Mick Ord to leave BBC Radio Merseyside

Radio Merseyside Managing Editor Mick Ord is leaving the station in April after nearly 27 years with the station.

He becomes the fifth BBC Local Radio boss to announce his departure in the space of two weeks.

Mick will be staying in the North West and with the corporation though as he becomes Editor of BBC Learning’s new online project.

He started out as a freelance reporter at Radio Merseyside and became its Editor in the mid 90s.

Mick told staff in an email today: “As a scouser you couldn’t really wish for better job – it’s been a joy and a privilege to work here. The team and listeners are second to none and whoever takes over as manager is a very lucky person indeed. I’m really looking forward to the new challenge at Media City and if I enjoy it half as much as I have at Radio Merseyside I’ll be delighted.”

Aziz Rashid, Head of Region, BBC North West, said, “BBC Radio Merseyside has grown in strength and stature under Mick’s leadership –it now has 368,000 weekly listeners – the highest number since 2006, it has the biggest BBC Local Radio audience outside London, and one of the largest audience shares of listening anywhere in radio, 18.5%. Mick himself is a Liverpool institution, and I will be really sad to see him leave.”

The news follows similar announcements from Radio Manchester’s John Ryan, Radio Cumbria’s Nigel Dyson, BBC Hereford & Worcester’s James Coghill and BBC Three Counties’ Mark Norman.

It means that in the North West, three of the BBC’s four local radio Managing Editor posts will become vacant. Regional media website How-Do asked the other – BBC Radio Lancashire’s John Clayton – whether he would be following the same route.

“Am I ‘eck”, he told them. “I’m sticking around. The Trust has told management to have a re-think regarding the proposals for local radio and we’re still waiting to see how that shakes down. There will still be job cuts, but we’ll see who wants to go and hopefully avoid compulsory redundancies at all costs. I’ll miss Mick, he’s been a good pal on the regional management group. But I can categorically assure you that it’s not part of my career plan to move anywhere. I’m happy at BBC Radio Lancashire and buoyed by figures that show we’re as popular as ever. There’s a job here to work through Delivering Quality First and make sure Radio Lancashire is a force for the future.”