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The Media Edge has hired Mindshare managing partner Edward Lloyd

Barnes as its first head of TV buying, after it decided to terminate its

buying contract with Media Planning Group (Media Business, 16 July).

All TV negotiations will now be the responsibility of Mindshare, while

at The Media Edge, Lloyd Barnes will be in charge of placing TV ads and

advising clients on the state of the TV market.

The Media Edge handles its own non-broadcast negotiations through a team

of four. However, as reported last week, the agency has been hunting for

a TV specialist to head an internal operation.

Lloyd Barnes is assembling a team of five or six TV experts to assist

him. The Media Edge is also boosting its non-broadcast negotiation

operation, so its combined negotiation team will consist of between nine

and ten people.

The Media Edge will take full responsibility for buying and monitoring

its TV airtime on 1 September, but the internal TV group will be up and

running by the start of next month. Lisa Jolly has already joined The

Media Edge's TV buying group from the agency's Melbourne office.

James Whitmore, managing director of The Media Edge, said the move would

give the agency complete control over the execution of media strategies,

combined with the might of Mindshare's buying power - the combined

annual spend of The Media Edge and Mindshare is in excess of £350m.

The Media Edge is responsible for buying more than £50m of TV

airtime a year.

THE BARNES FILE

1984 Dorland Advertising, graduate trainee

1987 Lowe-Howard-Spink, media manager

1989 IDK Media, director and founder

1999 Mindshare, managing partner, TV buying

2001 The Media Edge, head of TV buying