Good songs. Sounds like a good station.

And of course truly local

To sort of address this and appease the Motown fans at the same time, why not swap the two shows around from Saturday to Sunday such that the Motown show returns to Saturday nights at 6pm (yes I know it's not Dave Brown but we can't have everything!) and put the movie show on Sundays at 6. Sounds simple enough to me

That's a great suggestion and one that would make a lot more sense. The genre of the soul/ motown shows are better suited to the early saturday evening slot, which has an established audience and following. The movies show is definitely more suitable for Sunday listening. Although not sure how far you can run with it for, as it's incredibly repetitive already!

I've listened a lot and I think the Movie Show is much better listen at that time on a Saturday. I believe that this kind of music will appeal to a much wider audience at that time on a Saturday evening than the Motown show (which I think is much better suited to the Sunday timeslot).

Why isn't it a good show? Just because the music is a little more mainstream?

It's great that you're enjoying the movie show, you make some valid points and offer a different perspective to the debate, and I'm sure you're not alone in this.

Smooth Radio is a great station.

One thing which needs to be introduced is promoting the shows. When Smooth was owned by someone else they promoted Simon Bates Breakfast, maybe go back to that strapline or some promos in the shows?

It would seem that anybody who owns an iPod/mp3 player with a modest 1,000 tracks upon it, if they put it on shuffle and allowed it to play away would end up with a bigger playlist than Smooth Radio. My own iPod has 1,600 tracks on it, and if I were to shuffle them all it tells me that it would take me almost ONE WHOLE WEEK of playing a different song before a song repeated itself. So if I and many others can do this on our own personal music players then how come a major radio network comes over as so inferior in comparison regards it's song rotation and repetitiveness?

Also, regards "tight" presentation as it seems to be called on here, I fail to understand how such long time DJ's/broadcasters such as David Jensen, to name one, are not allowed a freer hand with all their experience, and allowed to fully be themselves and their own personalities on air. Listening to them on Smooth sounds like they are in the studio trussed up inside a straightjacket. Surely this isn't what broadcasting is meant to be about?

These conglomerates literally seem to suck the lifeblood and soul out of radio broadcasting it seems to me.

The trouble is the Dj's are not aloud to say anything any more some thete is no point advertising a show anymore. Also the 3 songs and a tones of adds is very annoying also. I hope this change in the future as its horrible.

...if you do you'll double their audience

the way it sounds now I would dump the lot and just have Mitchell Johnson on 24 hours a day in between the songs just like Smooth 70s, possibly keeping Simon on Breakfast.

Could prove to be very popular.. see Sky Radio in Holland which is non stop music 24/7, and quite similar to the Smooth/Magic music style.

I think the show has an excellent chance. Most people like the odd song from Motown (Or for that matter, The Beatles) but prefer a varied selection.

Now I know Smooth is running a Motown sequence on Sundays, but thats with soul from other labels mixed in.
Both shows will do better than what was there before in my view.

They continue to plug Simon Bates breakfast show, Pete Waterman and also now Tina Hobley's Sunday show quite regularly. It's the other more worthwhile and listenable to shows at the weekend that they need to promote more.

Worthwhile shows on Smooth finished the day Global ruined the station. Gagged presenters and repetitive music has ruined the station. All the good weekend shows are now history its such a shame.

Actually it's beginning to bed in. Fewer errors, better music flow and the presenters are getting used to delivering a warm welcome without spurious banter. New listeners and, I presume satisfied existing ones, are posting good comments on FB too.

[QUOTE;69357470]Worthwhile shows on Smooth finished the day Global ruined the station. Gagged presenters and repetitive music has ruined the station. All the good weekend shows are now history its such a shame.[/quote]

Did you not say previously, and I quote; that you had now stopped listening to Smooth? Change is like death and taxes, you may not like it, but its inevitable and you can't stop it! We may not relish all the changes, but maybe if you tried to listen with an open mind and ears you might find that some of the changes are ok. Nothing can stay the same forever.

I enjoy the Pete Waterman show on Saturday's, but during the week Absolute 80s it is (when I am near a DAB) They have a wider play-list on AB80s and they only have one decade to choose from.

Whoever dropped Jensen's Double Top 20 show should be shot. That was a very enjoyable show.

As I mentioned earlier, I listened a lot to the 'old' Smooth and still listen to the 'new' Smooth and I agree with your comments.

I too am liking many of the changes and the new voices/shows have also freshened things up.

The music is also sounding good to my ears. Just now I heard Lately by Stevie Wonder and Piano In The Dark by Brenda Russell. Two songs I immediately recognised without the presenter needing to 'educate' me.

I agree, even for all it's faults like not being live and making some horrendous mistakes, and being a lesser clone of PIck Of The Pops, but it was a far better listen between 6pm - 8pm on Sunday evening than what replaces it. Now I don't bother with Smooth at that time, or on Sunday at all. But Paul O'Grady has picked up the slack nicely with his return at that time over on Radio 2.

Think you may have been looking at the wrong FB page. I haven't seen any praise. Many are still complaining at the loss of Smooth 70's and no Smooth Xmas this year as well.
It's going to have to change a lot to get me back listening.

If they stivk with this plan and make more changes i'm willing to bet that in 12 to 18 months the audience will be higher than it was before.

Interesting that Smooth itself posted on FB


and someone posted

Looks like Magic have started a Magic Sparkle Gala concert in rival to Global's Jingle bell ball, smooth no longer seems to sponsor concerts after dropping new music?

It could be when the Bauer takeover of Absolute is confirmed by the CC we might see Abs 90s replaced by Magic Xmas on D1 to try and pickup the large number (700k?) of listeners who tuned into Smooth xmas, before Magic UK is launched?

No I think I'm looking at the same thing, just not as selectively as you. There are still plenty of disgruntled postings from those not liking the changes - more so during the week, predictably, however...

'Simply AWESOME selection of songs over the past hour ...
Love, love, love this radio station....What a brill afternoon,not 1 bad tune ...Listening to smooth whilst decorating the lounge and singing along to all the great tunes'

...is a flavour of the positive remarks for those not interested in checking the FB page and look at the number of Likes for some of the weekend items.

If magic xmas is one D1 I will have a listen. Also if magic came to D1 I would it rather be the north version as magic london is like the new smooth.