New Weekend Line-Up Speaks Volumes for Gender Equality on Airwaves

Equal representation on the airwaves has been significantly boosted thanks to the new look weekend line up on Cool FM.

From September, 80% of Cool’s Saturday output will be presented by a female, and in total, over 50% of the entire weekend schedule will have female representation.

As well as being a first for Cool FM, the new line up offers a more inclusive dynamic for listeners and creates career development opportunities for some of our top emerging talent.

Only seven months after landing her own late night weekend show, former Miss NI and part- time nurse, Katharine Walker is re-joining the Cool Saturday Show with Stuart Robinson and David McCammond. She is also hosting her own Sunday afternoon show (1–4pm).

Taking over from Katharine on the weekend nightshift will be two top young presenters – Evanna Maxted and Ciara Ewing – both of whom have been working behind the scenes at Cool for the past few months in preparation for their on-air debut.

The move reflects listener feedback and the positive response to Cool’s established weekend line up which also includes Rebecca McKinney and Melissa Riddell.

“We’re thrilled to unveil this fresh line-up of presenters for our exciting new schedule on Cool FM,” said David Tighe, Managing Director of Bauer Media/Cool FM.

“As Northern Ireland’s biggest commercial radio station, Cool FM is constantly looking for new ways to reinvigorate our output and to create new opportunities for presenters. This is all part of our commitment to deliver the most relevant content to our many listeners on air and on connected devices.

“It’s great to see an increase in female representation with the addition of Ciara and Evanna and it’s also exciting to see Katharine taking her next steps forward. We are looking at the next generation of NI radio voices right here and as a media company, it’s great to be able to create these opportunities”

As recent media graduates both new Cool FM presenters are obsessed with radio and are excited to start their on-air journey.

“This is a dream come true,” said Evanna Maxted (22) who is from East Belfast and has just completed a degree in TV & Radio Production at the University of Salford.  “I’ve been counting down the days to get started with Cool.”

Originally from Glasgow, Ciara Ewing (age 23) now splits her time between Belfast and Dublin. She studied Drama & Screen Studies at the University of Manchester and is thrilled to be joining Cool and to be part of the wider Bauer Media network: “This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m simply chuffed to be part of the Cool FM team. Exciting times ahead.”