HAMPSHIRE'S biggest commercial radio station, Wave 105 FM, is to have a new man at the very top.

David Goode, the current radio division managing director of Wave's owners Scottish Radio Holdings, is to replace chief executive Richard Findley in September, the company announced last night.

Southampton-based Wave, which has 381,000 listeners in the south each week - up 45 per cent on last year, is one of 30 radio businesses and 45 local weekly newspapers owned by SRH across the UK and Ireland.

Findley, who has held his post for the past eight years, retires in September aged 60, but will retain a non-executive role on the board to allow SRH to continue to exploit his expertise, the group said.

SRH chairman Lord Gordon of Strathblane said: "I am delighted at Richard Findlay's continuing involvement in the company and that we have been able to recruit his successor from within our existing and experienced management team.

"We look forward to the rest of the year with confidence."

SRH also revealed that pre-tax profits in the half-year to March 31 stayed flat at £6.9m, although operating profits rose 14 per cent to £10.9m.