It could be many current listeners will stay with the new station, the Ofcom statement is vague as to what kind of music?

There is no restriction on ad minutes per hour but you won't find many stations running more than 12 minutes per hour apart from Bauer.

If that is the outcome and I was a gambling man I'd say Paul Phear will get the London Breakfast slot.

I'm not surprised. The Smooth name has been almost poisoned in recent months and I've been expecting the name to vanish in the near future. I don't remotely consider listening at any time of day now. I cannot recall having so decisively turned away from a radio station in the past, as I have with Smooth. Now it is coming off the Digital One multiplex nationally too? So even if I wanted to return I couldn't using my DAB radio's unless in the capital.

From where I am seeing things as a listener, it appears like they are deliberately running down the station in order to kill it off in name, only to somehow expect a miraculous re-launch and re-christening which they hope will attract far more grateful listeners. Am I remotely along the right lines here?

Clearly not. In your precious North West, Smooth has just delivered some of the highest ever figures. Average hours are up which means they are listening LONGER.

Good RAJAR figures for Smooth today. As always the North West performs very well, with 76,000 new listeners taking it to a total of 900,000. Nationally, Smooth is up by 123,000.

Yes. I said that on here a few weeks ago. Seems a strong possibility to me.

He must have had a very big carrot dangled at him to jump ship from Magic and that's the only slot big enough to think of.

Smooth is on DAB in all areas where there are FM licences, not just the capital. It's a requirement for the rollover of the FM licences.

Mid-mornings and afternoons if they stay networked would be big to jump ship as well.

However I wouldn't be surprised if he took over London breakfast.

And I take it that once LBC move to D1, it's old london slot will be replaced by Smooth London?

Smooth London took over Choice FM's DAB slot in London when Capital Xtra was launched.

Makes sense to take Smooth off the national DAB then can't have it becoming too popular if they are going to axe it?

I think it would be a gamble to put him out nationally as he's only really been a known radio voice in London and the South East for the last 20 years or so.

London breakfast for Paul with Simon moving to mid mornings if he stays.

LBC will probably stay on London DAB for local ads, travel etc.

I reckon that Simon Bates will move to mid-mornings with the golden hour and our tune with Lynn Parsons moving to afternoons, but who will be the local breakfast and drivetime presenters. In the East Midlands could it be a return of Eamonn Kelly.

North west should be interesting?

A Return for Chris Best at Breakfast? Dave Lincoln on Drive ?

Its the next set of figures that will give you a more realistic view of where you're at, as your "stripped down" station started during the last period.......
Don't get too giddy just yet!!

So if smooth takes over gold on AM which is going to happen. Will i still get smooth on dab as at the moment i have gold on norwich muliplex and smooth on D1. We dont have smooth here on Fm. I hope smooth dont leave DAB in areas where there is no FM coverage. Capital london is on the norwich multiplex would smooth take over gold on norwich when gold go to D1.?

No it's not. It's actually Y-O-Y.

But according to everybody on Digital listeners were tuning out "in their droves". Based on the last quarter (Q3 2013) hours have also jumped considerably in London (28.4%) and are up in the West Midlands (+5.7%) and the North East (+5.3%).

Eamonn is on Sunday Breakfast?

Let's wait and see instead of floating fantasy schedules around.

Smooth is leaving D1 to be replaced by an as-yet unannounced station (possibly Gold or similar). Local DAB muxes are likely to replace Gold with Smooth.

Radio Today What they understand might happen.

Smooth Radio stations in the East Midlands, North West and North East will stay as Smooth Radio but will be run under a franchise agreement with Communicorp. These stations will have regional breakfast and drivetime shows but take programming from Global Radio-operated Smooth Radio London off peak.

Just like what Heart does? I guess that's what Global want to make the stations run the same. Cheaper and tidy option.



http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/02/glob...-we-dont-know/

So many well known names have been national for many years and now taken away. Global will give Smooth London and big push to beat their rival Magic London now.

I hope everyone stays now. As the format does work, although Local Programmes will also work for those local listeners.