Oh really you know that do you? Without the offshore influence the UK would not have had commercial radio. Were you around in the 60's and 70's?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc

Oh yes if it says it on Wikipedia it must be correct silly me��

Ok, so you didn't read it then.

Can't as link won't open on my phone sorry.

Nigel Freshman has just left Beacon/Free and is going to be on the radio again in the next few weeks so seems pretty likely he will be taking a West Midlands slot of some sort.

Right, so were it not for the pirates, the UK would be the only country in the western world (and most of the eastern world, come to that) with no commercial radio?

You really are deluded.

All the pirates did was drag the BBC slightly further out of the dark ages. That's it. They really were vastly overrated and the sooner they're forgotten the better.

Me deluded? Dream on you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I suppose you were born until the 1980's.

So Smooth will have regional Breakfast/Drive? Am I reading that right? Just wondered what will be the regional coverage on the South Coast - Sussex and Hants?

AM will just take the Smooth London feed, nothing local for AM frequencies.

On AM frequencies you will receive the London shows. As on AM they can network as long as they some hours which comes from England. Which means for Global they do not need to provide regional programming in regions where Smooth is on AM & DAB only.

Ah right. Thanks for your answers

Will this include local travel, as is on Gold at present?

Of course it would have happened anyway. The pirates were influenced by radio in the states and that would have eventually filtered down to us anyway.

The pirates were great at the time but time and technology have changed.

The government's response to the pirates was BBC Radio One, not commercial radio. That didn't start until late 1973 with Capital, LBC, and Radio Clyde. Even that was a a result of the policies implemented by the Heath government in the early seventies when they cut back development of BBC local radio, opting for ILR instead.

I doubt we would have had either Radio One or commercial radio until much. much, later had it not been for the pirates.

Sadly, it's all turned full circle again with the establishment controlling what we listen to rather than the other way around..

Maybe the new pirates should have the ability, not to broadcast, but to jam the frequencies of stations they don't like, such as Smooth, and put them off the air in a "stand and deliver" kind of way.

A nice thought in some ways, but as everyone hates something different I guess the airwaves would go very quiet!

Always find him a bit pompous, I used to like Nick Piercey on the Smooth WM breakfast. Never liked Bates

I think Nick is excellent on Wave 105 when he's on. A very likeable character.

kate Garrowway is truly awfull. She sounds so bored. She is making Tina hobley sound good. Dreadfull decision from Park and co to employ her.

Myleene Klass is the better recent addition comparing to Kate Garraway and Tina Hobley. The latter whisphers through her recorded links for some reason.

Be interesting to see whether 1-4pm or 4-8pm is local programming from the end of March.

Truly agree.Bet time really drags for her whilst she's waiting for her next link.A more experienced music presenter would put so much more into it even given the restraints some of the presenters seem to have.
Gone by Xmas. Best of luck to Lynn who.I think is the best female music presenter in the UK.Has been for years.She can DO it. It's a real shame what has happened.

No matter what way you look at it Smooth has moved on and those dinosaur presenters who refuse to move with the times will need to seek employment elsewhere.

Simon Bates has kept up a high standard of presentation since the change but I guess he's on a relatively expensive contact which will be allowed to lapse.

Lynn Parsons made it quite clear where she stood with regard to the changes and went down the "I'm bored with all of this" route so nobody can blame Smooth for getting rid. She obviously didn't need or want the money.

I wonder how the wage bill post-regionailastion will compare with how it was with all the mainly national-based service?

You can't blame Smooth for getting rid of presenters who won't or can't adapt and think the station should be run to suit them.

Well, you can call it "moving on", but to bring in "Z" listers that have no radio experience, and sound totally out of their depth isn't a smart move at all!

There is simply NO EXCUSE for sounding like this! None whatsoever, even if she is bored. To be sounding like that after a couple of days in the job is simply appalling, when she should at least be sounding somewhat enthused in a new jobs first days. How will she sound in a few months at that rate.

If the radio presenters sound bored with themselves, why the hell are the listeners supposed to be interested then? A generic bored sounding presenter, even who barely says anything worth hearing, is such a turn off.

How any proper presenter can sound enthusiastic when they have to endure 6 or so bland repetitive tracks in a row beats me. They must be just as bored as the listeners.
Lets hope that listeners do turn off and maybe Global will at last realise what an awful station they have turned Smooth into.

Well up to that point of Caroline commencing broadcasting ,there were no UK land based commercial radio stations, so up to that point , the UK was one of the few countries that had no commercial radio.

Without the offshore stations ,maybe land based commercial radio may have commenced at some point in the 80's in the UK.

Deluded ???????

The offshore radio stations did force the BBC to modernise and play a diluted amount of music that the offshore stations did play ,but only at expense of closing down the offshore stations , when they should have been invited onto land to carry their popular and entertaining broadcasts .

They were not overrated ,they were extremely popular, I can understand why you would to forget the offshore stations , especially if you work for Global.

For the vast majority of people who remember the offshore stations ,do so with appreciation and fondness and wish there was something similar on the airwaves these days .