Джон Майерс: Руководитель и консультант британского радио

British radio executive, consultant and presenter

John Myers (11 April 1959 – 1 June 2019) was a British radio executive, consultant and presenter. He was Chairman of the UK Radio Academy Awards, The Commercial Radio Awards and owner of Myers Media. Myers developed the Century Radio brand for Border Radio Holdings in the early 1990s, launching two more stations later in the decade. He presented programmes under the pseudonym "John Morgan". He then became Chief executive of GMG Radio, developing the Real Radio, Smooth Radio and Rock Radio brands and overseeing GMG Radio's acquisition of the Century network from GCap Media. He served as Chief executive of The Radio Academy from April 2011 until June 2012 and the founding Chairman of TeamRock, retiring in May 2016. In 2009, he was asked by the Labour Government to produce a report on the future of local radio in the UK ("The Myers Report") which was published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in April 2009. A number of his recommendations were taken up by the Digital Economy Act 2010, leading to, amongst others, mergers within the Heart and Smooth Radio networks. Myers reviewed efficiencies at four BBC radio stations during the first quarter of 2011 and, in late 2011, began reviewing BBC Local Radio stations in response to the Delivering Quality First cuts.

Myers started his radio career in 1980 as a Station Assistant for BBC Radio Cumbria. He was the station's first country music presenter while also presenting and producing a number of music programmes. While also in radio, he joined Border Television as a continuity announcer and programme presenter in 1985, and developed the long running Border Birthdays slot with a puppet called Eric the Monkey. He remained in television presentation for four years returning to Red Rose Radio in 1989. He became managing director of Border Radio Holdings in 1993, launching their independent local radio station, CFM. Myers presented the breakfast programme, the Friday night phone in and a Sunday lunch time programme, called 'fun on the phones'.

In September 1994, he launched Century Radio in North East England. He again presented the breakfast show, this time under the pseudonym of John Morgan. Myers later released a compilation cassette of the wind ups from his show, and even a novelty single, called "Three Rosettes", under the further pseudonym of Mr Martin. He also co presented other shows, such as the Sunday lunch time "Fun on the Phones". During this time he also presented segments on Tyne Tees Television's magazine show. Ratings fell when Myers stepped down from presenting the breakfast show, and his replacement, Steve Coleman, was sacked after just three weeks. Myers returned for another 12 months until Paul Gough replaced him in 1997. In 1997 Myers left the North East to launch 106 Century FM in the East Midlands. Myers became managing director of GMG Radio in 1999, winning the first licence for GMG, Real Radio (Wales), which launched in 2000. Myers resurrected the "Fun on the Phones" presenting as John Morgan, with John Simons occasionally presenting. The breakfast show was presented by Terry Underhill and Sarah Graham in the first few years of the station. He became chief executive of GMGR in 2002, and joined the board of directors of the Guardian Media Group in 2006. In October 2006, GMG Radio bought the two remaining Century stations from GCap, bringing Myers to control the brand he started in 1994. To stop a high percentage of commercial radio stations losing money, Myers recommended that regulators could remove the imperative for local radio to be produced from within a geographic boundary; tailored news feeds alluding to a geographic area could be produced from one big building. A number of his recommendations were taken up within the Digital Britain report and the Digital Economy Act 2010. The changes lead to Smooth Radio merging its five England stations into one quasi national station, with local news feeds produced from GMG Radio's headquarters in Salford Quays, and Global Radio halving the number of its Heart stations through co local content. Myers was appointed chairman of Radio Tyneside, a hospital radio station serving patients in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in July 2010. In November 2010, he was asked by the BBC to review efficiency at Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6 Music and Radio 2; this project is expected to conclude in March 2011. The Telegraph reported that the BBC needed to hire someone with expertise in commercial radio, but was not a "BBC hater". He assumed his role as Chief executive of The Radio Academy in April 2011, Through his company Myers Media he occasionally returned to the airwaves under his radio name of John Morgan. He joined Spectrum FM, an unlicensed or "pirate" radio station in Spain as a consultant and presenter of a weekly Sunday morning show. In 2012, he became a visiting professor at the University of Cumbria; the institution also awarded him an honorary fellowship.

Myers was awarded a Fellowship in 2005 by The Radio Academy for his contribution to radio. In 2010 he was presented with an outstanding achievement award by The Radio Centre in recognition of his long service to commercial radio. He is a former board director of the RadioCentre, the Sony Radio Academy Awards Committee, and a past Chairman of The Radio Academy until March 2009. He was one of just 40 people inducted into the Radio Centre roll of honour in 2012.

Myers has two children Kerry and Scott, and two grandchildren Mia and Marcus. Scott was a producer at Galaxy FM until 2007 and moved on to become the network producer for GMG in Salford. He was the producer of Capital Yorkshire's breakfast show, until September 2013 when he left to set up his own businesses. Myers' death was announced on 2 June 2019.