Michael Curtis (journalist)
Michael Curtis (28 February 1920 – 3 July 2004) was a British newspaper editor and executive.
Curtis was born in Cambridge and studied at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. During World War II, he fought with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. He was injured in 1943, and after recovery, returned to Cambridge University to complete his degree.[1]
In 1944, Curtis joined the Eastern Daily Press as a reporter, then in 1946 he joined the News Chronicle. He was promoted to become Deputy Editor in 1953, and in 1954, he became Editor. Politically, he kept the newspaper aligned with the Liberal Party, and opposed the Suez invasion,[2] a decision which led to a significant decrease in the paper's circulation.[3]
As Editor, Curtis proposed a succession of ideas intended to revive the paper's circulation: to start using a broadsheet format, to form a partnership with Granada Television, to merge with the Daily Herald, and finally to increase the price by a halfpenny in order to boost profits. Each idea was rejected by owner . In 1957 Curtis finally resigned.[1]
Curtis later worked as executive aide to the Aga Khan, writing speeches and organising publicity. In 1959, he launched the Nation Media Group on behalf of the Aga Khan, which published the Sunday Nation and subsequently the Daily Nation in Kenya,[1] competing successfully with the existing colonial newspapers, the and the East African Standard. Sales rose rapidly from 17,500 to 35,000,[4] and ultimately to 165,000.[5] The company became profitable in ten years. As the culmination of the process of Africanising the company, Curtis stepped down in 1977, and moved to lead the Aga Khan's social welfare department in Aiglemont[4] until his retirement in 1994.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c d Geoffrey Goodman, "Michael Curtis[dead link]", The Independent, 9 July 2004
- ^ Obituary: Michael Curtis, Daily Telegraph, 13 July 2004
- ^ Geoffrey Goodman "Suez and Fleet Street", BBC News, 1 November 2006
- ^ a b "Michael Curtis", The Times, 13 July 2004
- ^ Roy Greenslade, "Michael Curtis", The Guardian, 15 July 2004
 | This biographical article about a print editor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1920 births
- 2004 deaths
- Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
- English newspaper editors
- English male journalists
- British newspaper executives
- People educated at St. Lawrence College, Ramsgate
- People from Cambridge
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Duke of Wellington's Regiment soldiers
- Editor stubs