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Dublin: 14 °C Monday 20 May, 2013

Irish Daily Star re-appoints former editor and moves to Independent HQ

Ger Colleran back in the editorial hot seat as Star moves to Talbot Street – and Sunday World MD doubles up his role to take over managing director job there too.

Ger Colleran, new/old Editor of the Star.
Ger Colleran, new/old Editor of the Star.
Image: Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

THE IRISH DAILY Star has announced a new editor this afternoon – Gerard Colleran, who formerly served as editor until November 2011 when he took over as managing director at the Star’s publishing company.

He is to replace Michael O’Kane, who resigned last November over the Kate Middleton topless pictures controversy.

In turn, the Independent Star Ltd, publisher of the Irish Daily Star, will get a new managing director. This will be Gerry Lennon, who will combine this role with his current post as managing director of the Sunday World.

This doubling up and closer integration of the operations of the Irish Daily Star with other INM (Independent News Media) publications is compounded by news that the paper’s staff will move en masse to the INM headquarters on Talbot Street. The Star currently operates out of an office building beside Dundrum shopping centre, but will now be lodged in the same building in Dublin’s north inner city which already houses the Irish Independent, the Evening Herald, the Sunday Independent and the Sunday World.

A statement issued on behalf of Independent Star Ltd said that the move was a “very positive development for the future of the Irish Daily Star”, designed to deliver savings and production efficiencies. It isn’t all positive news for staff members, however: cost-cutting measures will also include “pay cuts for all staff” and up to nine redundancies. These jobs will be lost in the circulation and advertising departments – and are just the “first phase of its restructuring”.

The announcement comes after almost five months of wrangling between Independent Star Ltd and its two 50:50 shareholders, INM and Northern & Shell (controlled by Richard Desmond, publisher of the British Daily Star and the Daily Express). INM is now to “assume full executive responsibility for the Irish Daily Star” but INM said today that the Independent Star Ltd would “remain as a standalone entity, with a separate board and identity”.

Read: Editor of Irish Daily Star resigns over Kate Middleton topless pics>

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Comments (26 Comments)

  • Please pull the chain when you’re done

  • Ger Colleran’s capacity for indignation and self-righteousness has created a worldwide shortage of these precious resources

  • Expect to see lots more stories about the personal lives of people we really couldn’t give a damm about .as all The Indo titles chase themselves into the gutter .
    lt will all be over in less than 5 years when they burn even more cash and go bust but rather than blame there pathetic sick content they will blame changing trends and da wicked internet .

    • it’ll be a great day when inm goes to the wall………………

    • Brian 10/01/13 #

      Well, it actually won’t be a great day because a lot of people would lose their jobs. Why would you wish something like that? If you don’t like any of the said papers that’s your choice but hoping Irish companies go bust is very low.

    • it’ll be a great day, inm has maybe two decent journalists…………………..it’s undemocratic, it despises working class people and working class areas……and if they don’t like you…..they will target you……………it’s tabloids main aim is to have working class people living in fear………..

      I hope it goes to the wall next week………….

    • Al K Seltzer

      ”it’s undemocratic, it despises working class people and working class areas…” ?

      What are you talking about? Its an organisation and each of the papers run independently. Its entirely democratic in nature and the papers cater for specific audiences. You sound like a paranoid dope. ”it’s tabloids main aim is to have working class people living in fear”. Gorp.

    • @shuki .you have no understanding of inm…………

      Evening Herald – Crime
      Sunday world – crime
      Daily Star – Crime
      Irish Independent Crime
      Sunday Independent – Crime

      All these rags are built around Exaggerating crime which in itself is to create fear in the minds of people…….

    • Do I not? Funny enough I actually work in the building on Talbot, for INM, so I reckon I’m in a much better position to comment on it than you. You’d swear that management sit in big meetings and plot the next way in which they’ll subject the masses to new waves of fear… People buy these newspapers; if you want to lecture somebody lecture the people who buy into them.

    • Just one other thing as well. If you want the organisation to go to the wall then hundreds of people who work in marketing and advertising, reporting, management, production, security, cleaning, etc will be out of work, and not just in Ireland. Brian is spot on; why would you want something like that?

      Democracy is about freedom of choice. If you don’t like the papers, don’t buy them. If people didn’t want the papers there wouldn’t be a market for them.

    • So you work for inm……….one critisism of inm and they wheel out someone brainwashed muppet like you to abuse people …….

      I wrote earlier that “…and if they don’t like you…..they will target you” and what happens?

      Someone who works for Inm comes out and calls me a “paranoid dope”.

      You have proved everything i said about inm…..

      You are part of the fear machine just as much as the the second and third rate journalists are…..

    • @Al K Seltzer and @Shuki Sadan Byrne: You have both indulged in name calling now – “paranoid dope” and “brainwashed muppet” – as you will note this is against our community comments policy, which asks people to keep debate above personal insults. http://www.thejournal.ie/comments-policy/
      I would suggest wrapping up this argument – you’ve both made your points and it isn’t helpful to descend the thread into further vitriol.
      Thanks, Susan, Editor.

    • @Susan
      People working for the Sunday Worst bullying people on the journal………..and you waited ’til I responded before you stepped in…tut tut….

    • @Al K Seltzer – He’s not bullying you, he’s responding to your criticisms of INM and he’s perfectly entitled to.

  • Ironic. He was one of the few talking heads to jump to the defence of Kane over the Kate pics. Makes i wonder what change it will bring to the rag world.

  • Two rags in the same building – how sweet

  • I don’t buy the star, but cannot stand Ger Colleran. I can’t listen to him on tv or radio – I don’t believe him, nobody could be that outraged all the time. Irrespective, irish print media has gone to fcuk

  • Great to see these propaganda rags slowly go down the toilet were they deserve to go.

  • Do people still read that rag , soaking up dog piss is all it’s good for .

  • I wonder if the competition authority has a view on this development ? Independent News & Media must be approaching a dominant / anti-competitive situation in the marketplace with this move.

  • ISBA 10/01/13 #

    Good to see Ger Colleran back in the hot seat and on the frontline where he belongs and where he can be at his most effective.

  • Good to see Ger back…

  • I thought the Star were based in Terenure, did they get run out when the locals joined D4 constituencies?

  • Very capable straight talking individual.

  • Having seen Ger on Tv have to say I concur with much of his views