MEDIA HEADLINER: The People's quiet man looks to youth for more circulation.(new editor Mark Thomas reluctant to discuss to discuss plans for tabloid)

The People's new editor is a little reluctant to reveal his plans, Jeremy Lee says.

Mark Thomas, nine weeks into his editorship at The People, is unwilling to discuss the changes that he plans to make to his new charge, preferring to be judged on the results. 'I want the paper to do the talking,' he says.

Fair enough, but aside from a few adjustments to the editorial staff, including the hiring of two former News of the World journalists, and a new-look masthead, the main talking point thus far among the press buying world has been about The People's declining circulation.

After a period of apparent freefall, aided by the launch of the Daily Star Sunday, there is concern that the decline looks terminal. But after dramatic declines that saw the year-on-year January circulation fall by 12 per cent, Thomas is confident that the circulation has been stabilised at around 1.1 million and can see no reason why it can't start rising again.

The People occupies an odd position in the Sunday tabloid market - it has a circulation that Richard Desmond would sell his granny for but, among the media buying community at least, it lacks the marketing support and market awareness of its rivals. It's variously described as being northern and old, both of which claims are not entirely accurate.

'Mirror Group seems embarrassed to push The People properly, hence the image that it is old. This is not necessarily the case. If they were to invest some money in it, then some of this confidence will rub off,' Steve Goodman, the press director at MediaCom, says. The People did undergo a pounds 2 million relaunch last summer under the previous regime but this proved to be ineffective at fending off Desmond's Star.

Thomas, 36, started his national newspaper career at The People and is clearly very affectionate about it. He goes as far to claim that being the editor of The People is his dream job. 'Who wouldn't want it?' he asks. Well, opinion on that matter is split.