TWO North-east local newspapers are to come under the editorship of one person, succeeding the current incumbents, who are both moving on.
Mike Rankin has been appointed editor of both the Mearns Leader and the Deeside Piper, to succeed Charles Wallace and Douglas Hill, respectively.
Rankin joins from within publishers, Johnston Press. Last month, he had been named head of news for the company’s portfolio of newspapers in North-east Fife. He had previously been deputy editor at the St Andrews Citizen and Fife Herald newspapers, also owned by Johnston Press.
Says the Mearns Leader, Wallace became its editor in April three years ago, and had actually started his career there, in 1977. He is a former editor editor of the Kincardineshire Observer and the Montrose Review newspapers.
The paper says: “Charles says he plans to take stock of things for a period before looking for new employment.”
Adds the Deeside Piper, Hill is moving on after six years in the post, “to take on a new challenge closer to home in Angus”, without identifying what the ‘new challenge’ is.
