National sales director Andrea Ingham quits Southern Cross Austereo after two years
National sales director Andrea Ingham has quit Southern Cross Austereo just a week after new sales boss Brian Gallagher started at the regional TV and radio broadcaster.
Questions had been raised about Ingham’s role at SCA after new CEO Grant Blackley moved to bring in former Ignite Media Brands boss Gallagher as chief sales officer earlier this month.
Ingham, who resigned with immediate effect last Friday, told Mumbrella her decision had come as it was “good timing” for her, and said it had not been driven by Gallagher’s appointment adding she had “barely even spoken to him” since he officially started there last week.
“It was good timing for me it was the right time to move on,” she said. “I’m not going to anywhere at this point, there’s nothing fixed for me. My gut instinct was strong and told me it was time to make a change. ”
Ingham had been with SCA for the last two and a half years, moving over from Network Nine where she was Sydney sales director to take up the national role. Prior to that she had been with Southern Cross Media for eight years.
SCA has faced challenges in recent months on the back of lower ratings for its programming affiliate Network Ten, and dire ratings for some of its radio networks, in particular 2DayFM in Sydney.
On Friday it was announced 2DayFM was to have another licence condition imposed on it after the long-running investigation into the royal prank call from December 2012 after which nurse Jacintha Saldanha took her own life. It had been expected the station would be taken off air for a number of hours by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) as a punishment for the broadcast which made international headlines.
Last Monday both Ingham and Gallagher were at an industry function hosted by SCA to celebrate the launch of Hamish Blake and Andy Lee’s new drive show on its Hit Network.
Ingham said she was in the market for a new role, adding: “I would love to work in new media and start learning again. I’m looking for a change, something new and something inspiring.
“I’ve worked in TV for a very long time and I’d love to do something different and get broader media new experience.”
SCA declined to comment.
Alex Hayes
