Tim Atkin MW, multiple award-winning wine columnist, is moving to The Times.
He will have a regular weekly page in The Times’ new Thursday food and drink supplement. His first The Times column will appear next week – Thursday 4th March. Tim’s weekly wine recommendations will continue in the Observer until the end of March, when he will leave the Sunday paper.
Tim has written for the Guardian newspaper group since 1989 – first for The Guardian and then, since 1993, The Observer. As part of their ‘relaunch’ The Observer axed Tim Atkin’s column reducing him to just two wine recommendations.
Immediately the news broke freelance drinks journalist, Rebecca Gibb, set up a Facebook group – Save the Wine Column. It immediately attracted a lot of support and now has 1308 members.
Jim’s Loire understands that The Times approached Tim by email on Tuesday 16th February – just eight days after the news broke that Tim’s long standing Observer column was being axed.
Atkin commented: “Partly because of the wonderful Facebook site I have been offered a new job on The Times starting next Thursday – they thought the support was pretty amazing! It’s a bit of a wrench leaving The Observer after 17 years but I’m delighted to be involved in The Times’ new supplement.
Jane MacQuitty’s column will continue in The Times on Saturdays .
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I'm delighted for Tim, especially after the shameful way he has been treated by The Observer – what a bunch of incompetents. Not only do they contrive to lose the UK's best wine columnist – especially from the number of awards Tim has won – but they have also 'relaunched' a widely criticised Observer magazine. With The Times Tim will get more exposure and I suspect will be paid more for his writing.
This also shows the power of Facebook – Save the Wine Column now has 1309 members.
See Tim's announcement about the move on his website.
See Tim's announcement about the move on his website.
What Tim probably thinks of the current editor of the Observer Magazine
Tim Atkin 6 The Observer 0
