Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> October 23, 2000
SIMON COLE is the Chief Executive Officer of UBC Media Group Plc. After
reading Drama at Manchester University, he joined the BBC for his
initial training in the radio medium. He moved rapidly to commercial
radio, joining Manchester's Piccadilly Radio in 1983. After only three
years as presenter and producer, winning the industry's coveted 'Sony'
award twice for "Best Classical" and "Best Pop Music" programmes, he
became the station's Head of Programmes. In 1987, after he had predicted
the emergence of an independent production sector, the board of
Piccadilly Radio Plc asked him to establish just such an operation on
their behalf. PPM Radiowaves was the result, and the company went on to
establish the market for sponsored networked programmes. In 1989, Mr
Cole left to establish The Unique Broadcasting Company with former
partner at PPM Tim Blackmore, Noel Edmonds and Michael Peacock. Unique
has, in the last ten years, become the market leader in both the
production of network radio programmes for commercial radio throughout
the UK and BBC Radio, distributing some 700 hours of programming a year
to more than three hundred radio stations throughout the UK and Europe.
Unique also has interests in facilities company, Unique Facilities
(wholly owned) and production companies G. One Ltd (partnered with
Ginger Media), MTV Radio Productions (partnered with Viacom) and Gilmour
Productions. It also owns 33% of the national digital radio station
Oneword. In July this year, Unique floated on the London Stock Exchange
AIM as part of UBC Media Group with Mr Cole as the Group Chief
Executive. Five million pounds was raised through the float to fund an
aggressive expansion into digital radio and the company's market
capitalisation has risen since float to GBP71 million. Profile
please. What's the company, how did it start, what is it today?
Mr. Cole: UBC Media is a recently floated content group of
