed
Trinity’s Newcastle papers including The Journal. He also becomes
managing director of the Liverpool Post and Echo.
The south will be headed by Mark Haysom who was formerly responsible for
Trinity’s Welsh newspapers including the Western Mail in Cardiff.
He also becomes managing director of the Birmingham Post and Mail.
The north territory takes in Liverpool, Newcastle, Teeside, Chester,
Huddersfield and the Scottish regionals. The south includes Birmingham,
the Coventry Evening Telegraph, Midlands weeklies and the South London
Press.
Parker and Haysom were recently appointed to the Trinity Mirror board as
executive directors and, in their operational capacities, will report to
Mike Masters, group managing director of UK Publishing and Ireland.
Masters is responsible for all of the group’s business excluding Mirror
Group’s UK national titles but including Scotland’s Daily Record and
Sunday Mail.
Masters will be assisted in the Chester group office by Leo Coligan, the
managing director of the Liverpool Post and Echo.
The appointments of Parker and Haysom have sparked a number of top-level
changes at the regional operations.
Parker’s former slot in Newcastle will be filled by Steve Brown,
currently head of the Teeside business. He is to retain a regional
responsibility for Teeside but a new managing director will be
appointed.
Gavin Steacy, currently assistant managing director at the Cardiff
papers, is promoted to managing director. Geraldine Aitken vacates the
top job in Birmingham and returns to Cardiff as Steacy’s deputy.
Media Track, p9.
