Trinity Mirror has appointed Richard Webb as the new managing director of Mirror Group Newspapers, with the position seeing him assume overall responsibility for the commercial functions of the company’s national titles, the Daily Mirror,, Sunday Mirror and The People.
The new role will see Webb taking responsibility for the newspapers’ advertising, marketing, circulation, strategic planning, business enterprises, digital and pre-press operations, reporting directly to Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror.
Commenting on the appointment, Bailey said: “Richard’s experience and track record make him a great addition to our management team. We are delighted to welcome him to the Group.”
Webb added: “This is a very exciting role. I am looking forward to applying my newspaper and agency experience to these great brands in the highly challenging national newspaper market.”
The new MD will join the company on 3 January 2006, building on his long association with media and national newspapers following positions as general manager at News International and advertising director of the Sun and News of the World.
Webb has also held the position of deputy managing director at planning and buying firm, Optimedia UK, and was, until recently, chairman of the Newspaper Marketing Agency and a Director of the National Readership Survey.
Earlier this month, Trinity warned investors of downwards trend in media advertising next year, with its pre-close trading statement revealing that advertising revenues for the group had fallen by 3.9% year on year in the first nine months to November (see Trinity Warns Of Downward Slide For Print Ads).
Advertising revenues in Trinity’s national press division were shown to have dipped by 14.4% for the five months to November, while ad revenues for its Sports division and the Magazines and Exhibitions divisions fell by 11.2% and 9.1%. Elsewhere, Trinity’s group circulation revenues rose by 1.4% during the same period, and by 2.4% for the 11 months to November.
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