Alison Halstead, head of communications at Real and Smooth Radio, formerly GMG Radio, is leaving the company tomorrow – Thurs 28 March – to spend some time with her young family and reflect on her next challenge.
Halstead has been with the Manchester-headquartered company for 10 years.
She joined the radio company – currently the subject of a Competition Commission enquiry into its merger with Global Radio – as a press officer having handled the account while at a PR agency The Media Foundry.
In the ensuing years, she has overseen all the Real Radio launches across the UK, excluding Wales which launched just prior to her arrival, and the rebrand of Jazz FM to Smooth FM initially and subsequently to Smooth Radio.
She began her career as a journalist on the now defunct Today newspaper before she moved into PR as an in-house press officer with Talk Radio before leaving to help set up The Media Foundry.
There are no current plans to replace her role immediately but in the short term, many of her day to day duties will be managed by Lynsey Oattes who is based at Real and Smooth Radio’s base in Glasgow.
Halstead said: “I’ve had a fantastic 10 years at GMG Radio and have been part of the growth of what I believe is the most creative radio group in the UK.”
