Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Heart 104.9FM MD Gavin Meiring is moving on. New Safrea executive committee appointments. tvplus magazine announces new editor. Volcano wins Tabasco account. Ogilvy & Mather names three to Worldwide Creative Council. The Media Connection launches its own mobi-site platform. Maverick Publishing to launch Men’s Fitness SA. All the moves in media.
Who’s moved where
This week’s BIG move: Heart 104.9FM MD Gavin Meiring is moving on
Gavin Meiring, managing director of Heart 104.9 FM, has resigned. Meiring was appointed as the managing director of Heart 104.9FM in 2006 and played an instrumental role in developing the brand and repositioning and launching the new station. Now, seven years later, Meiring has announced that he will be leaving Heart 104.9FM at the end of December 2012 in order to pursue new opportunities and challenges.
“I’ve had an incredible journey with Heart 104.9FM. I’m extremely proud to have helped grow and develop the station into what it is today. A lot of exciting things are about to take place at the station, and the move to our new home will be a fitting final chapter for me,” says Meiring.
During his tenure, Heart 104.9FM has become a recognisable brand in Cape Town and is now regarded as a major player in the Western Cape radio industry. His decision to relinquish his leadership role coincides with exciting changes taking place at the station, including moving to newly renovated premises, a project developed and led by Meiring, and one that he plans to see through to completion before he leaves.
Heart 104.9FM has yet to appoint a new MD, but the recruitment process to replace Meiring will commence shortly. “We would like to thank Gavin for the hard work and dedication he has shown over the last seven years. Gavin has played an invaluable role in developing the Heart 104.9FM brand and we wish him well in his future endeavours” comments Peter Paul Ngwenya, chairman of MRC Media (Pty) Limited and Heart 104.9FM.
New Safrea executive committee appointments
Following two recent resignations, certain Safrea executive portfolios have been reallocated. The committee has elected Alan Hawkins, the Eastern Cape regional representative, as the new vice-chair and Treasurer.
Award-winning journalist and editor, Patricia McCracken, was chosen by the KZN region as its new chair and has joined the Exco. An additional recent appointment is Capetonian Grant Cyster who heads up public relations and marketing.
The following Safreans now serve on the Exco:
Helen Ueckermann (chair)
Alan Hawkins (vice-chair and treasurer)
Steve Kretzmann (industry relations)
Colleen Dawson (membership secretary)
Lynne Smit (social media and internet)
Grant Cyster (public relations and marketing)
Gareth Griffiths (w)
Patricia McCracken (No portfolio allocated)
Safrea is committed to championing the rights of freelance media professionals. Self-employed media specialists can become isolated, and many have found themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous employers who pay badly, take a long time to process payments, breach copyright laws, and generally treat freelancers unprofessionally. Safrea was formed to help balance the scales.
tvplus magazine announces new editor
Media24’s tvplus has announced the appointment of a new editor for tvplus magazine, Lucia Swart-Walters. This former senior editorial member of the media group’s Huisgenoot and YOU was editor of the brand extensions Tempo and Mooi/Makeovers. She was also chief of infographics for YOU, Huisgenoot and Drum.
Swart-Walters is an experienced journalist who was the Gauteng news editor for YOU and Huisgenoot. Before joining Huisgenoot, she worked at Beeld newspaper. “Magazines are in my blood and, as a TV-addict, it is my dream to be the editor of tvplus. I am looking forward to the challenge of taking this unique publication to new heights,” she says.
Ogilvy & Mather names three to Worldwide Creative Council
Worldwide chief creative officer of Ogilvy & Mather, Tham Khai Meng, has announced that three senior creative executives – Fran Luckin, Miguel Ruiz and Dr. Stephan Vogel – have been elected to the agency’s Worldwide Creative Council.
The O&M Worldwide Creative Council is a select group of the agency’s most senior, top creative talents representing different disciplines and worldwide offices. The Council was initiated by agency founder David Ogilvy to spearhead the company’s quest for great ideas and brilliant creative for the benefit of clients. Ogilvy was the first Chairman of the Council and Tham is the current Chairman. There are currently 15 members including the three new additions announced today.
Earlier this year, the Council and Mr. Tham led O&M to victory at the Cannes Lions Festival by winning Network of the Year for the first time in the agency’s history.
“Fran, Miguel and Stephan are each highly awarded and respected creative leaders who have made significant contributions to the creative output and reputation of the agency. They are stellar additions to the Creative Council,” said Tham.
Fran Luckin is executive creative director of O&M Johannesburg and has been with the agency since 2003. She is ranked one of the top five creative directors in South Africa, and was named as one of the top ten most influential people in South African advertising in The Annual 2009 – South Africa’s most authoritative compendium of the industry.
“We are proud and honoured to have Fran represent South Africa on the Worldwide Creative Council. It is testimony to the depth of talent we have,” said Abey Mokgwatsane, CEO of Ogilvy South Africa.
Who’s won what
Volcano wins Tabasco account
Volcano Group, one of South Africa’s leading independent agencies, and members of global network ICOM+In, have won the through the line Patley’s Tabasco account. The appointment follows a rigorous pitch process in the first quarter of 2012, where Volcano was singled out for their creative application in making the global Tabasco brand relevant to a growing local consumer base.
With retail peak season just weeks away, Volcano will kick off their work on the Tabasco account with an extensive national roll out. This initial campaign, focused on education with a strong conversion to sales, targets existing hot sauce users to experience the great Tabasco taste. Volcano will be managing all elements – including the creative theme, production and design of all collateral as well as national in-store activations at leading supermarkets.
Who’s making moves
The Media Connection launches its own mobi-site platform
Community radio stations now have the opportunity to join the rest of the advertising and marketing industry in the digital revolution, thanks to a new mobile website (mobi-site) platform developed and owned by The Media Connection, South Africa’s community radio specialist.
The Mobi Connection, a division within The Media Connection, initially made its move into the digital arena in 2009, offering community radio stations an in-studio SMS dashboard and mobi-site development. It now has its own mobi-site platform and is currently working on the design and content of new mobi-sites for 30 of the community radio stations that it represents in South Africa.
“Advertisers will be able to secure on air as well as mobi-site banner advertising for their clients, reaching niche, targeted geographical areas and LSM groups,” says Judy Milne, director of The Media Connection.
“Mobi-sites offer our advertisers added leverage for their brand, which means that they no longer have to market to an entire demographic with one campaign using just radio. The mobi-sites offer them an opportunity to fine-tune their campaigns, to a targeted audience, to get measurable results and real time data,” she adds.
Maverick Publishing to launch Men’s Fitness SA
The Maverick Publishing Corporation, publishers of health and fitness titles Muscle Evolution and Fitness magazines, has added a third title to their stable with the launch of Muscle Evolution’s Men’s Fitness.
“We have taken the bold decision to launch a third title amidst a struggling publishing industry as we believe the appetite and demand for this type of content is big enough to support a niche title of this kind,” says Andrew Carruthers, publisher at the Maverick Publishing Corporation.
Carruthers said the company’s other two titles have continued to enjoy readership growth over the last 24 months as consumers choose to spend their expendable income on magazines that are more focused and offer a greater depth of information on the topics that they are most interested in or passionate about. “A number of niche titles are bucking the downward trend in the publishing industry, specifically our other two titles Muscle Evolution and Fitness magazines, as more people turn to a healthy and fitness-oriented lifestyle.”
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