Advice, help and guidance for radio station operators.
Informal and formal training, licence applications and interim
management. Audience research design and analysis.
Studio design and project management. Transmission system
planning.
Brian Lister has been described as one of the UK's most
trusted and respected radio consultants and trainers, working
with numerous radio groups of all sizes he has also aided
numerous groups to gain commercial and community radio
licences.
With his uniquely diverse, multi-skilled operational background
in BBC, commercial and community radio, Brian has recently
specialised in station launches, programming consultancy, interim
management, training and radio licence application
projects.
Brian's passion for radio is life-long; initially involved in
radio through setting-up a hospital radio service in Romford, he
became manager of University Radio Essex while studying for his
BA (Hons) in Telecommunications, launching the station in 1971,
then trained with BBC Radio as a Studio Manager, working at
Broadcasting House and with the Overseas Services at Bush
House.
In 1974, he joined Metro Radio for the launch of the Newcastle
radio station. It was there that he developed his programming
skills, starting as Technical Operations manager and becoming the
Assistant Programme Controller. With the acquisition of Radio
Tees by Metro in 1986, Brian was appointed Programme Director and
General Manager of the Stockton-on-Tees company, very
successfully re-launching the station as TFM Radio.
From 1985 until 1995 he was also a director of Sunderland
Community Radio Association Ltd., who operated the Sunderland
local radio licence as Wear FM.
Brian was part of the A1FM consortium that won the Darlington
licence in 1995, but he departed to become Managing Director of
Stray FM in Harrogate, where he successfully took the station to
market leadership and steered the business into profitability. In
1997, he left to re-join A1FM, which had struggled to launch
successfully. He re-launched the station as Alpha 103.2 and
delivered top audience figures and commercial success.
In January 1999 he was appointed Managing Director of Sun FM in
Sunderland. After the station was taken over by Radio Investments
Ltd (RIL), Brian was appointed Group Development Director for the
group that was to become The Local Radio Company.
Brian co-ordinated and wrote many winning Ofcom
licence applications for the group and he continues to assist
TLRC in his role as a consultant.
Brian also works with various other radio businesses and
projects, providing training, interim management and assisting
them with his considerable experience in radio programming,
development and operational organisation. In 2007 Brian worked
with United Radio on an application to the BCI for a new licence
in the north-east of Ireland and with GMG on an application for
the Aberdeen licence. Recent work includes studio design and relocation for
Jazz FM and management consultancy for Lyca Media. He was a founder director of the Radio
Teesdale community radio group and has been a trustee of the Public Service
Broadcasting Trust.
Brian is a former board member of the Commercial Radio Companies
Association, and in the 1970's served on the National
Executive of the broadcasting union ABS, now part of BECTU. In
1998 he was called to give evidence to the House of Commons
Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport on the future of
local radio and digital broadcasting.
With an enviable history of numerous winning licence applications
to his name, Brian boasts a proven track record of success as a
manager, consistently delivering profitability and audience
improvements at those stations under his stewardship. He is a
visiting lecturer in radio production and management at the
University of Sunderland, and is currently chairman of the North East branch
of the Radio Academy.
