Obituary: Brian Horton

Born in the UK to New Zealand parents, Horton came from a family with a journalistic background. The family moved back to New Zealand following the outbreak of World War II.

He joined Reuters as a graduate trainee in December 1957 and after a series of reporting and editing assignments, including training under Gerald Long in Germany, became European news editor in 1964 and chief news editor in 1965.

In October 1968 he was appointed editor-in-chief and assistant general manager, in charge of the General News Division (GND) which had been set up by Long in July 1967 as a profit centre alongside Reuters Economic Services (RES) headed by Michael Nelson.

Eager to push maximum use of technology, Horton had already played the leading part in the pioneering introduction of Automatic Data Exchange, a computerised message storing and switching system known as ADX, in July 1968. ADX made possible the editing of English-language regional services from one central position, the World Desk, rather than from numerous regional desks.

He set out to balance GND revenue and costs but this was impossible if only because of the nature of the competition - Agence France-Presse with its state subsidy, The Associated Press with its revenue cushion from U.S. media, and the new and flourishing newspaper syndication services that cut into media cash available for news agency services.

Horton was keen on Reuters breaking with national agency cartels, leading to the launch of the German service and then of a French service sold to French media. “You are not allowed to do this,” the head of AFP said. “La mechante agence anglaise” said President Pompidou with a smile.

GND failed to turn a profit and Horton contained news costs by cutting staff numbers in London. At the end of 1973 GND was replaced by Reuters World Service, designated as a cost centre. Horton resigned and went into the wine business, moving to Gaucín near Málaga in southern Spain with his second wife Jane and children in 1976.

When Long left Reuters and became managing director of Times Newspapers in 1981 he called Horton back to London and made him foreign editor of The Times. He was in this position for a year before briefly becoming managing editor. He then moved on to become News International's director of development. His first project was The Times Network for Schools, before putting News International into satellite broadcasting by acquiring a small company called Sky Channel. He then oversaw its development over the first few years.  

Rupert Murdoch eased Long out of News International, where he had become deputy chairman, in 1984. Horton left News International towards the end of 1986, returning to Spain where he spent his retirement.

The photo was taken at the recent wedding of his son, Robert.

Obituary - The Times ■