Bauer rebranding 53 stations to The Hits/Greatest Hits

A local breakfast show for GHR would seem the logical move. Allows Rossie to continue broadcasting to the area he’s known & everywhere else gets a better fit. But I wonder if studio spares stops this?

Hits network stations are local at breakfast & I can imagine GHR use the same studios in the afternoon in locations where both are present?

He did three weeks. That was 21 ½ years ago. Doesn't feel like that!

That can't be right. Your maths has to be wrong. I hope....
I'm sure if he didn't want the early starts in 1993 when he came off the breakfast show, and only did it as a favour in 1997, then 21 1/2 years later I can't see why he would have changed his mind no matter how much Bauer offered.

Rossie presents from St. John's Beacon in Liverpool (Radio City Tower) which negates the studio requirements at Bauer Manchester.

GHR Has it's own Studio in Liverpool so it is used between Rossie and Rick for the current evening show. Plus they had one for Radio City Talk so think there is a few spare for production etc.

Yes, sorry it was 1997 and Chris Evans’ last show was 31st January 1997 so it was 24 years ago! Three weeks to hold the fort before Mark and Lard took over.

Is this the first time one of the big, ex-ILR networks (Heart, Greatest Hits etc) has scheduled the mandatory regional show outside of breakfast or drive slots? I can't think of any others off-hand.

Can't say for certain, but it's the first time I can recall.

Yeah, without a doubt. As they all had to do Breakfast as part of the hours until mid 2019.

Then Heart/Capital went to local Drive, with Smooth local Breakfast. Bauer have done local Drive on GHR & Breakfast on most Hits Networked stations.

In other news...

Some radio news:

Bauer has asked Ofcom if it can change Absolute Radio in London to "Greatest Hits Radio", playing music from 70s-90s. There's no a consultation.

So ... Virgin Radio > Absolute Radio > Greatest Hits Radio?

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) February 10, 2021

That's Absolute on 105.8FM only (the old Virgin London FM frequency that Branson fought for)
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/02/bauer-plans-to-replace-absolute-radio-in-london-with-ghr/

Oddly enough after the recent news about Simon Mayo moving to GHR I was thinking about how it's odd how a lot of the rest of the country will get him back on FM, but not London. The same with the Hits network - Bauers other big brands Kiss, Magic and Absolute are there, but not Hits and GHR. Presumably its a lot more difficult to market to ad sales, other stations in the past have had issues with no or poor coverage in London.


It makes sense and its the same as happened in the West Midlands where GHR replaced Absolute on FM when it launched (which was effectively by swapping formats with Free 80s). However i do wonder how a fairly northern-based station will go down in London, Simon Mayo will help that but I can't see their Breakfast presenter getting a big following.

Presumably they won't need local programme opt outs for London as that frequency hasn't had any for many years. I assume it still has local news and travel and will keep those like the West Mids one did

As Ofcom says, it doesn't narrow the choice of listening... however it doesn't broaden it either