Watt stepping down as Media Scotland digital editorial director

TODAY is the last day in post for the digital editorial director at Media Scotland, publisher of the Daily Record, the Sunday Mail and several local newspapers in Scotland.

Ewan Watt is leaving the company after ten years, of his own volition, to genuinely spend more time with his family and explore new projects.

He joined Media Scotland – then known as the Scottish division of Trinity Mirror – from The Scottish Sun, where he was assistant editor. He moved following the then appointment of Scottish Sun editor, Bruce Waddell, as Daily Record editor.

It had been his third spell at The Scottish Sun, interspersed with three years with the Savannah Morning News, in the USA and a spell at the Evening Times newspaper in Glasgow, where he was deputy editor.

These last five years have been particularly intense and has seen the digital offering from Media Scotland massively improve, with its latest development being the folding of the company’s local newspaper websites into the main Daily Record website. A mobile app for the Daily Record and Sunday Mail is currently being developed for the Kindle tablet.

In a memo to staff, Media Scotland editor-in-chief, Allan Rennie, writes: “As well as being a tabloid newspaper genius, he has been instrumental in driving our digital growth – both through innovation and training.

“Ewan departs on a high. This month, our websites attracted 3.9 million unique users – up 38 per cent year-on-year and an all-time record.

“We will all miss him, not just as a professional but as a colleague and a friend.”

There is no word, yet, as to Watt’s successor.