91Èȱ¬

91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire today announced the names of its new radio breakfast show presenters – Marian McNamee and Tim Boswell are to take to the airwaves from Tuesday 1 September.

David Clargo, Managing Editor, 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire, said: "Marian and Tim will sparkle first thing in the morning on our breakfast show and listeners will relate to their natural on-air rapport.

"As locals they know the area inside out and understand the issues and concerns of the community."

He added: "Marian has become a firm favourite with our listeners since she took over the early show some months ago.

"The new breakfast show will provide up-to-the-minute local news, sport and travel, as well as debate, discussion, entertainment, and will celebrate everything that's great about Coventry and Warwickshire region."

Marian will continue to present the early morning breakfast show from 5.00am and Tim will co-present from 6.00 through to 9.00am.

Marian spoke with enthusiasm of her new breakfast show role: "As a Coventry Kid I'm proud to call Coventry my home and I'm looking forward to tackling the issues facing my home town – while of course getting up to lots of fun where ever possible."

And Warwickshire lad Tim Boswell added: "I'm really excited about the show and it's a great opportunity to wake up my home area, having been born and brought up here.

"And being a bit of a gadget freak it's given me the perfect excuse to buy a new phone with a posh alarm clock on it!"

David Clargo also announced that local broadcaster Stuart Linnell will be taking over the Sunday morning breakfast show (from 6 September).

Stuart, an award-winning presenter and long-time Coventry resident, said: "I am delighted to re-join 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire and am looking forward to being part of the team at Priory Place.

"Coventry is blessed with people from many faiths and many people who proudly profess to have no faith.

"I hope everyone will find something to interest and entertain them in our Sunday show."

The rest of the week day schedule remains the same, but show times are slightly tweaked.

Annie Othen presents 9.00am-12noon, Bob Brolly from 12noon to 2.00pm, Mark Powlett from 2.00 to 5.00pm, and Vic Minett from 5.00 to 8.00pm.

Notes to Editors

Photograps are not available until the end of August.

Marian McNamee

Marian was born and bred in Coventry city and educated at Holy Family Primary School in Holbrooks, St Elizabeth's Primary School in Foleshill and Cardinal Wiseman School in Potters Green.

During her sixth form Marian took part in a weekly youth programme called PDQ at 91Èȱ¬ CWR which is where her interest in radio began.

Marian headed north to a Manchester university campus based in Warrington where she studied Media and Business with Radio Production and carried out a summer placement at 91Èȱ¬ Radio Jersey.

After graduating she soon returned to her home where she worked at radio station Kix 96 as an "all-rounder".

Using her business skills she then worked for the Capital Radio Group as an advertising and promotional scheduler on stations across the south coast.

After returning to the West Midlands Marian become a traffic and travel reporter for commercial and 91Èȱ¬ local radio stations at Traffic Link.

For the past two years Marian has been working at 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire as a freelance BA (broadcasting assistant) working on and off air across a range of programmes.

In March 2009 she took over presentation of the Early Breakfast Show (5.00-7.00am, weekdays) where she's the bright spark lighting up the county and city each morning.

In May she reached new dizzy heights when her May Day programme was broadcast live from Warwickshire's highest point, Lark Stoke.

At 32 she lives with her boyfriend in the city where they have jumped on the grow-your-own bandwagon and have recently harvested their very first spuds from their allotment (something Marian puts down to a lot of support, advice and patience from others... mainly dad).

Also, after being shown how by Granny Mc, Marian enjoys to crochet – a hobby she describes as "very funky and under rated".

Tim Boswell

Tim Boswell (35) has Warwickshire pumping through his veins having been born in Stratford, brought up in Alcester and educated for a number of years in Warwick, where he now lives.

Following school his passion for music took him on tour with a gospel choir around Scandinavia as the group's drummer.

Back home he did work placements at 91Èȱ¬ WM and 91Èȱ¬ Hereford & Worcester before being taken on as a production assistant where he learnt all his radio and journalistic skills.

Five years later he became part of the launch team of radio station The Bear, based in Stratford. He quickly moved from presenter and reporter to News Editor, then Programme Controller before taking over as Managing Director.

Before joining the management team to launch 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire in 2005, Tim was breakfast show presenter and Programme Controller at Classic Hits Radio in Worcester.

Since then he has been running 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire's weekend output, planning all the on and off air promotional work, and is the station's Head of Music.

He's staged all the major outside broadcasts, such as The Godiva Festival and The Royal Show, and for six months presented the Sunday Breakfast show.

Stuart Linnell

Award-winning broadcaster Stuart Linnell has more than 35 years' experience in radio and TV, working for the 91Èȱ¬, ITV, Sky Sports, Setanta TV and for commercial radio stations in the UK and Ireland. 

He presented 91Èȱ¬ Coventry & Warwickshire's weekday breakfast show from 1998 to 2000.

He was appointed MBE in 1995 for services to broadcasting and he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Coventry University in 1999 for services to broadcasting and to the community in Coventry and Warwickshire. 

He graduated from the Open University last year with a BA in Humanities with Literature.

Stuart also presents programmes from time to time at other 91Èȱ¬ local radio stations – in Derby, Northampton, Oxford and Hereford & Worcester.

91Èȱ¬ Birmingham Press Office