ONE of the country’s best-known sports broadcasters on radio is moving on today.
Mark Donaldson is leaving Radio Forth, as sports editor. But unlike some staff at the Emap-owned station, it is understood he’s going of his own volition – by negotiating his own pay-off to leave. He’s been with Radio Forth for ten years and it’s believed he is to take a month’s holiday, travelling around the world, before looking for a new chapter in his career to open up.
It’s not known whether Donaldson’s move means one less of an estimated ten jobs earmarked for redundancy at the station. Emap, however, declined an opportunity to comment.
That meant it also declined the opportunity to confirm that engineer, Chris Armstrong, and the news room’s Christina Mackay and Anne Kane, are also leaving today.
These last few weeks, many staff have been required to essentially re-apply for their old jobs. It is believed Armstrong at least has chosen to take voluntary redundancy, thus saving veteran engineer, Graham Warman, having to go through the ordeal of having to convince the station he’s the right man for the job.
But there’s speculation too about the schedules, that there may be, for instance, two programmes of five hours in duration on Forth2 (3pm-8pm and 8pm to 1am), to allow one presenter slot to be axed.
Meanwhile, local rival, talk107, has dropped one of its presenters, but not entirely.
Diane Lester co-presented an afternoon show on the all-speech station for Edinburgh, Lothians and Fife with Micky Gavin.
But Gavin has been chosen to present the show solo. However, it is understood that Lester – who, until recent was at Radio Forth – may continue with the station for ad hoc presenting and other roles.
