Q editor Andrew Harrison has announced that he has stepped down from his role at the monthly rock magazine after just 14 months in order to pursue ‘other interests’.
Harrison’s departure has led to the appointment of Jane Johnson, formerly of Closer magazine, as interim consultant editor until such time as a permanent replacement can be found.
Harrison’s stint at Q dovetailed with a continued fall in circulation, dipping 16.7 per cent in the first six months of 2012 to hit 64,596, a dismal performance which was worse than any of its competitors.
These losses continued in the last six months of the year when a further 4.8 per cent of readers deserted the title to take its total readership down to 61,485.
In recent months Q has launched a new iPad edition in an attempt to place more emphasis on its digital output.
A spokeswoman for the titles publisher, Bauer Media, said: “Bauer remains focused on developing Q's editorial proposition to increase the brand's relevancy for mainstream music fans with a view to building exciting new properties out of a strong magazine product.”