The CEO of the radio division of Virgin Radio owner SMG has resigned after fewer than 18 months in the job. The official line is that Fru Hazlitt has "other things" in her life that she wants to achieve, making now the right time to move on. But insiders reckon Hazlitt's departure may have been hastened by the renewed merger talks between SMG and UTV - with the consensus being that should that merger go ahead Virgin Radio would be merged into UTV's radio division, run by Scott Taunton.
Any SMG / UTV merger may also hinder Hazlitt's long term aspirations - she was at one time tipped to take the overall CEO job at SMG, which is currently vacant following Andrew Flanagan's departure last July.
Virgin Radio Programme Director Paul Jackson, who was acting CEO of SMG's radio business prior to Hazlitt's arrival, will again take on the job, until a replacement can be found (or a merger takes place).
Confirming Hazlitt's departure, SMG acting CEO Donald Emslie told reporters: "[Fru's] been an inspirational leader for Virgin Radio and her knowledge of the radio and online world has taken the station to the next level. This has provided Paul Jackson with a very strong platform from which to continue to develop the station. Paul is amongst the best radio professionals in the industry."