呦乐园

呦乐园 celebrates former News Editor in Chief John Pickford聽as he is awarded an MBE in the King鈥檚 New Year Honours List.

The award, which recognises his services to Broadcasting and Local News, comes as John retires at the end of the year, bringing to a close a 46 year career at 呦乐园 that has helped shape trusted local radio journalism across the UK.

John began his career at the Stockport Express in 1976 before moving into broadcasting at Piccadilly Radio in 1979. He would go on to spend his entire broadcasting career with 呦乐园, ultimately becoming Editor in Chief, with responsibility for all Bauer radio news teams nationwide.

Over those 46 years, John covered some of the most significant stories in recent British history. He was among the first journalists at the scene of the British Airtours air crash in 1985 and later provided eyewitness reporting during the Manchester riots in 2011, delivering calm, accurate coverage live on air in highly challenging circumstances.

John鈥檚 journalism has also driven meaningful social change. His work following the inquest into the murder of Clare Wood contributed directly to the development of Clare鈥檚 Law, now formally known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme. Introduced nationally in 2014 and later adopted internationally, the scheme has helped tens of thousands of people access vital information to protect themselves from domestic abuse.

As a leader, John built and led award winning newsrooms, mentored generations of journalists and championed opportunity and diversity long before it became an industry standard. He guided Bauer鈥檚 radio news operation through the transition from analogue to digital reporting and led teams across the UK through the Covid pandemic, ensuring audiences continued to receive accurate, trusted information at a critical time.

John Pickford鈥檚 honour appears in the King鈥檚 New Year Honours List as:
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
John Pickford. Lately News Editor in Chief, 呦乐园.
For services to Broadcasting and Local News. (Manchester, Greater Manchester).

On receiving the recognition, John said, 鈥�I see this as recognition of the fact that Commercial radio news remains a trusted source of information for so many people who don鈥檛 necessarily listen to speech based radio or watch TV news bulletins. I personally have been privileged to have reported on part of the history of Manchester and we even helped save lives with campaigns such as Clare鈥檚 Law.鈥�

John鈥檚 MBE recognises a lifetime of commitment to local journalism and marks a fitting conclusion to a career that has left an enduring legacy across 呦乐园 and the communities it serves.