New GEIC. Michael Aeria has been named the new Group Editor-in-Chief of the Star, the largest English-language daily in terms of circulation and profitability. He replaces Wong Sulong.
Mike, one of the few senior editors left who have not been conferred a datukship, has put in more years than the Star no 2, Wong Chun Wai.
Chun Wai, however, will continue to be Ong Ka Ting's "eyes" and "ears", and should helm the paper in two or three years, by which time the Star expects to still be the No 1.
mike is one of the nicest guys around. he is inquisitive, ready to adapt to changes and most of all he is approachable. but i am afraid he is just a seat warmer for somebody whom mca wants - right now that somebody is wong chun wai. but then things may change. wong su long resigned because he had health problems. that i can vouch for it. hey, rocky by the way, you can put a monkey in star ... and it still sells. sounds familiar... 30 years ago, a paper by the name of new shit times had the same problem ... monkeys ruled ... look where it is now.
ReplyDeletemike is a innovative person but can he steer the star to greater heights? but then, star is so well ahead of their nearest rivals that you don't need a genius to steer it. in fact, any monkey can do the job. nst had a few monkeys during its heyday. the end result was the collapse of a once mighty paper. can it happen to the star. i doubt it. maybe the new shit times can catch up in the next 100 years.
ReplyDeletemike is not,and has not, been a symbol of the Star. His appointment is In Passing, if you know what i mean.
ReplyDeleteWhat he has however is a bunch of strong, dedicated reporters in the likes of M Krishnamoorthy and Eddie Chua. With reporters like them, anyone helming a paper neednt worry.
I am told mike called eddie and krishna over the handphone soon after the announcement and told them he needed all the help he could get and that the two were so very important to his existence at the top.
the two have also been asked by mike to "recruit" reporters from the Sun and NST because they command high respect from editorial floors of all newspapers.
among those earmarked by eddie and krishna are freddie ng (sun), sam cheong (nst), pixman CH Loh (nst), aloysius francis (the flag, golf mag), m.menon, siva kumar g (eastern times/kuching), kiri raj (nst), theresa manavalan (nst). priyadev aravind is already being touted to being chun wai's number two.
good luck mike and all you guys!
Starman, you are so very right. The best reporter on the ground now is Eddie Chua and M Krishnamoorthy. They are the Star's "treasures".
ReplyDeleteBut please dont make fun by saying Priyadev is being otuted as Chun Wai's no 2. There's no reasoning to this this.
I will say one thing though that Michael Aeria is a big fan of Eddie and yesterday indicated to a close friend that he fears Ho Kay Tat might tempt Eddie back to the Sun to replace/join Nadeswaran and Terence Fernandez on the special units section.
Sunday Star editor Soo Ewe Jin will be the first to the battlefront to stop Eddie from joining the Sun as he says it openly that he can count on Eddie to give him the page one lead like this Sunday's. What a SCOOP!!!
Good times ahead for the Star with Eddie and Krishna, I agree.
you guys leave mike and eddie along lah. look at what's happened to utusan. they have crumbled under pressure from 4th floor putrajaya. one of them told utusan to apologise for mistake in their paper. and utusan said sorry, begged for mercy!
ReplyDeleteso far, star is one of the few newspapers that have not succumbed. wong sulong, mike's predecessor, was kalimullah's friend, a stooge of 4th floor. at least mike has no loyalty to them or kalimullah, his masters are only the mca leaders.
eddie, too, is not a bad reporter. oklah, they say he boaster but when you deliver page 1 more than anyone else, do you blame him, ah?
still, there's something more at stake.
we need to make sure star does not go nstp/star-edge/and now utusan way..!