Newsquest, the contracting regional publisher, has hired a new chief executive from Johnston Press, another ailing regional publisher.
It means that JP's digital director, Henry Faure Walker, will move across to Newsquest, prompting one HoldTheFrontPage commenter - aptly nicknamed Shipwreck - to write:
"So the Lusitania has appointed the Titanic's first mate as its new captain."
A little below the belt, well lifebelt I suppose, but indicative of the growing cynicism among regional journalists about the relentless cost-cutting by the upper echelons of their industry.
For the record, the current Newsquest chief executive, Paul Davidson, will become chairman when Walker takes the reins on 1 April next year.
Walker, who has been with JP for 11 years, could be a breath of fresh air because he is acknowledged as an effective digital operator.
Then again, he will have to answer to the insistent profit-seeking demands of Newsquest's owner, the US media conglomerate, Gannett. Newsquest, the third-largest UK regional publisher by circulation, owns about 200 regional and local titles.
