Former Capital CEO is New RAJAR Chairman

UK ratings body RAJAR Limited (Radio Joint Audience Research) has appointed David Mansfield as its new Chairman, succeeding Lord Gordon of Strathblane, CBE, who retired earlier this year after four years in the post.

Mansfield, 53 is currently an executive director of Ingenious Media PLC. His career spans nearly 30 years in television and radio, originally at Scottish Television and Grampian Sales and then Thames Television, where he rose to Deputy Director Sales and Marketing. In 1993 he joined Capital Radio as Group Commercial Director and then served as its CEO from 1997 to 2005 when it merged with GWR PLC to form GCAP Media PLC.

A board member of the Commercial Radio Companies Association and the Radio Advertising Bureau, now merged as the RadioCentre, Mansfield is a fellow of the Radio Academy, a non-executive director of Carphone Warehouse PLC and an advisor to Edelman PR.

'Measuring audience behaviour is a significant challenge for all media and particularly radio which is at the forefront of the digital revolution' says Mansfield. 'RAJAR is the world's leading radio audience research body and has been highly successful in enabling both the public and commercial sectors to work constructively together for the good of the industry. I am looking forward greatly to taking the organisation forward and maintaining its excellent service to the industry.'

Jenny Abramsky, RAJAR board member and director, BBC Audio and Music, expressed the board's thanks to Gordon for 'his measured and careful guidance during his four year term, which was a period of great change for RAJAR, not least the preparation of the new contract which we introduced in January 2007.'

Andrew Harrison, RAJAR board member and chief executive, RadioCentre, points to Mansfield's 'wealth of experience in representing the radio industry, both at home and abroad' and his 'fantastic record in leading on industry matters'.

RAJAR stands for Radio Joint Audience Research and is the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK. It is jointly owned by the BBC and the RadioCentre on behalf of the commercial sector.

The organisation is on the web at www.rajar.co.uk.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.