By Gavin Lower
MELBOURNE--The editor of News Corp.'s (NWS) biggest-selling
weekday newspaper in Australia, the Herald Sun, has resigned as the
company undergoes a restructure expected to lead to an unspecified
number of job losses.
The company's Australian unit, News Ltd., said in a statement
that Simon Pristel had resigned to pursue other interests.
"I am proud to have led the Herald Sun through an extraordinary
period of transformation in the media business. After 23 years in
print it is time for a new challenge," Mr. Pristel said in the
statement.
Audit Bureau of Circulation figures for the three months to
March 31 show the Herald Sun sold an average 469,377 newspapers
each weekday and 472,047 on Saturdays.
News Ltd. last month announced plans to streamline its business
and reduce duplication, which chief executive Kim Williams said at
the time would result in retrenchments and roles retired through
natural attrition.
Late last month, the company announced 70 redundancies among its
digital staff.
Mr. Pristel's departure follows three senior editors leaving
rival media company Fairfax Media Ltd.'s (FXJ.AU) the Age and
Sydney Morning Herald newspapers last month. Fairfax is
implementing a restructure aimed at embracing digital platforms and
improving profitability that will see 1,900 jobs lost over the next
three years.
News Corp. is the owner of Dow Jones Newswires.
Write to Gavin Lower at gavin.lower@wsj.com