Bob Shennan

Bob Shennan
Born (1962-03-18) 18 March 1962
Wirral, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Occupation Radio executive
Known for Head of BBC Sport (1998-2000), Controller of BBC Radio 5 Live (2000-2008), BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra (2002-2008), BBC Asian Network (2004-2008)
Controller of BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music (2009-2016), Director of BBC Music (2014-2016) and Director, Radio and Music, BBC (2016-present)
Website Biography at the BBC

Robert Duncan James "Bob" Shennan (born 18 March 1962, Wirral, Cheshire) is a British radio executive who was appointed as Controller of BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music in January 2009.[1] In March 2014 he was appointed to the new BBC post of Director of Music, to coordinate the music output across the BBC.[2] In October 2016, Bob was appointed Director, BBC Radio and Music.[3]

Early life

He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

Career

Shennan has been a senior executive in radio and television for a number of years. He started as a journalist at Hereward Radio in Peterborough from 1984-7. He joined BBC Sport in 1987 as a trainee radio sport producer and was part of the team that founded BBC Radio Five Live.[4] After a spell as Head of BBC Sport where he had overall responsibility for sports coverage on BBC radio and television, he was appointed head of BBC Radio 5 Live in 2000.[5] As the network's controller he oversaw the launch of BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra in 2002, and also took over as controller of the BBC Asian Network in 2004. Shennan took over as Director, BBC Radio and Music, in October 2016.

Channel 4

In December 2007 it was announced that Shennan would be leaving the BBC to take up a position as Director of Radio at Channel Four.[6] He joined the broadcaster in April 2008 as it made plans to diversify into radio with the launch of several stations under the banner of Channel Four Radio.[5][6] However, in October 2008 Channel Four shelved its radio project in order to make a reported £100million in savings.[7]

Radio 2

Shennan took over in February 2009 from Lesley Douglas, who resigned from her position following The Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.[7] He is regarded as a "safe pair of hands" for the network following the controversy.[7]

He is also a Fellow of The Radio Academy.[5][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Shennan becomes head of Radio 2". BBC Online. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  2. ↑ "Bob Shennan named BBC music boss". RadioWeek. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Bob Shennan, Director, Radio and Music - Inside the BBC". BBC. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "New boss for 5Live". BBC Online. 25 April 2000. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bob Shennan appointed Controller BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music". BBC Online. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  6. 1 2 "BBC's 5 Live boss quits for rival". BBC Online. 3 December 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Holmwood, Leigh (27 January 2009). "Bob Shennan named Radio 2 controller". London: Guardian Media. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  8. ↑ The Radio Academy "Fellows" Archived 24 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.