News story about the appointment of a new Editor at BBC local radio station 'GMR' in the Manchester market of the UK, written by Grant Goddard in December 2005 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: NEW EDITOR APPOINTED
AT BBC LOCAL RADIO STATION
'GMR' IN MANCHESTER
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
December 2005

2. News: New Editor Appointed At BBC Local Radio Station 'GMR' In Manchester Page 2
©2005 Grant Goddard
The BBC has appointed John Ryan as editor of its Manchester local radio
station 'GMR' with a remit to widen its appeal.
37-year old Ryan explained: “GMR has had the same number of listeners –
around 280,000 – for a very long time. Arguably, that’s a success because the
market has expanded. But, in a more competitive market, GMR needs to take
that audience forward.”
Ryan has not revealed his plans for the station, but he wants to expand the
listener base. “Here is a city that is moving forward politically, financially and
culturally and we need to reflect that," he said. "I want GMR to be live and
reactive, urban and suburban."
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'New GMR Editor', #716, 28 December 2005]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk