End of era for Johnston Press
FREDDIE Johnston will finally step down from the board of Johnston Press, the company his family founded in 1767, after 51 years.
The 75-year-old’s departure will mark the first time in 243 years there is no Johnston on the board.
But the family legacy is not yet dead – his son Michael is divisional managing director in Scotland.
He leaves the company in a precarious position, as it contemplates its second rights issue in as many years. The owner of the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman is trying to raise funds to pay off some of its £424m debts.