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BMP Optimum has hired John Walker to join its new radio unit under

Jonathan Gillespie, the head of radio. Walker, who leaves Zenith Media,

will join as a senior planner/buyer, and will work on Vodafone,

Budweiser, Vernons and Thomson Holidays.

The Radio Authority has submitted written evidence to the Select

Committee on Culture, Media and Sport in response to its inquiry into

audio-visual communications and the regulation of broadcasting. Key

points include the agreement that commercial radio, and radio as a

whole, is a distinct medium and should not have television or

telecommunications solutions imposed on it. This is an issue that

currently stands in the way of plurality of ownership, highlighted by

the Virgin/Capital merger being referred to the Monopolies and Mergers

Commission.

The National Magazine Company has named its parenting magazine - known

as Project P - as M magazine. The title is aimed at parents of children

aged one to ten years and will cost pounds 2.20. It will be launched on

4 May with a print run of 150,000. The editor, Rachel Shattock

(pictured), said: ’What’s really different about M is that it’s a new

hybrid magazine - with one foot in the lifestyle of today’s parents and

the other in parenting subjects such as education, health and the art of

parenting itself.’ Three issues will be published before the title goes

monthly in February 1999.

Transmitter coverage of the BBC’s digital radio services can now reach

60 per cent of the UK population - more than 30 million people. There

are now, as planned, 27 transmitters in operation for the BBC’s national

Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex.

Vauxhall Omega is to link up with Classic FM’s Smooth Classics programme

in a sponsorship package which runs from April to the end of the year.

The deal, put together by Western International Media, includes

advertising in Classic FM magazine and sponsorship of a Smooth Classics

CD.

Mirror Group announced a series of appointments last week. Chris Oakley,

managing director of Mirror Regional Newspapers, is leaving to join YPG

Group as chief executive. YPG is the company which has been formed to

buy the UPN regional newspaper interests from United News & Media.

Mirror Group’s finance director, John Allwood, will succeed Oakley.

Martin Clarke, editor of the Scotsman, has been named as the

editor-in-chief of the Daily Record and the Sunday Mail.

Crash FM, the new Liverpool radio station backed by Xfm’s Chris Parry

(pictured) and Jonathan Arendt of Hallett Arendt, among others, will

launch on Friday, with Janice Long as its flagship presenter. The launch

will be supported by a Guinness-sponsored pounds 100,000 ad campaign by

the Union North with media buying from the Media Business North. The

promotional activity will include cover-mounted CDs in the North-west

edition of the Big Issue and a 30-second TV and cinema commercial.

Following David Snedden’s decision to retire from the board of Trinity

International Holdings, Peter Birch is to take the helm from 18 June.

Birch was chief executive of Abbey National Group until he retired last

month. The announcement coincided with the release of Trinity’s annual

results which revealed a 2.3 per cent decline in turnover to pounds

324.8 million on net profits of pounds 44.07 million, up just under 13

per cent year on year.

The Jewish community will get its own TV channel, JTV, when digital

television launches later this year. David Elstein, the chief executive

of Channel 5, Lynne Franks, the PR guru, and Lord Janner and Lord Stone,

the joint managing directors of Marks & Spencer, are among members of

the JTV Council offering strategic support to the channel.