Wonderful Radio London - Advertising Sales

Advertising Sales

A Cadillac car dealer in Abilene, Texas who became one of the investors associated with Pierson in his offshore project, nominated Philip Birch, a J. Walter Thompson account director who had relocated from JWT's offices in the US to their offices in London. Birch was appointed Managing Director and was responsible for the entire management of Radio London and of its sales company Radlon (Sales). Birch, a hard-headed businessman, was largely responsible for the station's success, tailoring the American-style format to give the broadest appeal to a British audience.

The cost of running the station was covered by local and national advertising revenue and the half-hour religious commentary The World Tomorrow presented by either Herbert W. Armstrong or his son Garner Ted Armstrong.

British authorities would not allow registration of a British sales company called "Radio London" because the name was considered "too similar" to that of an existing company, Commercial Radio (London) Ltd and so it was registered as "Radlon (Sales) Ltd." and was owned by Philip Birch and was the name on the air for advertising sales. The investors were based in Texas and used a series of different names for interlocking companies outside the UK and USA that represented their ownership in order to disguise primarily for tax reasons, their financial interests.

After the closure of Big L, Birch later became the founding managing director of Piccadilly Radio, one of Britain's most successful radio stations, when it was awarded the UK licence for Manchester during 1973. He also founded Air Services Ltd a leading radio advertising sales company responsible for selling national advertising for stations located throughout the UK. He continued as CEO of Piccadilly Radio and Chairman of Air Services Ltd until his retirement in January 1984.