Original 106, the new Solent Regional radio station, has today appointed John Evington as Programme Director.
John is one of the UK?s most experienced and respected programmers. He was previously Group Programme Director of The Wireless Group. John embarked on his radio career as a presenter with Manchester?s Piccadilly Radio in 1978. A brief period with BBC Radio 2 followed before he was lured back to commercial radio as Programme Director for Signal Radio, later moving to Group PD of The Wireless Group?s 16 stations in England, Scotland and Wales.
?I remember reading the Original 106 license application and thinking that this was a station I could ? and would listen to? said John. ?This is a fantastic opportunity to launch a new radio service in what is, without doubt, one of the best markets in the UK?.
Original 106?s Managing Director Renata Hayward said ?I am delighted that John has agreed to join us. His breadth of experience and obvious passion for great music makes him the perfect candidate for what I genuinely believe to be the best programming job in British radio?.
The Solent licence was awarded by Ofcom in September 2005 to Original 106 FM Limited. The company is 95% owned by CanWest MediaWorks UK Limited and 5% Seven Broadcast Limited. Original 106 will launch later this year and will offer listeners a real alternative to the Top 20 dominated music stations across the Solent.