John Ryan to leave BBC Radio Manchester

The Managing Editor of BBC Radio Manchester, John Ryan, has announced that he will be leaving the station and the corporation in March this year.

John has been at the station for six years and has previously been in charge of BBC local radio stations in Leeds and Northampton.

He has also worked at stations including CTFM and Radio 210, and currently is the chair of Manchester community radio station Gaydio as well as running the regional branch of The Radio Academy in the North West.

John will leave the BBC on 23 March and will be starting his own consultancy and production company based in Manchester.

He told RadioToday.co.uk: “After six happy, amazing, exhausting years at BBC Radio Manchester, this has clearly not been an easy decision to make. I’ve loved working with the team here since 2005, and it really is the best job I’ve ever had – but 22 years is a long time to work in one organisation, even if there was a break in the middle! With the Salford move achieved, and the challenge of DQF on the horizon, it feels like the right time to hand the station on to a new editor.”

It’s understood the role of Managing Editor of BBC Radio Manchester will be advertised this week.

Aziz Rashid, Head of Region for the BBC in the North West said: “John has been a tour de force at the station for the last six years and he is loved by his team. It’s been a difficult time at big city stations and we’ve worked hard to transform BBC Radio Manchester for the 21st Century. You couldn’t ask for a more dedicated editor – during the riots last year John was not only coordinating the station output he was up all night and on air for several hours. I’ll miss working with him.”