Former GMG Radio Chief Executive John Myers is to spend 3 months conducting a review of BBC Radios 1, 2 1Xtra and 6 Music before taking up his new job at the Radio Academy.
He'll recommend ways of delivering programmes on the popular networks in a more cost-effective way to save licence fee payers' money.
The corporation confirmed Myers being taken on in a consultancy role to [link=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8164936/BBC-enlists-commercial-sector-help-to-shake-up-radio.html]The Telegraph[/link]. "As part of the ongoing drive to ensure value for money, we have asked John Myers to help us in reviewing the efficiency of our radio operations," a spokesman told the paper.
The cost of running BBC radio has long been an issue for commercial radio and they have been putting pressure on the BBC Trust for an independent review. The Telegraph reports a source close to the situation said that the BBC wanted to hire "someone primarily with commercial radio experience" but needed to "ensure that person was not a BBC-hater".
Andrew Harrison, CEO of the Radio Centre said: "Although this falls short of a formal benchmarking exercise, we would still expect John Myers, who is greatly respected across all of the industry, to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings."
John has spent over 30 years in radio having launched a number of successful brands including Real, Smooth and Rock Radio. He was formerly the CEO of Radio Investments which housed 26 local radio stations and he sat on the main board of GMG Plc. He is a past chairman of the Radio Academy and in 2007 he was awarded a fellowship for his contribution to radio. He retired 18 months ago to travel the world but [link=https://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6495.2]only this week[/link] he accepted the role as CEO of The Radio Academy. Today's news explains why he doesn't start that job until April 2011.
In January 2009, John was asked by the DCMS to conduct what became known as the 'Myers review' later published in April 2009. He proposed a number of recommendations that were later rolled up into the Digital Economy Bill.