Cornwall's 105 to 107 Itchy FM - Ofcom Licensing

Martin Dallaghan
Current directorships
IMD Radio Cornwall Ltd
Interactive Media Developments Ltd
IMD Radio Ltd
Itchy Media Ltd
TrustTheDJ.com Ltd
Amberland Ltd t/a University Media
The Student Planner UK Ltd
Martin has worked at board level across the media industry in radio, publishing & new media. Martin’s
unique combination of experience and entrepreneurialism has been instrumental in the development of
the IMD Group, specifically its marketing led approach to multi-channel youth communications.
Martin’s longstanding interest in youth culture (trend spotting and market perception), formed the basis
of his career in media management, and have been of huge importance in the development of IMD’s
portfolio of media.
In 1994 Martin founded an Event Promotions company in Oxford and ran a number of successful music
events in the Midlands in partnership with local venues and promoters. He launched a local listings
magazine for Oxford – “First Word”, which targeted students, tourists and the local community and
balanced the different interests of these groups whilst retaining a cultural and commercial edge. “First
Word” was notably the first publication to pick up on and promote the (now) internationally famous local
band Supergrass and a host of other local bands from the mid-Nineties’ Oxford music scene including
Radiohead.
In 1996 while studying at University in Leeds, Martin noticed an opportunity to develop a successful
commercialised Leeds Student Radio - “LSR FM”. In doing so he created a successful commercial
model for the development of commercially viable Student Radio stations, through exploiting
Sponsorship and Promotions and on-campus activity. Using this unique approach, Martin was able to
create full time employment for station staff and oversaw the station winning an unprecedented three
BBC Radio One: National Student Radio Awards.
Martin was subsequently elected National Chair of the Student Radio Association and as a member of
the Radio Academy Council worked with the Academy to introduce the Development Officers position
and solidify student radio as a talent recruitment pool for the radio industry. Martin worked on a number
training initiatives with the large PLC radio groups as well as advising countless student / youth and ILR
trial RSL’s on programming, operations and commercial development.
Upon leaving university Martin launched “RED10”, a red-brick university student radio sales and
promotions business, working with corporate clients such as Visa International to target the student
market. In 2000 RED10 and Ian Merricks’ radio consultancy came together, from the realisation of their
shared objectives.
Martin has undertaken a variety of external media development consultancies during his period
developing IMD, most notably with Fast Web Media, owners of Barclaycard’s official website for the
Football Premiership and Tiscali / United Media’s Line One Internet (ISP/Portal), typically charged with
securing new sustainable revenue streams.
Within IMD, Martin has led all group operations including many areas relevant to the establishment of
Itchy FM such as market assessment for regional media sales, staff recruitment and management, plus
operational turnaround of both the Student Planner and Itchy businesses.
Martin will use his cross media business experience to help launch a new and exciting brand of youth
radio in Cornwall.
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