Press and Journal editor Derek Tucker retiring after 18 years

The editor of the Press and Journal, Derek Tucker has announced his retirement.

Tucker, who has been editor of the daily newspaper based in Aberdeen for 18 years, will leave on 14 January next year, according to a report by the paper.

Under his editorship, the Press and Journal has won several industry accolades, including the 2009 Regional Newspaper of the Year award at the British Press Awards.

According to the most recent figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), the Press and Journal Series' average net circulation for the first six months of 2010 was 74,457 and has shown only slight decline on 2009's figures.

Speaking in the newspaper, Tucker, 57, says he is most proud of the paper's role in serving its local communities and raising money for local good causes and campaigns.

"It has given me an enormous amount of pleasure to see these things happen - not because of anything I did but because of what it says about the readers of the Press and Journal and the sense that this is very much their local paper," he says.

Tucker began his career at the Express and Star in Wolverhampton, rising through the ranks to become deputy editor. He joined the Press and Journal in 1992.

Former Press and Journal staffer Craig McGill, who broke the news of Tucker's retirement on his blog yesterday, says replacing Tucker will provide a good job opportunity for other editors: "It's an attractive catch for an editor as it’s a fiercely loyal readership and not a paper that likes to rock the boat. It’s also an area with little competition - the Sun, Daily Record and so on are all seen as secondary purchases to a P&J. It may not innovate much in terms of digital, but that's a growth area."

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