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September 27, 2010

Trinity Mirror to cut four editors from weeklies in Wales

By Oliver Luft

Trinity Mirror is planning to make redundant the four editors running the weekly titles in its Celtic newspaper series and replace them with a single editor-in-chief.

Media Wales – the division which publishes the weeklies – informed staff last week of its intention to restructure the management of its Celtic titles and put their editorial teams under the immediate control of a one editor.

The newly created editor-in-chief post will be supported an assistant head of content, the company told its staff in an internal memo.

Trinity Mirror has entered into a 30-day period of consultation with the editors.

‘Since the introduction of our multimedia newsroom in 2008, we have been working with the weekly titles to produce our Celtic newspaper series in the most effective way possible for our readers and advertisers,’Alan Edmunds, publishing director of Media Wales wrote to staff.

‘It is our belief that the future development and operational requirements of these titles as well as the needs of the communities that they engage will be better served by a new approach, taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by our multimedia news operations.”

The four editors were appointed to run the Celtic weekly titles in November 2008 following the integration of production on all Media Wales titles earlier that year.

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The move enabled Trinity Mirror to reduce the number of editors of those titles, close district offices in Aberdare, Ebbw Vale and Neath and split operation of the papers between remaining offices in Merthyr, Bridgend and Pontypridd.

The move led to one editor taking charge of the Merthyr Express and Rhymney Valley Express and Gwent Gazette with a second editor looking after the Rhonda Leader and Pontypridd Observer.

A third editor took charge of the Cynon Valley Leader with another looking after the Glamorgan Gazette and the Neath and Port Talbot Guardians.

The two Guardian titles were then closed by Media Wales last year along with the Wrexham Chronicle and the Mid-Cheshire Chronicle – part of Trinity Mirror’s North West and Wales division – with combined job losses of around 26 staff.

A spokesman for Trinity Mirror told Press Gazette: “This change is being made to enable these titles to take maximum advantage of the print and online opportunities afforded by our successful multimedia news operation.

“It will be followed by a series of developments and enhancements of the newspapers in the coming months.”

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