Reach’s goes deeper with centralisation in latest newsroom restructure

Reach plc has unveiled further details of its significant editorial restructure, which is expected to lead to job losses among its journalistic staff while creating some new roles in a bid to centralise and modernise its news operations across the UK.

The core of the shake-up involves the establishment of a new Live News Network, headed by Paul Rowland, the current regional editorial director who has now been promoted to editorial director – news. This network will integrate all existing regional journalists, many of whom will remain based in local newsrooms, while contributing to a more centralised news operation that spans England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The move aims to streamline editorial workflows and foster a cohesive news delivery model.

Supporting Rowland’s Live News Network will be regional editors-in-chief for each area: England, Ireland, and Wales, along with Neil McIntosh, who was recently appointed editor-in-chief for Scotland. These figures will oversee regional print production as part of the network, ensuring regional perspectives remain prominent within a centralised framework.

Alongside this, Reach is establishing seven additional editorial teams focusing on brands, sport, audience, growth, transformation, operations and the content hub—a unit responsible for general lifestyle, money, and leisure content across Reach’s various titles.

Tom Hunt, former Daily Express editor, will lead the brands team, concentrating largely on the national titles and working closely with regional editors-in-chief to maintain brand distinctiveness. Geoff Maynard will assume Hunt’s previous role.

The existing sports team, led by Jake Murtagh, director of sport, will continue as a vertical sports hub servicing all Reach publications, a model already in place since a prior restructure.

New senior roles reflect Reach’s strategic focus on growth and innovation, particularly around digital subscription models and technology integration. David Bartlett, former Cambridge News editor, becomes director of editorial growth, tasked with spearheading new revenue strategies, including piloting subscription initiatives starting with the Manchester Evening News. Meanwhile, Gary Rogers has been appointed director of newsroom transformation to harness technology and artificial intelligence within newsrooms.

Ellen Stewart will lead the audience team, which now includes a dedicated video unit under Anna Jeys as director of audience and engagement. Jon Livesey and Stacy Denton round out the group of eight directors reporting to chief content officer David Higgerson, who oversees the entire editorial reorganisation.

While Reach has declined to comment beyond these details, industry insiders acknowledge the restructure will inevitably involve reductions in editorial staff numbers. Recent reports confirm significant redundancies in Reach’s regional titles, with around 150 roles affected across its Live network, the hyperlocal In Your Area sites, and central teams. The departure of senior editors, such as Sunday Express editor David Wooding amid the dismantling of dedicated Sunday editorial teams in favour of a unified seven-day operation, underscores the scale and breadth of the cost-cutting measures.

This restructure follows previous management overhauls at Reach, including the creation of a ‘Reach news wire’ designed to facilitate content sharing across its extensive portfolio, reinforcing a centralised yet regionally responsive editorial approach.

Source: Noah Wire Services