Barker has been a well-known and respected operator in North West radio advertising circles for the past 13 years. He started his career at Emap, before enjoying a lengthy and successful stint at Opus in Manchester. His success here saw him poached to replace Deborah Meek at the (then named) Capital operation, where he has now stayed for almost four years.

The new role is principally maternity leave cover for Anna Pennington, but will give Barker the chance to prove himself nationally across a group of brands that includes Capital 95.8, Xfm, Choice, One Network and Gold. From January he will also be overseeing the national brief for the GMG Radio brands.

A GCap spokesperson confirmed to How-Do that Barker would remain with the London sales division once Pennington’s maternity leave period had been concluded.

Barker will be reporting directly to Simon Daglish, the firm’s national sales and trade marketing director.

In response to the move Cheryl Levington is set to move up from head of sales in Manchester to GCap commercial director, taking over Barker’s previous responsibilities.

The role will see him being charged with maintaining the station’s impressive growth rate since its launch 18 months ago.

Macpherson said of his responsibilities: “Xfm Manchester is on a roll with a faster than predicted rate of growth. Listeners are enjoying having good music to listen to, intelligent presenters who know their music, and the opportunity to hear and experience more new and live music.

“Having been involved since the license application stage it’s great to now take a lead role in ensuring Xfm stays at the top of its game and continues to deliver the best indie-rock & entertainment to Greater Manchester”.
 

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