Bauer Radio’s recruit signals regional radio’s importance

Bauer Radio has hired former Red Letter Days marketer Nick Button to promote its northern regional radio brands.

In Demand Ed Sheeran
Bauer’s Media’s NDemand programming brand brings in guests such as singer Ed Sheerhan.

Button, an experienced radio marketer, will head up marketing for the Place portfolio of sixteen radio stations in the North of England and Scotland.

The portfolio includes brands such as Liverpool’s Radio City 96.7, Manchester’s Key 103 and Glasgow’s Clyde and networked content such as the In:Demand programming, which focuses on 20-29 year olds and is deployed on platforms from FM to DAB, online, social media and mobile.

The appointment boosts the Place senior management team lead by Graham Bryce, group managing director of Place Northern England and Scotland.
 
Button’s remit will be to develop multi-platform strategies to drive growth, engagement, loyalty and commercial value across the northern radio portfolio. He’ll work alongside Owen Ryan, group content director and Cath Ellington, group commercial director on creating a cohesive strategy for the Place brand.

He has previously worked for both the BBC and commercial radio, including Capital Radio Group, Chrysalis Radio, Metro Radio Group and Emap Radio as well as ShortList Media and Red Letter Days.
 
Button reports to Bauer Media group marketing director Anne-Marie Lavan and Bryce. The role was previously held by Catherine Gort.

Radio is expected to deliver a 4.7 per cent rise in ad spend in 2014, the sector’s best performance since 2003, according to the latest Advertising Association/WARC UK report.The medium expects to maintain momentum from its 5.7 per cent year-on-year rise in the first quarter through to the second quarter before slowing for the rest of the year.

Bauer Media bought Absolute Radio at the end of last year.

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