One of the leading regional journalists in the South East is to
join the KM Group as editorial director in what has been described
as a “huge vote of confidence” in the Kent business.
Award-winning Ian Carter is an editor-in-chief with Northcliffe
Media, the regional division of the publishers of the Daily Mail.
He is no stranger to Kent and has a home in Folkestone.
He is currently responsible for the Tunbridge Wells-based
Courier Media Group and East Surrey and Sussex News and Media.
Titles under his management include the Kent and Sussex Courier,
Sevenoaks Chronicle, Croydon Advertiser, Surrey Mirror and their
associated websites.
Mr Carter, who will join KM Group in December, said: “This is
such an exciting time to join the KM.
“The media business is in the thick of the fight of its life but
I am a firm believer that newspaper groups like the KM, that are
willing to embrace opportunities offered by new media, will
continue to flourish.
“With its strong newspapers, attractive websites and lively
radio stations the KM has consistently demonstrated a readiness to
change and adapt for an exciting and successful future.
“It’s already one of Kent’s best-known independent family
businesses and despite the challenges I am convinced it is going
from strength to strength.”
Graham Mead, managing director of the KM Group, said: “We are
absolutely delighted that we have been able to tempt someone with
Ian’s knowledge and experience away from one of the UK’s biggest
regional media groups.
“The whole industry has been going through a difficult time and
Ian has shown a huge vote of confidence in the way that KM Group is
developing and enhancing its business to ensure that we continue to
be the county’s leading media group.”
Mr Carter began his journalistic career with the Colchester
Evening Gazette. He then spent five years with the Brighton Argus,
three of them as head of news, and in that time the paper twice won
the title of UK daily newspaper of the year.
He joined Teletext for the launch of the TV information
service’s website and then worked as a senior broadcast journalist
for the BBC before moving back into newspapers as group editor for
the Croydon Advertiser series in 2002.
In the last two years he was responsible for the launch of five new
websites, changed the size of the Surrey Mirror from broadsheet to
compact, saw the title win the EDF Energy weekly newspaper of the
year award, and was involved in the creation of multimedia
newsrooms in Northcliffe’s south-eastern area.
(Sept 4, 2009)