New direction for Star NE as MD appointed

Former PD at Celador’s Coast John Clayton is heading to the North East to take up the position of Managing Director at Star Radio.

Owner UKRD wants John, who has most recently been managing stations in the Emirates, to re-establish the station as a truly local force within the north east.

“I’ve been trying to get a role at UKRD for some time as it represents precisely the kind of radio I believe in and has a superb reputation for delivering exactly that. When you add to that its great reputation as a people focussed company, it was too good an opportunity to pass up and I’m thrilled to be appointed,” said John.

John has previously worked at Wave, Heart, KMFM and Celador along the South.

Sarah Barry, the Managing Director at Stray FM in Harrogate who has been looking after the station pending this appointment, said she was really looking forward to John’s arrival. “He has all the great people skills we are looking for in UKRD and has a good track record in radio in many parts of the country – and now the world!”

UKRD’s Chief Executive Officer William Rogers confirmed that John would join in January and after a brief spell of induction would be getting stuck in. “The station is going to completely re-shape itself and will now be utterly focussed upon its locality and what makes its area tick.”

“The north east is suffering just like everywhere else from the perceived withdrawal of genuinely local contact and physical presence by some operations and we are now going to fill those gaps and provide the area with a genuinely locally focussed product that eats, sleeps and breathes the TSA that Star serves.

“We have a good way to go but we are building a superb team and John will accelerate that progress as we move through 2014 and beyond,” said Rogers.

“Star Radio is going to be a great station in the mould of UKRD stations everywhere and I can’t wait to start seeing the results show through in due course.”

The station has recently seen a number of departures including Managing Director Mark Reason, Programme Director Robin Banks and presenter David Ditchfield along with the Three Legends.