Emap shifts women's titles staff as First editor exits

by Alex Donohue, Brand Republic 24-Nov-06, 08:35

LONDON - Emap's newest women's weekly First, is to replace founding editor Julian Linley with Closer editor Jane Johnson amid speculation that the title is underperforming.

When Emap launched First in May this year it said that the title was aiming for a circulation of between 150,000 and 200,000 by the end of year one. It has denied reports that First's current circulation is hovering at around 80,000 copies a week.

The title has not yet posted an official ABC figure, but it is expected to in February.

In the mean time, Johnson has been made editorial director at First, and Closer's deputy editor Lisa Burrow will take over as acting editor until a permanent replacement for Linley has been found.

Johnson successfully launched Closer in October 2002. The title has gone from strength to strength, reporting another solid ABC in February, up 7.1% to 578,337 from the previous year's ABC of 540,044.

Emap will be hoping that Johnson, with seven years working on tabloids including The Mirror, The Scotsman and Sunday Mirror, will bring her news-gathering instincts to help lift First out of the doldrums.

Linley, who is the former deputy editor of Heat, will be returning to edit the gossip magazine's website when it launches next year, along with editor-in-chief Mark Frith and Rebekah Billingsley, digital business director for Emap Entertainment.

Kerry Tasker, marketing director at Emap Consumer Media, is managing Emap's £12m investment in First with the target of breaking even within three years.

Louise Matthews, managing director of Emap, said: "Julian and his team have carved out a whole new niche in the women's weekly market, producing a magazine that's reaching a unique demographic on the newsstand -thirtysomething, modern thinking, upmarket women."

In September, Emap's women's weeklies recorded substantial increases in Closer and Heat's readerships over the last 21 months, according to figures from the National Readership Survey.

THE JOHNSON FILE
1993: Chat, features writer
1994: Bella, commissioning editor
1995: The Mirror, woman's editor
1998: The Scotsman, assistant editor
1999: Daily Record, assistant editor
2000: Sunday Mirror, executive editor
2002: Closer, launch editor
2006 First, takes overas editor

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