New RAJAR MD Relishing the Challenge

Former Evening Standard MD Sally De La Bedoyere, appointed the new Managing Director of RAJAR last week, faces a number of immediate challenges. Ms De La Bedoyere starts on January 5th 2004 and replaces Jane O'Hara who is leaving to pursue personal interests.

The audience measurement body has had an interesting year with two prominent admissions of errors in its reporting, and faces an ongoing challenge with imminent legal action from Wireless Group and TalkSport boss Kelvin MacKenzie.

De La Bedoyere explains that she was looking for something 'a little bit broader than my previous roles in print... Despite my background in publishing, I am a great fan of the radio medium. I am enormously excited by all the changes currently taking place across the radio industry and the role RAJAR is to play in the coming years'. One of her first tasks will be to deal with the future measurement of digital radio.

De La Bedoyere began her career at Haymarket Publishing in 1983, worked briefly for ITP Publications as deputy advertisement manager for Chat magazine and joined Associated Newspapers in 1986, remaining until 2002. She held a number of senior positions including advertisement director on The Mail On Sunday and latterly MD of the Evening Standard from 2000 until quitting in November 2002 - she was replaced by current boss Mike Anderson, who oversaw the successful launch of Associated Newspaper's freesheet Metro. She has since been working as a media consultant, representing a range of media and leisure companies. She also served as a board member of NRS (National Readership Survey) from 1998-2000.

Commenting on the appointment Lord Gordon, CBE, chairman of RAJAR, said the board was impressed 'not only by her excellent track record in media spanning almost 20 years, but also by her enthusiasm for the challenges that lie ahead for RAJAR... The next couple of years look set to be a period of great transition in the radio industry with the growth of digital and Internet stations and the possibility of new methods of research... It is very important for the radio industry that the day-to-day running of RAJAR is in professional and capable hands and we feel confident that Sally is this person'.

RAJAR's troubles this year have included correcting an error reporting figures for 15 Welsh radio stations, on 10th November, and admitting a mistake in the summer when it mixed up audience figures for LBC and its sister station LBC News.

Kelvin MacKenzie, Chairman and chief executive of the Wireless Group, and the owner of TalkSport radio, has waged an 18-month campaign over the way in which radio audience figures are currently measured. MacKenzie wants Rajar to replace its current system of radio 'diaries' with new wristwatch technology that records what programmes people are listening to. He points particularly to the fact that Rajar is half-owned by commercial radio stations who he says benefit under the current system of radio measurement - these include Chrysalis, GWR and Capital Radio.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.