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Global Radio axes all regional/local breakfast shows

(February 2019)

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NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
See I have conflicted feelings about these national breakfast shows. Part of me thinks it's sad to see local radio shrinking, but part of me thinks it's beyond time there was national commercial competition to Radio 1 and Radio 2. I guess we can only wait and see whether they'll be a success for Global or simply alienate existing listeners.


There already was national commercial competition to Radio 1 and Radio 2 to an extent, in the form of Absolute and (to a lesser extent) Talk Sport and Classic FM. To be honest I've never liked the national breakfast shows that Radio 1, 2 and Virgin/Absolute were doing, I've always been drawn towards the local ones, but choice is getting limited in that regard.

I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before the Bauer network does the same thing and anything that vaguely resembles "local radio" will be left to the BBC stations. Local commercial radio has been pretty much scraping along on its knees for a long while, the days of them being more than copious amounts of back-to-back music machines are well gone.
JO
Jon
Quote:
After all Scott Mills was front runner for this gig at one point. He chose to stay with the BBC.

A few people on here and maybe on other forums thought he might get the gig not sure he was the front runner?

Personally I don’t think his style would fit a middle of the road commercial radio breakfast show. And I think if they were going to go for a change of male presenter Global would have gone for more of a telly name.
VM
VMPhil
See I have conflicted feelings about these national breakfast shows. Part of me thinks it's sad to see local radio shrinking, but part of me thinks it's beyond time there was national commercial competition to Radio 1 and Radio 2. I guess we can only wait and see whether they'll be a success for Global or simply alienate existing listeners.


There already was national commercial competition to Radio 1 and Radio 2 to an extent, in the form of Absolute and (to a lesser extent) Talk Sport and Classic FM. To be honest I've never liked the national breakfast shows that Radio 1, 2 and Virgin/Absolute were doing, I've always been drawn towards the local ones, but choice is getting limited in that regard.

Virgin/Absolute has always been stymied a bit by being a music station on AM though, launching at a time when the BBC had just moved over to FM stereo. They've often advertised new ways of listening to them on digital radio and over the internet.


A national Virgin Radio on FM during the Matthew Bannister era of Radio 1 and the Frances Line era of Radio 2, when the ‘Radio 1.5’ audience was being turned away by the BBC, would have been very interesting.
LL
London Lite Founding member
Jon posted:
Surely Heart’s core audience is women in their 30 and 40s they’ll be familiar with Jamie. Also it is continuity for their largest licence so that important chunk of the audience that should remain stable.


Global's corporate website has Heart's core audience of 25-44 at 42%.

However it has skewed towards bringing in the next generation of that audience in by skewing younger. This has been achieved by replacing the likes of Toby Anstis with the younger Pandora and Sian Welby, a former weather girl on Channel 5, along with the already mentioned scrapping of 80s music and the majority of 90s music, going for a core 00s and 10s playlist. A digital station, Heart 80s was launched to move those older listeners across.

So when you bring in the mother hen delivery of Amanda Holden and keeping Jamie Theakston, it goes against what they've been doing to the rest of the station.
BR
Brekkie
See I have conflicted feelings about these national breakfast shows. Part of me thinks it's sad to see local radio shrinking, but part of me thinks it's beyond time there was national commercial competition to Radio 1 and Radio 2. I guess we can only wait and see whether they'll be a success for Global or simply alienate existing listeners.

It wouldn't be so bad if they had to give over the morning slot to local DJs instead.

To be honest though I thought Heart might keep the local breakfast shows and network drivetime. Surely that keeps the costs at their lowest so Capital and Heart don't need a studio for both.

I bet the £3m she's getting paid is about the same as the combined salaries of the 40 local DJs getting axed anyway.
IS
Inspector Sands
To be honest though I thought Heart might keep the local breakfast shows and network drivetime. Surely that keeps the costs at their lowest so Capital and Heart don't need a studio for both.

But if they're both broadcasting locally at the same time the presumably there's a cost saving in only having the centre operational for a few hours rather than the whole day?
Quote:
I bet the £3m she's getting paid is about the same as the combined salaries of the 40 local DJs getting axed anyway.

They are saving on premises too as the reduction in local shows means that they've closed/sold several of their buildings

17 days later

KE
kernow
The radio industry listening figures were released today.

It was announced on the Breeze this morning that their weekly listening figures are up by 12,000, and Wave 105 also mentioned higher listening figures. I've also noticed other radio stations reporting higher listening figures online.

I expect the changes to breakfast shows on Heart and Capital will be a factor in this. It would be interesting to see what their figures are like.
Last edited by kernow on 16 May 2019 6:54pm
MA
Markymark
The radio industry listening figures were released today.
.......and Wave 105 also mentioned higher viewing figures.


Excellent, those Radio Text displays on RDS and DAB radios, are really catching on..
bilky asko and dvboy gave kudos
AN
Andrew Founding member
The radio industry listening figures were released today.

It was announced on the Breeze this morning that their weekly listening figures are up by 12,000, and Wave 105 also mentioned higher listening figures. I've also noticed other radio stations reporting higher listening figures online.

I expect the changes to breakfast shows on Heart and Capital will be a factor in this. It would be interesting to see what their figures are like.

These figures are Jan to March I believe, we won’t know until next time how the new Capital shows have done.
RI
Richard
Quote:
There were wipers that it was Stephen and Amanda who were going to host the show. Wonder if Stephen said no at the last minuet.

Considering the way Heart has being going lately I thought we would have competently different hosts. Not saying it will be bad but it might sound older than the current aim heart is going for. I'm stating to think Amanda will be there for a year to create a buzz and bring in the crowd then there will be a host change. After all Scott Mills was front runner for this gig at one point. He chose to stay with the BBC. Scott also covered Rylan show this weekend and on his instagram story said he loved being at Radio 2. I think Scott is itching to move to Radio 2 and decided to hold out for it.

Yes, Scott has been at Radio 1 for 21 years. He would probably fit in well at Radio 2. He’s the second longest serving presenter on Radio 1 after Annie Nightingale (who started in 1970 and is still on the station aged nearly 80).
SW
Steve Williams
Yes, Scott has been at Radio 1 for 21 years. He would probably fit in well at Radio 2. He’s the second longest serving presenter on Radio 1 after Annie Nightingale (who started in 1970 and is still on the station aged nearly 80).


Sorry to be an ATROCIOUS pedant, but he's actually the third longest serving, after Pete Tong who joined in 1991.

I think the only other Radio 1 presenter who was there in the nineties is Huw Stephens, but he was about ten years old when he started.
scottishtv and London Lite gave kudos
RI
Richard
Yes, Scott has been at Radio 1 for 21 years. He would probably fit in well at Radio 2. He’s the second longest serving presenter on Radio 1 after Annie Nightingale (who started in 1970 and is still on the station aged nearly 80).


Sorry to be an ATROCIOUS pedant, but he's actually the third longest serving, after Pete Tong who joined in 1991.

Happy to be corrected. I had a quick look through he schedules and didn’t see him so assumed he’d left.
Quote:

I think the only other Radio 1 presenter who was there in the nineties is Huw Stephens, but he was about ten years old when he started.

Yes, it was 1999 although I think that was only in Wales.

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