Category: Wales
Date: 19.01.2006
Printable version
Julie Barton, the Editor of BBC Radio Wales, has announced that she is to leave the post after five years for family reasons.
Menna Richards, Controller BBC Wales said:
"I am very sorry that Julie Barton has decided to leave us. She has brought immense enthusiasm and creativity to her job and will be greatly missed by everyone who has worked with her.
"Under her leadership, Radio Wales has grown significantly in terms of the excellence of its output and its appeal to audiences. We wish her well for the future."
Julie Barton joined BBC Wales 24 years ago. A broadcast journalist for many years, Julie became the BBC Wales Education Correspondent in 1996.
She was appointed Editor of Radio Wales despite having had to postpone her original job interview. BBC bosses accepted her excuse that she had been giving birth to her son the day before she was due to be interviewed.
Julie eventually took over the reins in May 2001.
She oversaw a relaunch of the station, creating new mid-morning radio programmes for the established television presenters Jamie Owen and Nicola Heywood-Thomas and moving the flamboyant Chris Needs to a new night-time slot where he developed a significant following.
The popularity of the new programmes helped to establish Radio Wales among the top three most-listened-to stations in Wales, alongside BBC Radios 1 and 2.
Julie has been a keen advocate for taking Radio Wales out of its Cardiff base. During her editorship, Radio Wales' output has included special broadcasts from places such as Carmarthen, Denbigh, Holyhead and Brynmawr and highly popular 'Big Buzz' open-air pop concerts in Swansea, Caernarfon and Rhyl.
