Smooth Glasgow

Smooth Glasgow
Slogan Your Relaxing Music Mix
Frequency 105.2 MHz
First air date 26 March 2007
Format 35 - 55
Audience share 5.9% (September 2013, )
Transmitter coordinates 55°51′42″N 3°52′21″W / 55.8618°N 3.8725°W / 55.8618; -3.8725Coordinates: 55°51′42″N 3°52′21″W / 55.8618°N 3.8725°W / 55.8618; -3.8725
Owner Global Radio
Sister stations Smooth East Midlands
Smooth London
Smooth North East
Smooth North West
Smooth West Midlands

Smooth Glasgow is a Scottish independent local radio station broadcasting to Glasgow and the surrounding area, owned and operated by Global Radio and broadcasting from studios at Baillieston in the East End of Glasgow. The station replaced Saga 105.2 FM in 2007 and competes with BBC Radio 2, aiming its music at listeners aged 35 and over. Smooth Glasgow is part of the Smooth radio network.

As well as being carried on FM in the Glasgow area, the station is also broadcast on DAB radio to the East of Scotland and online via a streaming service. It is also carried on FM in Wester Ross during non-local broadcast hours of Two Lochs Radio for which it forms a sustaining service.

Overview

GMG Radio ownership

The station came into being following GMG Radio's purchase of the Saga Radio Group in December 2006, and the granting of permission from the regulator Ofcom to change the format of its Smooth FM stations in London and the North West of England. The decision was made to change both the Smooth FM and Saga stations to Smooth Radio and Saga 105.2 FM was closed at 6pm on Friday 23 March 2007. This was then followed by a preview weekend for the new Smooth Radio giving listeners the opportunity to hear the presenters and music which would be featured on the new station.

The station operated a 24-hour schedule of local programming until August 2008 when networked output from London and Manchester was introduced, leading to the sackings of six station presenters.[1]

Following the publication of John Myers' recommendations of a regulatory overhaul in commercial radio, and the passing of the 2010 Digital Economy Act, which allowed stations to co-locate or drop all local shows and broadcast on national DAB, Smooth Radio merged its five England-based stations into one quasi-national station, with local news feeds produced from GMG Radio's headquarters in Salford Quays.[2] GMG made the announcement on 29 June 2010, that it wanted to rival BBC Radio 2 by broadcasting on the Digital 1 multiplex on DAB Digital Radio to the whole of England and Wales, as well as Sky, Freesat, Freeview, Virgin Media and online. A regional flavour would be kept with split news, travel and weather bulletins broadcasting in the FM and DAB regional stations in the North East, North West, West Midlands and East Midlands. London listeners and those tuning nationally would hear national information.

In Scotland, Smooth Glasgow continued to retain some of its local output, but networked evening and overnight shows, as well as some daytime programming. Currently, the weekday breakfast and drivetime shows together with two weekend shows are produced locally from Glasgow, while news and traffic bulletins are also produced locally.

Global Radio ownership

Smooth Radio's output was relocated to new owner Global Radio's Leicester Square headquarters from 1 October 2013, a move that coincided with a major overhaul of its schedule, and the closure of Smooth 70s after 21 months on air.[3][4]

Station format

Smooth Glasgow plays adult contemporary music, aimed at listeners aged 35 and over. It bears very few similarities to its predecessor. Though some of the presenters who worked on Saga 105.2 FM initially hosted shows on 105.2 Smooth Radio, none of the specialist shows from the Saga days have survived, and Smooth's initial slogan Your Life, Your Music, which was used on Saga stations, was then modified to Love Life, Love Music. On 1 March 2014 a new slogan Your Relaxing Music Mix was introduced.

Programming

Local programming is produced and broadcast from Smooth's Glasgow studios from 6-10am and 4-8pm on weekdays and 2-6pm at weekends. All networked programming originates from Global Radio's London headquarters.

The station's regional presenters are John McCauley (Smooth Breakfast), John Mellis (Smooth Drive Home), Jenny Farish (Sundays) and John Darroch (Saturdays).[5]

News

Smooth Glasgow broadcasts hourly regional news bulletins from 6am-7pm on weekdays and 6am-12pm at weekends. The Glasgow newsroom also produces bulletins for Heart Scotland and Capital Scotland .

National news updates air hourly from Global's London headquarters at all other times.

References

  1. ↑ Churchill, Carolyn (9 August 2008). "Criticism for radio station that axed Scots DJs". Glasgow Herald. Newsquest Media Ltd. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  2. ↑ Plunkett, John (29 June 2010). "Smooth Radio to merge regional stations, with loss of up to 60 jobs". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  3. ↑ "Global welcomes Smooth Radio to London HQ". Radio Today. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Smooth Radio 70s to close after 21 months". Radio Today. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  5. ↑ Smooth Radio - Glasgow presenters
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