Congratulations to Daniel Steele up in the Manc office for being promoted to Senior Account Planner. This is a true reflection on all Big D’s hard work and Rain Man-like knowledge of local radio. He steps into the boots of Janet Green with supreme confidence and a peacock-like strut.

We won’t point out to him that his new title abbreviates to ‘SAP’…

FRS London would like to welcome the arrival of brand-new-to-radio-and-media (and thus probably still quite a nice person) Cristina Cardona as Airtime Planner. Already dubbed “CC” by pest Account Manager Simon Joyce, ‘Tina joins on February 11th and will be thrown straight into the deep end by putting together COI schedules and fixing everything that Joycey has managed to break in the past 8 months. This not only includes staplers, calculators and cuff links, but also general client relationships and levels of trust previously established. Asked to comment on the impending arrival of his new planner, Joyce added, “Can’t wait chap. Haven’t had chance to check my ISA account lately and my SMA supply is running low so I’d better get myself down to Holland & Barretts”

The bad news on this particular appointment, however, is that it means we say ‘Ta-ra’ to Joyce’s previous planner Nathalie Morales – Columbian diva and street-smart avenging angel from the good ole U S of A. Nat returns to The Big Apple under the orders of the Home Office. It seems that Morales ruffled a few feathers with her views on J-ET PCAs and the day to day running of ‘The Book’ (the booking system used by FRS to keep track of all them spots). We’d like to say a big ‘Cheers’ to her, if she is out there somewhere, logging on from her Queens apartment, checking the exciting world of UK local radio. Listening to 107.4 Tower FM online. She was a pleasure to work with and a damn fine human being.


Also, after exactly 5 years-to-the-day of moaning about the media, rubbing people up the wrong way, and generally being a miserable git, FRS have finally managed to get rid of Nathan ‘Dead Wood’ Bennett. Having joined as Senior Account Planner, Bennett was blackmailed into taking an Account Manager role for a few years. However, when he gathered enough evidence to clear his name, ex-MD Neil Webster was left with no choice but to give him the job he wanted all along – S&P Manager. In the past year he has successfully used Nina Collins, Meryl Witcombe and Phil Rowlands in the S&P team to cover up his shoddy workmanship and professional inadequacies.

We tracked Bennett down, surprisingly at his desk, to grill him on his imminent move to GMG Radio Solutions team.

“I have loved my time at First Radio Sales. They say that time moves on but the memories remain. However, my early signs of Parkinson’s mean that I’ll probably not know who anyone is in 6 months time. So I’d like to take this moment of clarity to say ‘Cheers’ to everyone at FRS for their care and support when times have been tough, for being there as a shoulder to cry on, and such great listeners. I don’t know if I could have got through the last half decade without you.”

Yeah, whatever. Please leave the premises you mug… And hand your fob in to Ronnie Corbett on your way out.
30 of FRS stations will this month be taking part in the government ‘Big Sing Up’ campaign which aims to use singing as an aid to literacy in our schools. The UK wide, government led initiative kicks off at the end of February with each station aiming to get as many local schools involved. The idea is for schools to record songs and submit them to the radio station so that people can vote on their favourite via the websites. A shortlist from each station will be created and a winner will be selected by a panel of judges. Visit www.singup.org