Leaving: Jean Long.
A number of staff at the Derry Journal have expressed concern for the paper’s future after owners, Johnson Press, announced Jean Long, managing director of its publishing unit in Ireland, was to leave the company.
The company, which earlier this year implemented a number of voluntary redundancies across all its publications – including the Journal and Londonderry Sentinel – in a move to cut costs, said Mrs Long’s departure was as a result of “structure changes to help drive the business strategy and further accelerate digital growth.”
Chief executive officer Ashley Highfield said as result of the changes “and after a period of transition,” two managing directors – Mrs Long and Scotland MD Stuart Birkett – would leave the business.
Mr Highfield announced Warren Butcher, MD of the North West in England and Isle of Man, has had his “portfolio extended” to include the Northern Ireland brands.
Mr Highfield said “all changes are effective immediately.”
He added: “I want to thank Jean and Stuart for their long service – 22 years in both cases – and enormous contribution to the business. I wish them every success with their future endeavours.”
The move is the latest in a number of cutbacks implemented across its titles by Johnson Press.
Earlier this year, a number of senior staff at both the Journal and Sentinel departed after accepting voluntary redundancies which the publisher launched last autumn in a bid to reduce costs.
Among those to leave the Journal were its editor, deputy editor, Inishowen editor, four full-time photographers and three senior journalists.
Since then, an additional senior journalist has left while the paper has recruited two reporters.
The Sentinel lost its full-time photographer as well as editor William Allen and deputy editor Eamon Sweeney, Mr Allen becoming group editor of a number of Johnson Press titles in Derry and Tyrone (including the Journal and Sentinel) while Mr Sweeney became media content manager, a new position introduced at the Journal and other Johnson Press papers.
Peter Hutcheon, former Culture Company employee and one-time Belfast Telegraph sports reporter, has taken up the media content manager post at the Sentinel.
Since acquiring the Journal group, Johnson Press – which also acquired the Morton group of newspapers including the News Letter – has moved many of its traditional jobs to other areas, with printing in Portadown, advertising production moved to England and accounts handled in Scotland.
Ashley Highfield, Johnson Press chief executive.
Over a year ago, the company sold the Journal premises on Buncrana Road – having transferred from Shipquay Street in 1970 – to move to smaller rented offices at Pennyburn Pass.
An advertising executive, Mrs Long joined Derry Journal Newspapers from the Sentinel in 1992 and was closely involved in the company’s acquisition of the Donegal Democrat and Donegal People in 1995.
After a period as group advertising manager, she became general manager in 1997 and a year later was appointed commercial director by Trinity Mirror following the sale of the business by the McCarroll family to the Mirror Group.
In 2003, as chief executive of Local Press Ltd, Mrs Long led an MBO/venture capital buyout of the News Letter and 12 titles, including the Journal group, from Trinity Mirror.
The Journal titles were purchased by Johnson Press in 2005 when Mrs Long was appointed managing director of the company’s Northern Ireland publishing unit.
When she took up her current role two years ago, she assumed control of 42 titles – 25 in Northern Ireland and a further 17 in the Republic.
Since then, Johnson Press has closed three of its publications in the South and last year sold the remaining 14 papers to Malcolm Denmark in a deal worth in the region £7.2 million – a reported loss of £157.8 million.
Now, staff fear a similar fate lies ahead for the Journal.
One said: “Jean Long’s departure is a real shock. The future of the Journal has been very uncertain for a number of years now and this adds to our fears.”
In January, 2009, the union representing reporters at the Journal expressed concern about the paper’s future under the ownership of Johnson Press.
A National Union of Journalists statement said: “The Derry Journal survived the famine, but we fear it may not survive Johnston Press.”
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