25/03/2008

Trinity Mirror’s local weekly Ayrshire titles, the Ayrshire Post, Kilmarnock Standard and Irvine Herald, may have dispensed with the services of its freelance business editor, but Murdoch MacDonald is unlikely to find himself under-employed.

While the newspapers’ business coverage may have shrunk as a result of Murdoch’s departure a couple of weeks ago, Murdoch has other projects continuing to grow.
 
Already the proprietor of a PR business, Fame Publicity Services, last year he set up the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top local companies.
 
And if that wasn’t enough, a book written by Murdoch and his wife, Lilian, has recently been adopted by a major American university.

‘Phoenix in a Bottle’ tells the story of the couple’s battle, and recovery from, alcoholism. It has become a set text for doctoral psychology students at Alliant International, based in California.
 
Says Dr. Gary W. Lawson, professor of Psychology at Alliant International: “I adopted ‘Phoenix in a Bottle’ because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions. However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do.”

Says Murdoch: “I wrote for the three Ayrshire papers for ten and a half years - since 1997 - firstly a family finance column called ‘£s, Pence and Sense’ on the business page when Jim Cuthbert was business editor and Tommy Workman was the editor. Then I took over as business editor when Jim retired. Tommy gave me my first break in 1997 after years in the alcoholic wilderness, and I'll always be grateful for that.”

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