Jimmy Gordon - Radio Clyde

ILR had a founding generation: a small and varied group of pioneers who tackled the task of establishing UK commercial radio. As the first tranche of stations came on air between 1973 and 1976, these individuals carved out their businesses in very different ways, dependent largely on their own backgrounds. The model for ILR was, at that time, unknown. Was the best route to please the regulator? The clients? Or the listeners?

Jimmy Gordon was one of the early band as managing director of the third ILR station, Radio Clyde, from 1973 to 1996. He was appointed chief exec of Scottish Radio Holdings from 1991 as the network grew; and emerged as a vocal, persuasive and popular industry spokesman in ILR’s formative years.

Here he reflects in 2011 about those early challenges to programmers and profits.