Programming Summit 2025

10:00-11:00 : Registration

11:00-12:00 : The Diary of a CCO – The 3 Laws of How to Grow a Successful Brand and be Happy at Work.
Join Ben Cooper, the former Chief Content Officer for Bauer Media Audio UK and Controller of BBC Radio 1 as he reveals his three keys to unlocking your success and enjoyment in your job. Over the last four years at Bauer, Ben’s portfolio of radio stations had a record breaking growth of 20% to 24 million weekly listeners, his teams won various industry awards, plus there was the front page story of signing Ken Bruce, the UK’s most listened to radio show host. In this session you will be able to learn valuable lessons from both commercial and public service broadcasting, as well as learning how to Kiss – keep things simple stupid. Ben will present you with examples and ideas that you can start using immediately. Enjoy a great start to your day, your conference and the next chapter of your successful career by coming along to this appearance of one of radio’s most passionate ambassadors. 

12:00-12:05 : Break

12:05-13:05 : Talent Management 
Dennis Clark loves nothing more than helping talent and programmers make great radio. A lifelong radio junkie, he instantly knew that working with personalities was his calling when he joined the team of Rick Dees, the legendary LA morning man, over 35 years ago. Since then, he’s developed an unmatched track record of success developing new radio talent, strengthening established talent and training programmers on how to coach their teams most effectively. In this special Programming Summit session, you’ll get the chance to ask Dennis questions about talent management, how he would deal with particular situations, and chat about what advice he’d give. He’ll share his tips and methods from working with some of the best in the business and really drill down into detail, so you’ll leave with some great new techniques to coach your team of presenters. Bring your questions and get ready for an amazing hour of conversation!

13:05-14:00 : Lunch

14.00-15.00 : How To Run Your Radio Station in an Ever Changing Market
Running a radio station that appeals to everyone over the age of 35 whilst managing change is one of the hardest things to get right. Whether it’s reacting to presenter changes, bringing on new presenters to freshen up the schedule, evolving the music to reflect the age of your target audience or dealing with unforeseen situations, managing change at any radio station is always challenging. As we all know, due to the close relationship our audiences have with their radio presenters, listeners generally do not welcome change! Since Helen Thomas became Head of BBC Radio 2 in 2020, she has successfully steered the station through a series of changes whilst at the same time maintaining its position as the UK’s most popular radio station, with over 13 million weekly listeners. In this session you’ll hear her talk about how she runs Radio 2, how to manage change, and most importantly how to take your listeners along with you. Plus you’ll get practical advice on how to develop and implement a long-term strategy at your radio station.