Paul Coates, Reach plc’s head of print for the North West and long-serving MEN staffer, has announced he will bid farewell to the Manchester Evening News, where he has worked since 1992, at the end of November.
Coates held roles at the MEN including sub-editor, assistant chief sub and deputy chief sub before being appointed chief sub in 2004. Since then, he has served as assistant editor, production editor and managing editor of the newspaper, and most recently head of print for Reach plc in the North West. This role saw him overseeing print production at the MEN, Liverpool Echo, Huddersfield Daily Examiner and a dozen weeklies across the region.
Coates said: “I’ve had a fabulous three decades at the Manchester Evening News and enjoyed the good fortune of working with brilliant and supportive editors – from Mike Unger, Paul Horrocks, Maria McGeoghan and Rob Irvine, to Darren Thwaites. Along the way, I learned at the knee of some great journalists and subs – Brian Rhodes, Jon Whitaker, Dave Manson, Dave Graham, Bob Carson, Jim Lord and Keith Piper – to name but a few – and a special mention for Eamonn O’Neal, who taught me the managing editor ropes.
“Thank you, too, to the North West print team for all their dedication and skill over the last few years. It’s been a great way to earn a living but it’s now time to do other things.”
Coates started his career on the Halifax Evening Courier and then moved to the Bradford Telegraph & Argus. He then had a spell in Australia and New Zealand, working at the Auckland Star and Melbourne’s The Age before returning to the UK and joining the MEN in 1992.
Reach marketplace publisher for the North West, Darren Thwaites, said: “Paul has provided very able and loyal support to many editors over many years. He’s a proper newspaperman at heart but he has also enabled our incredible digital growth in Manchester by allowing content teams to serve online audiences without compromise, always ensuring our newspaper output remained in very safe hands.”
