His company Sportsmedia seems to have a contract with Global and many other stations to provide sports reports.

Gold has about 1.3 million listeners, Smooth has 3.9 million listeners (which includes Smooth 70s).
They estimate Smooth will grow to 4.3 million, most off which will be Gold AM and DAB listeners moving to Smooth.

AM has been declining but still in use, especially in cars, and perhaps Gold has a higher than normal percentage of digital stereo listeners, perhaps say 40%?

This could leave Gold in London, Manchester, East Midlands and on digital TV plus on line with say 600k listeners and still viable.

Some listeners will not like the new sound of Smooth and leave the station, some will start listening as they like the more music approach with presenters who do not say much but they have seen on TV and are familiar?

What we don't know is details of the new station on D1, if they try to get D1 Smooth listeners to all retune to Smooth on local DAB muxes (in stereo), which will mean the new station which will be mono may need to get new listeners from scratch?

Or Global might encourage Smooth D1 listeners to stay and move to the new station which with the right promotion could give the new station potentially near 1 million listeners?

It may not a be a new station but might still be a revamped Gold with less 60s music, we don't know unless Global confirm?
http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/02/smoo...rom-digital-1/

Gold's current format

Does anyone know if there will be a new jingle package to coincide with the relaunch?

Maybe STOP POSTING should be added to the list? If you don't listen you can't then comment on something you haven't heard.

[quote=OrmeMac;71519867]Does anyone know if there will be a new jingle package to coincide with the relaunch?[/

Well Global have ruined the station so they may as well ruin the jingles. No doubt it will be "This is Smooth" or something equally as annoying.

Smooth was 22nd in the London market place and making losses of £2 million a year. It was moderately successful outside London but not enough for the station to break even.

GMG took a perfectly fine and popular London station on 102.2 (Jazz FM) and ruined it, that's where the problems started.

So, Lynn leaves next Monday; Simon Bates leaves in 3 weeks (according to his Twitter); Paul Phear starts in May (according to his Twitter).

I think some media sites and people have got a little over excited thinking the changes will happen from the 3rd March. We all need to read it right, but also the information isn't fed right either. Only a few changes are happening, so reckon once everyone is in place probably after Easter, then there will be a new jingle package, as I think not all Smooth stations will be able to listen to the ones who've signed up? If we all read it right Andrew Castle will be on London Smooth Breakfast and Castle meets will be national. I'm guessing Heart will need to find a replacement for Chris Skinner too?

[quote=Amara;71521489]
The strapline is " Your Relaxing Mix Of Music"

He probably records the segment before he goes to Sky for airing after the news.

[quote=occy;71523011]
I've seen a promo with Castle & three others with the line "Your Relaxing Music Mix" underneath.

It's a terrible line, surely? Like everything with new Smooth it reeks of a total lack of imagination. Come to think of it, I suppose it's perfect then!

Andrew Castle is I've heard meant to be some kind of housewives favourite. Must be why he's been hired. He's good at the tennis, but that aside, whenever I see or hear him I immediately think of those disgraceful ambulance chasing adverts he fronts and takes a tidy fee for doing, just to encourage the insidious compensation culture gravy train. That's my image of him first and foremost, and I bet I'm not alone. I recall last year at the pre-Wimbledon grass court tournament where there was a celebrity tennis match and mention was made of those adverts to his face and he tried to shut the comments down and squirmed in utter embarrassment, as he should.

Johnny Gould isn't employed by Global/Smooth, they just use his service now Sportsmedia who supply sports bulletins across the UK. When Smooth relaunches i think it will be slim to hear him.

Seb on the other hand transferred to Global so if he's any good i expect he will stay, if not he will likely follow with Simon.

GMG paid way over the worth of Jazz FM at £41m as it thought FM licences in London are scarce, it then went to buy other overpriced stations and had no plan how to recover it's investment, and lost a lot of money considering Global brought everything for £70m and seem to have a good plan for profitability (even though not to all current listeners approval)
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/gmg-lo...142254.article
No wonder Clear channel decided to take the GMG bid cash and run.

Working out his 3 year contract and keeping on good terms with Global, and getting a farewell show!

Maybe or Not necessary as Andrew might not be able to start if they haven't got an LBC replacement. Know doubt there be some upsets. I would expect a farewell show. I remember when he did his Radio 1 farewell show live from America.

[quote=occy;71523011]
Must have taken them a couple of seconds at least to arrive at adding a word to the over used wonder line "Mix of music" all in all as dire as the other changes Global have made.
At least I won't be having to suffer hearing it rammed down your throat between every song.

Seems a bit strange that Global are hiring people who are associated with speech broadcasting to speak a few words every 20 minutes or so.

Will give smooth a listen once the refresh goes live as it' sounds too old fashioned at moment.

cant see it ever being anything other than bland while they insist on so little speech and repeatedly playing the same songs.

I would add that considering Smooth's presentation is actually so lacking in personality and individuality it seems oddly ironic that they are going out looking for personalities to take over the continuity speak they deliver, which allows virtually no room for any truly genuine personal input and stamp upon programmes.

Maybe that is going to change, remember it's a relaunch. Maybe the idea was when Global got hold of it was to run it as a virtual jukebox with little chat in anticipation for a relaunch, that way listeners may not notice so much when all the old, familiar voices suddenly aren't there.

If that's the case they have definitely lost the plot. I think listeners are well aware that well known presenters have left the station.

Don't get all radio listeners confused with us radio anoraks on here. Many will notice of course but I doubt they'd be bothered.

Accepting what you say, and by the way I'm no radio anorak myself and very much view myself as on the listener side of things as opposed to the anorak, if they have deliberately run down Smooth for a period with a view to building it back up again then I don't understand that mentality. They've lost me, and I haven't listened or attempted to for a whole month now, and barely anything since December. Now they have got to try and attract me back all over again, and I'm afraid it is not going to be an easy task. Better not to have lost & alienated me in the first place surely. None of the new names I've heard about remotely appeals to me in the least.

Rich Tea says... 'I would add that considering Smooth's presentation is actually so lacking in personality and individuality it seems oddly ironic that they are going out looking for personalities to take over the continuity speak they deliver, which allows virtually no room for any truly genuine personal input and stamp upon programmes'

and..

I haven't listened or attempted to for a whole month now, and barely anything since December.


Two sentences that illuminate the quality of criticism on this thread.

Below the belt. Is this the quality of your own debate?

I'm taking it that little has so far changed since I last listened, therefore my points are valid. Nothing I've read here indicates that there has been a significant change on Smooth since late last year. I don't think that not having tuned in for a few weeks somehow invalidates my opinion.