To those asking 'what happened to the 70s, 80s & 90s station' - well isn't that exactly what this station is? Just because it is called 'Smooth Extra' doesn't mean it isn't exactly what was originally intended!
To those asking 'what happened to the 70s, 80s & 90s station' - well isn't that exactly what this station is? Just because it is called 'Smooth Extra' doesn't mean it isn't exactly what was originally intended!
It will no doubt include 70s, 80s and 90s but the Character of Service has been broadened so it doesn't specifically focus on those decades..
"A melodic music station playing songs from a broad range of decades and targeting an audience aged 45+"
The slogan for Smooth Extra is Your Refreshing Music Mix which suggests maybe the rockier tracks like The Rolling Stones will get played. It could be a rebrand of Gold.
What we might see is spin off from specialist shows like 1 hour non stop of The Great British and American Songbook on weeknights as well as decade shows like Smooth 60's and Smooth 70's.
I read "refreshing" to be more uptempo than Smooth's melodic music mix, rather like a poppier version of Smooth or the Absolute decades stations, and perhaps a bit like the old Capital Life or Free 80s here in the West Midlands and Nation Hits in South Wales.
I read "refreshing" to be more uptempo than Smooth's melodic music mix, rather like a poppier version of Smooth or the Absolute decades stations, and perhaps a bit like the old Capital Life or Free 80s here in the West Midlands and Nation Hits in South Wales.
To me it sounds like the version of Smooth we had this time last year when the transition to LSQ happened. At a guess it will sound very much like Magic 105.4 without some of the questionable tracks they seem to be spinning now like Bruno Mars - Locked out of Heaven.
So not too many places (that count to advertisers at least) are going to lose access to Smooth.
Or looking at places that WILL lose Smooth:
Aberdeen, Ayr, Cornwall, Hereford/Worcestershire, Inverness, Mid/West Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales & Cheshire, Staffordshire, parts of Surrey/North Sussex, Swansea and SW Wales, Tayside...
as well as non-local DAB covered areas: Cumbria, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, SW Scotland, West Dorset, West Norfolk.
Lets face it sadly it is global. So Smooth Xtra will hsve a max of 400 songs on mixed rotation just like gold and all their other stations so will no doubt be just as boring but thats what people enjoy right ?
In many parts of the country, you can get a local Smooth (or the London version) plus the "Smooth UK" national version, so there's two stations which are more or less the same thing. This will put an end to that duplication.
Aberdeen, Ayr, Cornwall, Hereford/Worcestershire, Inverness, Mid/West Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales & Cheshire, Staffordshire, parts of Surrey/North Sussex, Swansea and SW Wales, Tayside...
as well as non-local DAB covered areas: Cumbria, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, SW Scotland, West Dorset, West Norfolk.
Ironically, in some of these areas, listeners will have to switch to AM to continue listening! (or via digital TV/online)
Aberdeen, Ayr, Cornwall, Hereford/Worcestershire, Inverness, Mid/West Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales & Cheshire, Staffordshire, parts of Surrey/North Sussex, Swansea and SW Wales, Tayside...
as well as non-local DAB covered areas: Cumbria, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, SW Scotland, West Dorset, West Norfolk.
As I said, with the possible exception of Surrey, it is still going to be available in areas that matter to advertisers. They are obviously going to make more money selling local adverts in the remaining areas than they did selling national adverts on D1.
Ironically, in some of these areas, listeners will have to switch to AM to continue listening! (or via digital TV/online)
I can only see two areas where this will be the case.
The other bit of irony is that two of the UTV areas that will get a bonus local Christmas DAB station (Signal and Wave) will also lose Smooth Radio.. to a Christmas station!
Lets face it sadly it is global. So Smooth Xtra will hsve a max of 400 songs on mixed rotation just like gold and all their other stations so will no doubt be just as boring but thats what people enjoy right ?
And it bet it will be just a jukebox station as well with no presenters.
Global could put Smooth on the Mid & West Wales multiplex in mono if T&C/Muxco let them - then they would cover Swansea and SW Wales -room on there for it!
Never thought I would hear my self say it, but I was hoping for a Heart branded spin off than a Smooth one
But their use of Refreshing rather then Relaxing could mean more upbeat tunes (would be very refreshing!)
There is still space on the South East Wales multiplex - I wonder if anything is gonna head on to it?
Global could put Smooth on the Mid & West Wales multiplex in mono if T&C/Muxco let them - then they would cover Swansea and SW Wales -room on there for it!
Never thought I would hear my self say it, but I was hoping for a Heart branded spin off than a Smooth one
But their use of Refreshing rather then Relaxing could mean more upbeat tunes (would be very refreshing!)
There is still space on the South East Wales multiplex - I wonder if anything is gonna head on to it?
It's not about letting them. Seems Global are less willing to put services on multiplexes not operated by themselves. If they pay, they play! I'm sure MuxCo would gladly take their money
It's not about letting them. Seems Global are less willing to put services on multiplexes not operated by themselves. If they pay, they play! I'm sure MuxCo would gladly take their money
MuxCo already do take Global's money - Smooth is on DAB in Somerset! (a MuxCo multiplex!) and Gloucestershire (another MuxCo multiplex)
Aberdeen, Ayr, Cornwall, Hereford/Worcestershire, Inverness, Mid/West Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales & Cheshire, Staffordshire, parts of Surrey/North Sussex, Swansea and SW Wales, Tayside...
as well as non-local DAB covered areas: Cumbria, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, SW Scotland, West Dorset, West Norfolk.
The other bit of irony is that two of the UTV areas that will get a bonus local Christmas DAB station (Signal and Wave) will also lose Smooth Radio.. to a Christmas station!
Comments
It will no doubt include 70s, 80s and 90s but the Character of Service has been broadened so it doesn't specifically focus on those decades..
"A melodic music station playing songs from a broad range of decades and targeting an audience aged 45+"
Berks & N Hants, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Coventry, Edinburgh, Essex, Glasgow, Gloucestershire, HBB, Northants, Kent, Lancashire, Liverpool, London 1, Manchester, Northamptonshire, Norwich, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Peterborough, Plymouth, Somerset, SE Devon, SE Wales, S Hants, Sussex Coast, Swindon, Teeside, Tyne & Wear & West Wilts.
So not too many places (that count to advertisers at least) are going to lose access to Smooth.
... and Leicestershire and Derbyshire in the last day or two
Yep, in Mono though. Plus drop to Mono in Notts. But I guess it's no worse than it was on D1.
Wonder if they'll use this excuse to drop all the Smooth local stations to 64k Mono too?!
To me it sounds like the version of Smooth we had this time last year when the transition to LSQ happened. At a guess it will sound very much like Magic 105.4 without some of the questionable tracks they seem to be spinning now like Bruno Mars - Locked out of Heaven.
Aberdeen, Ayr, Cornwall, Hereford/Worcestershire, Inverness, Mid/West Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of North Wales & Cheshire, Staffordshire, parts of Surrey/North Sussex, Swansea and SW Wales, Tayside...
as well as non-local DAB covered areas: Cumbria, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Suffolk, SW Scotland, West Dorset, West Norfolk.
Not in Northern Ireland, which is a shame.
As I said, with the possible exception of Surrey, it is still going to be available in areas that matter to advertisers. They are obviously going to make more money selling local adverts in the remaining areas than they did selling national adverts on D1.
I assume this will be replaced by Smooth Radio Extra on December 27th ?
Or will it revert to Smooth Christmas on Saturday ?
The other bit of irony is that two of the UTV areas that will get a bonus local Christmas DAB station (Signal and Wave) will also lose Smooth Radio.. to a Christmas station!
And it bet it will be just a jukebox station as well with no presenters.
Never thought I would hear my self say it, but I was hoping for a Heart branded spin off than a Smooth one
But their use of Refreshing rather then Relaxing could mean more upbeat tunes (would be very refreshing!)
There is still space on the South East Wales multiplex - I wonder if anything is gonna head on to it?
It's not about letting them. Seems Global are less willing to put services on multiplexes not operated by themselves. If they pay, they play! I'm sure MuxCo would gladly take their money
MuxCo already do take Global's money - Smooth is on DAB in Somerset! (a MuxCo multiplex!) and Gloucestershire (another MuxCo multiplex)
I believe West Norfolk get DAB sometime in 2015?
Indeed, but the percentage of Global stations on MuxCo multiplexes is lower than their Now Digital ones.
Including UTV's own area, Northern Ireland.
Hope not - love The Arrow!