GWR Appoints Cruickshank As Group Marketing Director

GWR has appointed Jim Cruickshank as group marketing director with responsibility for helping to drive audience growth across its portfolio of radio brands.

Cruickshank, formerly marketing and commercial director at Norwich Unions’s online property business, will oversee marketing activities across The Mix, Planet Rock, Core and The Storm. He will also handle trade marketing for GWR’s sales house, Opus.

Commenting on his appointment, Cruickshank said: “The GWR role is very exciting because of the range of opportunities for marketing to add value. The focus will be on building audiences through consumer marketing and talking to advertisers and agencies on behalf of Opus. The development of digital radio is the next significant brand building area, and I look forward to bringing this new medium to listeners and advertisers.”

Cruickshank will report directly to GWR Group’s operations director, Steve Orchard, who added: “Jim’s agency background as deputy media director at Leagas Delaney will be especially relevant in planning the marketing of Opus.”

Last month Opus secured a £2 million deal to promote the Carphone Warehouse on Classic FM, in its biggest sponsorship agreement to date. The six-month deal represents the first time a sponsorship and promotion has run simultaneously across Classic FM’s radio, television, online and magazine platform (see Opus Secures Biggest Ever Ad Deal For Classic FM).

The latest RAJAR listening figures for the three months to September 2003 show that GWR’s Classic FM saw its weekly reach decline by 3.2% year on year to just below 6.5 million, down from 6.7 million in the same period the previous year.

GWR Group: 020 7284 3000 www.gwrgroup.com

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