Double blow sparks top IRS exits

Independent Radio Sales’ managing director Stan Park and sales director Julia Calo have left the company following the loss of two major pieces of business last week.

They will be replaced by national sales managers David Salem and Guy Molyneux and sales controller Angela Coleman.

Katz International, parent of Independent Radio Sales, is said to be planning to keep the operation running after EMAP Radio moved all its business into Capital-owned Media Sales & Marketing and GWR moved London News Radio into MS&M.

Katz chairman Michael Schlagman has told staff that bonuses will be paid to those who stay until September, but MS&M and national radio stations have already received job applications from IRS staff worried about their jobs.

MS&M says it is hiring an extra 15 people to deal with its increased EMAP and GWR business.

GWR is still reviewing its policy on radio sales for the Chil tern Radio Group and is known to be considering supporting a “son of IRS” operation if it emerges.

Chiltern would add the equivalent of about ten per cent of the radio market to IRS.

IRS is also hoping to pick up business as new stations are created by the Radio Authority, and it believes some MS&M client stations will not want to be sold with EMAP.

The news of the two radio groups’ decision provoked anger among agencies.

Overnight, IRS’ share of the national airtime sales market slumped from 20 per cent to four per cent, while Capital Radio’s indirect control rose to 80 per cent.