Motor Cycle News has restructured its editorial team and made five jobs redundant ahead of a £1m relaunch.
The changes at senior level will involve new roles for both MCN’s editor, Rob McDonell, and publishing director Adam Duckworth. McDonell is to become managing editor of the weekly’s sports section while Duckworth will take over the day to day editing as publishing editor.
Deputy editor Andy Calton has become managing editor of news and assistant editor Stefan Bartlett has become managing editor in charge of features and road tests. Sean Warwick, previously head of MCN’s website, will become production director and Keith Farr will transfer from the news desk to features to oversee road tests.
Related
The job losses include that of a technical editor, production editor, sports reporter, road-tester and editorial assistant.
Staff at Emap Active and Automotive which publishes MCN were warned about possible job cuts resulting from market difficulties at the end of February. Duckworth said the team had previously had too many "layers".
He has also introduced changes to the magazine’s content to encompass a wider variety of bikes and reflect a shift in the market.
Content from our partners
Duckworth said MCN’s readers were "less hard core" and these days preferred to be seen on more style-driven bikes. "We used to focus on top-end-high performance bikes but the market is changing. It has become less extreme and other sorts of bikes are becoming more popular," he told Press Gazette.
A number of new elements have been introduced including a Buying and Using section with advice on buying second-hand bikes.
Meanwhile, the letters, ‘What’s On’ listings and the sports coverage have been expanded to reflect the popularity of road-racing.
By Ruth Addicott
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
