After 14 months as General Manager of Hobart’s 7HOFM, Steve Rowe is leaving to take up the role of GM at Mediaworks Waikato in New Zealand.

Rowe moved from NZ to Adelaide in late 2001 to manage the ARN radio stations Mix102.3 and 5DN. With Nova coming to the market, he lead a small local team to reposition and revitalise the flagging Mix102.3 and in the first survey of 2004 achieved a massive five point rating rise (11 to 16 share) which set the station on a path to market leader, a position it still maintains today.

Rowe also closed down the loss making heritage station 5DN and along with NZ Program consultant , the late Ross Goodwin, wrote the strategy and the programming for Cruise 1323, which continues to rate a seven share today.

Rowe moved to Melbourne with ARN to manage Mix101.1 and Gold104.3 and finished at the end of 2010 when ARN disestablished most of the GM positions.

After two years away from radio, Rowe moved to Hobart to join the Grant Broadcasting group and leaves on 11 July. It is understood he had additional motivation to return to New Zealand to support his grand- daughter who has a brain tumour.