Sunday Telegraph Picks Start Date For New Editor

The Sunday Telegraph has announced that Patience Wheatcroft, the new editor of the paper, will take up her post on April 18, with Richard Ellis, deputy editor of the title, filling the position until her arrival.

Wheatcroft’s appointment was announced earlier this month, following the departure of previous editor Sarah Sands, with the new editor joining from News International’s The Times, where she has been Business and City editor since 1997.

The new editor’s arrival has reportedly seen much of the Sunday Telegraph’s redesign work rolled back, with changes planned by Sands now being reconsidered. The paper also introduced a price rise of 20p to £1.60 following Sands’ departure.

The updated pricing brings the paper into line with its rivals the Independent on Sunday and the Observer, but sees The Telegraph remain 20p cheaper than the Sunday Times, Britain’s most expensive Sunday title.

The Sunday Telegraph has seen its circulation slip in recent months, shedding 0.4% from its total year on year in February to 683,741. In longer term analysis, the paper has seen a steady decline in sales over the last five years, although this is broadly in line with the newspaper industry as a whole.

The paper’s new editor will now seek to reverse the title’s fortunes, with some redesign work already being introduced. The latest issue of the newspaper has seen changes to the layout of news pages, and a rethink of masthead fonts and colours within the business section.

Other areas of the title have also seen a modest redesign, with the paper’s serif font replaced with a more modern sans serif and the launch of two new supplement sections, Stella and Seven, late last year.

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