MediaVest wins €4m contract for OPW media sales

MEDIAVEST has secured a major government contract. The account, worth a reported €4m, involves media buying for the Office of Public Works in national and regional press.

It was previously held by the Aegis-owned Brindley Advertising.

In other MediaVest news, the company has appointed a new client director. Aoibhin Lennon takes on the role at the media-buying agency, where she will lead a number of key accounts including Aviva, O2, Love Irish Food and United Biscuits.

Aoibhin joined MediaVest after returning home from Sydney where she held positions with Publicis Media Australia and MediaCom Australia.

Her client experience includes Volkswagen Group Australia, Reckitt Benckiser and General Motors.

RADIO NOVA IS SERVING UP A NEW BREAKFAST DISH

RADIO Nova is shaking up the line-up at its flagship breakfast show. Seasoned presenter Joan Lea and Nova favourite Marty Miller have taken over the station's 6am to 10am slot and will lead the station's programming for the competitive breakfast show market in the Dublin area from now on.

Joan Lea comes to Radio Nova with an impressive track-record in Irish radio. One of the original members of the hugely-successful 'Strawberry Alarm Clock' team on FM104, most recently she hosted her own late-night talk show on Dublin's 98FM which ran for five years.

Before coming to radio, she worked as a professional jazz performer and jingle singer.

With 15 radio awards under his belt, Marty Miller has been one of Nova's most popular presenters since the station's launch in 2010. Until now, he hosted the station's afternoon slot.

His radio career started at 16 and since then he has presented and produced award-winning shows at a host of big-name stations.

Nova has just celebrated its third birthday and received some good news. The most recent JNLR figures show that it is the only Dublin-based radio operation to have increased its listenership.

EX-NEWSTALK SALES BOSS MOVES TO IRS

INDEPENDENT Radio Sales (IRS), the national sales house representing 21 local and regional radio stations, has appointed a new commercial director. Peter Smyth, a former sales director at Newstalk, will take over the role in mid-November. His 10 years of experience also includes senior positions in the advertising department of 'The Irish Times'.

IRS, like most other sales organisations, has been rearranging its internal operations in recent years in response to changing client budgets post-recession.

"Peter's appointment to the new position of commercial director is just one part of the overall strategic plan for the company and will ensure that the IRS proposition for 2014 and beyond is the best in the market," said IRS chief executive David Tighe.

MCCANNBLUE TO HELP WEIGHTWATCHERS

MCCANNBLUE has secured a new client, Weightwatchers. The agency will deliver advertising planning for the diet chain, which is trying to revamp its image in Ireland and sign up new recruits through its website.

The campaign will have an online bias and include a mini-campaign with the 'Irish Daily Mail' website.