Dan Underhill resigns as program director of Nova 93.7 to join 96 FM
Nova 93.7 program director Dan Underhill has resigned to join Australian Radio Network’s 96 FM, with Ben Latimer taking on the role of dual program director for Nova 93.7 in Perth alongside Nova 91.9 in Adelaide.
Latimer was previously program director for Sydney’s Nova 96.9 alongside his role in Adelaide. Peter Clay, head of programming for Nova 96.9 and Smooth FM, will take over the Sydney role in the interim.
Daniel Underhill
Underhill has been credited with keeping Nova 93.7 in a competitive position in the Perth market, with the station regularly jockeying with Mix 94.5 for the top spot. As of the GfK Radio Survey Three in June, Nova 93.7 held a 12.6% share, while Mix 94.5 held 14.3%.
ARN has confirmed Underhill is headed to Perth’s 96 FM. The station recently dumped its breakfast duo Paul and Lise (Paul Hogan and Lisa Fernandez), which could be a sign it’s considering a rebrand.
ARN’s National Content Director, Duncan Campbell said: “The addition of Dan Underhill as Content Director further strengthens 96FM as we continue to focus on growing our audience and becoming more competitive in the Perth market.
“Dan is an experienced programmer who knows and understands the market, he has worked with Gary Roberts (96FM’s Managing Director – Perth) for many years and I look forward to him joining ARN and being part of the team at 96FM.”
Nova group program director Paul Jackson thanked Underhill for his time with the company.
“I would like to thank Dan for all his hard work and commitment to Nova over the past 16 and a half years. Dan started at Nova 93.7 as a creative writer and concluded his time with the company as a successful program director. I’ve enjoyed working with Dan during his time as a programmer and wish him well for the future,” said Jackson.
“In the past two years, I’ve worked closely with Ben on Smooth FM and Nova 96.9 and he has proved to be a very talented programmer. Most recently he has excelled working with the team on Nova in Adelaide and I know he will provide a great contribution to Nathan, Nat & Shaun and the Nova Perth team over the coming months.”
Latimer has 17 years experience in senior content management roles across multiple broadcast platforms. He’s been with Nova Entertainment since July 2017, starting as program director for Smooth FM.
