Global has announced the promotion of James Rea to director of broadcasting.
Rea will oversee all programming and brand output for Global’s radio brands – Heart, Smooth, Classic FM, Capital, Capital XTRA, LBC, Radio X, Gold and Global’s Newsroom. He also takes a position on the main Global Radio board.
Rea joined Global in 2011 as managing editor of LBC. In 2017, Rea also took over programming of Global’s biggest brand, Heart, with the brand achieving its highest audience figures under his stewardship.
He succeeds Richard Park who has been with Capital and then Global for nearly 30 years. Gareth Andrews will remain as group programming operations director, reporting to Rea and taking on a new wider remit that sees him ensuring the smooth operation of Global’s programming across all brands.
Ashley Tabor-King, Global’s founder & executive president, said: “James has been at Global for eight years and has done an excellent job running LBC and Global’s Newsroom, as well as Heart, our biggest brand. The growth and development of these brands has been superb under his leadership and James steps into his new role with all the credentials, gravitas and experience needed.”
“James will announce his initial team in the coming days. This is the beginning of a very exciting new era for Global and I want to personally welcome James to the Global Radio main board, an appointment that we take very seriously. I’d also like to take a moment to again recognise the enormous contribution that Richard Park has made to Global and the entire radio industry, a contribution that will continue in his new role as senior programming advisor.”
Rea said: "I’m thrilled to be appointed director of broadcasting at Global. It is a huge honour and enormous responsibility to be asked by Ashley to lead a new chapter for our formidable programming team. I’ve been fortunate to work hand in glove with Richard Park for a number of years and I want to thank him for the incredible contribution he has made to me, the industry and to so many of us here at Global. We have some of the greatest and most inspirational radio brands in the world and I’m looking forward to working with our brilliant teams to grow them and continue to be best in class in a new era for radio, audio and video.”
To read the Music Week interview with James Rea, subscribers can click here.
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