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Old 29-09-2010, 11:55
airwaves
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I wonder how much the new Smooth will differ from the current station. New jingles, a slightly transformed playlist? Not long to find out.

I've listened less since it disappeared from London 2 considering the quality on D1 is terrible. If the bitrate doesn't increase with the launch of Smooth National, I might not bother.
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Old 29-09-2010, 12:00
omnidirectional
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Where along with all but one of the other Smooth's, it's about to lose its regionality.
North West listeners have been introduced to the Mark Goodier show over the last month, so the only big changes will be Breakfast and Drive. North West presenters Dave Lincoln, Andy Peebles and Derek Webster are part of the new national line up, and presumably some others will feature at the weekend like they do at the moment.
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Old 29-09-2010, 12:14
Francis H
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I wonder how much the new Smooth will differ from the current station. New jingles, a slightly transformed playlist? Not long to find out.

I've listened less since it disappeared from London 2 considering the quality on D1 is terrible. If the bitrate doesn't increase with the launch of Smooth National, I might not bother.
I wouldn't listen if the bitrate was up to Mark Thompson levels! Transformed playlist? They might swap one Simply Red tune for another, and the jingles - I wonder if they could come up with a worse package than the one currently in use. So dated and badly produced.
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Old 29-09-2010, 12:14
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I've listened less since it disappeared from London 2 considering the quality on D1 is terrible. If the bitrate doesn't increase with the launch of Smooth National, I might not bother.
Isn't Absolute 90's/extra leaving D1, with extra just becoming a popup station and other stations going to mono when it's on?
This might release bandwidth for Smooth to go to 128k?
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Old 29-09-2010, 12:19
Francis H
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North West listeners have been introduced to the Mark Goodier show over the last month, so the only big changes will be Breakfast and Drive. North West presenters Dave Lincoln, Andy Peebles and Derek Webster are part of the new national line up, and presumably some others will feature at the weekend like they do at the moment.
None of whom are likely to set pulses racing across the country. The whole notion of competing against Radio 2 will leave them looking very silly indeed. People listen to 2 to avoid ads and dated presentation.
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Old 29-09-2010, 13:01
suffolkblue
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http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2010/0...adio-relaunch/

Guess the station will have overtaken Talksport and Absolute for total listeners?
No ads for South England?
Looks like the ads might be more aimed at Women!
edit radiotoday has more details
http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6317
Losing Tony at the weekend will be a blow, but suspect Mike Read's and DLT's managers are on the phone to Smooth!
Hope so i love DLT and it would be great to hear him on smooth he has the voice for it but sadly dont see it happening.Mike read would be great to and make a good addition to smooth uk.
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Old 29-09-2010, 13:18
monkey8650
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According to Carlos's twitter page promo's for the new Smooth will air on TV in the next few day's.
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Old 29-09-2010, 13:28
Martin Phillp
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Hope so i love DLT and it would be great to hear him on smooth he has the voice for it but sadly dont see it happening.Mike read would be great to and make a good addition to smooth uk.
Have you heard Mike on Total Star? Not at his best I'm afraid, even the much maligned Big L show was better.
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Old 29-09-2010, 13:50
dpb
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Hope so i love DLT and it would be great to hear him on smooth he has the voice for it but sadly dont see it happening.Mike read would be great to and make a good addition to smooth uk.
Have you heard Mike on Total Star? Not at his best I'm afraid, even the much maligned Big L show was better.
I've heard both DLT and Mike Read in the last few months and don't think they would fit Smooth's style and sound.

How about former John Myers and John Simons favourite Gary Davies? Although I think Tony will be replaced by someone who already is on Smooth.
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Old 29-09-2010, 15:55
Francis H
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[quote=dpb;44433347]

How about former John Myers and John Simons favourite Gary Davies? QUOTE]

Anyone got a bucket? I think I'm going to be violently ill!
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Old 29-09-2010, 16:14
hanssolo
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Although I think Tony will be replaced by someone who already is on Smooth.
Think you might be right! They have several days to pick someone, but guess the new weekend schedule will be updated and online from Saturday!
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Old 29-09-2010, 17:25
Martin Phillp
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How about former John Myers and John Simons favourite Gary Davies? Although I think Tony will be replaced by someone who already is on Smooth.
Although Gary has that 'Mike Smash' voice, he has adapted his presentation for Virgin and has previously worked on GMG's other contemporary brand Real.

If he was offered it, would he want to commute to Manchester though? The previous show he did for Real was VT.
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Old 29-09-2010, 18:31
SouthCity
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Think you might be right! They have several days to pick someone, but guess the new weekend schedule will be updated and online from Saturday!
They have more than that - Blackburn's last show is Sunday 31 October (confirmed in the Guardian).
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Old 29-09-2010, 18:33
dpb
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Although Gary has that 'Mike Smash' voice, he has adapted his presentation for Virgin and has previously worked on GMG's other contemporary brand Real.

If he was offered it, would he want to commute to Manchester though? The previous show he did for Real was VT.
I was thinking along the lines as Tony's show is from London so his replacement could be too.
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:40
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They have more than that - Blackburn's last show is Sunday 31 October (confirmed in the Guardian).
Such a shame that Radio 2 made him quit Smooth. They were happy to let Lyn Parsons do cover work and keep her Smooth shows.

I just hope that Tony is given regular weekday cover work on Radio 2, I'd love to hear him covering for Ken Bruce.
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:43
Martin Phillp
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Such a shame that Radio 2 made him quit Smooth. They were happy to let Lyn Parsons do cover work and keep her Smooth shows.

I just hope that Tony is given regular weekday cover work on Radio 2, I'd love to hear him covering for Ken Bruce.
At least Tony is still allowed to present his small scale radio shows for KMFM and KCFM, along with his syndicated soul and motown show.
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:45
simon243
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Such a shame that Radio 2 made him quit Smooth. They were happy to let Lyn Parsons do cover work and keep her Smooth shows.
Yes but that was before Smooth became a semi-national station with the stated aim of taking on Radio 2.

Radio 2 have cunningly managed to deal Smooth a blow just as it's trying to relaunch itself. I doubt the timing's a coincidence.
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:46
Tazman1966
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...shame that Radio 2 made him quit Smooth. They were happy to let Lyn Parsons do cover work and keep her Smooth shows...
Good point!
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:47
Tazman1966
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...Radio 2 have cunningly managed to deal Smooth a blow just as it's trying to relaunch itself. I doubt the timing's a coincidence...
Even better point!!!
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:48
Martin Phillp
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I doubt Lynn Parsons will be offered any freelance shifts at R2 until her temporary contract with Smooth ends in January.
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Old 29-09-2010, 20:51
SouthCity
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Yes but that was before Smooth became a semi-national station with the stated aim of taking on Radio 2.

Radio 2 have cunningly managed to deal Smooth a blow just as it's trying to relaunch itself. I doubt the timing's a coincidence.
This is the same Radio 2 that is meant to be a public service broadcaster rather than being in the market place battling for ratings.

Smooth isn't going to lay a finger on Radio 2 anyway because it doesn't have UK-wide FM coverage.
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Old 29-09-2010, 21:39
beacon
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The idea of a national Smooth Radio doesn't excite me at all. As is always the case with these commercial stations the playlists are narrower than ever, and although they may want to beat Radio 2 they never will. People over 40 may want listen to old songs mixed with the new, but they also want to feel contemporary too. That's why people like Chris Evans and co on Radio 2. Simon Bates and the rest make you feel like you're living in a time warp, and Mark Goodier and Andy Peebles are enough to send you to sleep.

I post rarely on here, but as a largely casual listener I have listened to Smooth in the past. I pose this question. How on earth did we get into a situation whereby these regional stations have ended up as poor semi quasi national stations?. This was surely never how it was meant to be. Regional presenters with sometimes a long history with their audience just thrown to one side. And how do new potential presenters get a break?. These stations are largely boring, and the whole radio landscape in the UK is quite depressing.
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Old 29-09-2010, 22:10
Martin Phillp
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Andy Peebles has confirmed he's continuing with the Soul Train on Saturday evenings and his evening show is now Sun-Thurs.
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Old 29-09-2010, 22:19
Bingethink
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THow on earth did we get into a situation whereby these regional stations have ended up as poor semi quasi national stations?. This was surely never how it was meant to be.
When the first regional licences were granted in 1993, no, that wasn't how it was meant to be (although Jazz FM in London and the North West shared up to twenty hours a day of programming in the late 1990s, IIRC).

Fifteen years later, the media landscape is unrecognisable. There are more commercial stations but they account for a smaller share of radio listening , as the BBC has colonised the middle ground and commercial radio has cannibalised its existing audience.

It's not just a radio problem.

Look at the state of the circulation of regional and national newspapers, for example. Look at the collapsing ratings figures for television programmes. Look at the rise and rise of the internet - both the amount of time people spend on it and the amount of ad spend that has been diverted there.

And, separately, look at the millions and millions of pounds that commercial radio has invested in DAB - mostly in dual transmission costs, which have brought in no extra listeners or revenue.

Those are the circumstances in which the regulator has relaxed the regulatory regime n regional radio.
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Old 29-09-2010, 22:31
Miss Sixty
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Andy Peebles has confirmed he's continuing with the Soul Train on Saturday evenings and his evening show is now Sun-Thurs.
What a mistake on Smooth's part.

Grumpy Peebles gets ripped apart by Mellow Magic and Heart.

Nigel Williams, Nick Piercy or Graham Dene should've been offered evenings on Smooth.
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