Jazz FM Loses Veteran DJs In Transition To Smooth

Jazz FM has parted company with one of its most respected DJs, Paul Gambaccini, as the station prepares for a revamp and rebranding to adopt the Smooth FM brand across all of its FM and digital broadcasts.

The move, which was made possible by a relaxation of the station’s remit by Ofcom last year (see Jazz FM To Increase Advertiser Appeal With Mixed Playlists), will see Jazz FM morph into Smooth FM, adopting a much more varied playlist to broaden its appeal to listeners and advertisers alike.

Explaining the move last month, John Myers, chief executive of Jazz FM’s parent company GMG Radio, said: “We believe this station has enormous potential and will soon be among London’s top five commercial stations. As sorry as we are to say goodbye to JazzFM it’s a sad fact of life that it has never made a profit in its 15 years of existence.”

However, the departure of Gambaccini is not the only personnel change at the station, with long serving rock DJ, Nicky Horne, also heading for the door. More changes to the station’s presenter line-up are expected in the coming weeks, as schedules are altered to suit the station’s new output.

Gambaccini will leave Jazz FM by the end of the month, with Horne hanging up his headphones in April. The moves represent the latest in a slew of high-profile presenter resignations, with Chrysalis-owned Heart 106.2 dropping veteran breakfast host Jono Coleman in favour Jamie Theakston earlier this year (see Heart Ditches Coleman In Battle For London Supremacy).

Capital Radio also said goodbye to one of its most iconic presenters this year, with “Dr” Neil Fox stepping down from his Drive Time show on the company’s flagship Capital FM, handing the reigns to former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon, who will take over the show in the spring (see Capital Drops Fox As Bacon Takes Drive Time).

Jazz FM has seen its weekly reach fall significantly in recent months, with the station losing 23.2% of its audience year on year in the three months to December 2004. The re-branding exercise should boost GMG’s fortunes, as Smooth FM has performed admirably in the North West, adding 43.3% in the same period, a gain which the broadcaster will be eager to replicate in London.

The extension of Smooth’s brand into London should also result in a dramatic boost to its audience base. The station currently commands a weekly reach of 437,000, while Jazz FM, even in decline, has a weekly reach of 641,000.

Guardian Media Group: 020 7713 4452 www.gmgplc.co.uk

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