Smooth Radio presenter history

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The presenter history of Smooth Radio includes many well-known British radio personalities who made their names on networks such as

100.4 Smooth FM, and gradually expanded to encompass a number of regional stations; these were subsumed into a UK-wide station
in 2010. The regional stations were reintroduced in 2014.

Several prominent broadcasters and disc jockeys have been recruited to the line-up. Current and former presenters on Smooth include

.

Pre-2010

Kevin Greening was a presenter on 102.2 Smooth Radio,[1] and had worked for its predecessor, 102.2 Smooth FM. Lynn Parsons joined 102.2 Smooth Radio along with Capital FM's Mike Allen in March 2007.[2][3] Mark Goodier also joined Smooth in London in March 2007 to present his first daily radio programme for a decade, which was networked from September of that year.[4] In September 2012 he announced he would leave Smooth in mid-December to focus on his company, Wise Buddah Productions.[5]

100.7 Heart FM—also presented on 105.7 Smooth Radio from 2008.[7] After joining 102.2 Smooth Radio in February 2008,[8] veteran broadcaster Tony Blackburn presented a syndicated weekend breakfast show for Smooth later that year.[9] He left the station in October 2010 to present Pick of the Pops on BBC Radio 2 because the BBC would not allow him to continue working for a rival broadcaster.[10] Fiona Phillips was signed to present a networked Sunday afternoon show from 23 March 2008,[11] but after disappointing audience figures she was dropped from the schedule a year later.[citation needed] Chris Tarrant joined the station in 2008 and presented a weekly Saturday morning show for several GMG stations to compete with Jonathan Ross's programme on Radio 2.[12] The show aired for twelve months, after which Tarrant's contract with GMG Radio was not renewed.[13] Former BBC Radio Scotland and Pebble Mill presenter Paul Coia was a Drivetime presenter on 102.2 Smooth Radio from December 2008, having previously been a stand-in presenter.[14][15]

UTV Media as director of programming.[20] In September 2009 record producer Pete Waterman was signed to present a programme featuring some of his favourite hits from the 1970s and 1980s.[21]

2010–2014

When GMG launched Smooth as a national station in 2010, Simon Bates left Classic FM after 13 years to join Smooth Radio as its new weekday breakfast presenter from January 2011.[22] Bates revived The Golden Hour and Our Tune, two popular features from his Radio 1 days.[23] David "Kid" Jensen was signed in November 2010 to present an afternoon show from 2011.[24] later confirmed to begin from April.[25] After going on to present Drivetime, he left the station in December 2013.[26]

Pat Sharp was appointed as Tony Blackburn's replacement in January 2011,[27] and after later becoming Smooth's afternoon presenter, departed along with Jensen in December 2013.[26] Emma B joined the network in March 2011 to host a Sunday afternoon show.[28] In January 2012 Graham Torrington joined the station to host his Late Night Love show on Sunday evenings,[29] but left after three months, and was replaced by a syndicated programme from the United States presented by Donny Osmond.[30] In October 2012 Smooth announced stand-in presenter David Prever would become a permanent host from December, taking over from Lynn Parsons at weekends, who was confirmed as Mark Goodier's replacement on the weekday mid morning show.[31] Daryl Denham joined the network in January 2013 to present the weekend breakfast show after an overhaul of the schedule saw Pat Sharp move to become the weekday afternoon presenter.[18] Denham left Smooth in January 2014.[32] From 10 March 2013, Kate Thornton presented The Boots Feel Good Forum, an eight-part series dedicated to health and fitness, which aired on Smooth and its sister station, Real Radio.[33] In August 2013, Andi Peters was signed up to present a Sunday lunchtime programme, after previously hosting a number of Bank Holiday specials for the station.[34] The programme was dropped as part of a schedule overhaul less than two months later.[19]

The station announced a major overhaul of its schedule following its relocation from Manchester to London in October 2013. The actress Tina Hobley was announced as a Sunday morning presenter.[35] Others to join the station were Paul Hollins to present Smooth Radio's Movie Songs and Smooth Soul Sunday, Gary King for a Sunday lunchtime show and David Andrews with a Soul and Motown show on Sunday evenings.[19] The changes also saw the departure of many well-known names, such as Andy Peebles and Andi Peters.[19]

In December 2013, it was announced that former

106.6 Smooth Radio—took over Sunday breakfast from January 2014 following Daryl Denham's departure.[32]

2014–present

Global Radio announced a relaunch of the Smooth Radio Brand in February 2014, taking effect from 3 March. This coincided with a return to some regional programming, and the departure of Simon Bates, Lynn Parsons, Carlos and David Prever.[37] New names joining the network included ex-GMTV presenter Andrew Castle, who would host the breakfast show in London, replacing Bates. Other changes included Kate Garraway taking over Parsons' mid-morning show, Paul Phear joining the network as an afternoon presenter and Heart Cambridge presenter Chris Skinner replacing Carlos in the evenings. Myleene Klass of Classic FM was also given a Saturday morning show on Smooth, replacing David Prever.[37]

Global announced that regional breakfast and drivetime shows would return from 24 March 2014, and a raft of presenters were hired to host the programmes. As well as Castle and Davis presenting breakfast and drivetime for

Free Radio and Charlie Jordan, previously a Smooth presenter in the West Midlands joined Smooth West Midlands.[38]

Changes continued throughout 2015, which included the axe of the Saturday and Sunday soul shows and several weekday shows were reduced from four to three hours a day. In May 2015, Paul Phear replaced Chris Skinner as presenter of the Saturday evening show The Great British Songbook, whilst Skinner replaced Phear as presenter of Sunday afternoons. The Great British Songbook was eventually dropped in October 2015 and replaced with the Saturday Sanctuary. Danny Pietroni of

Magic 105.4 FM
replaced Chris Skinner as presenter of the Weekday edition of The Smooth Sanctuary.

On Christmas' Eve 2017, Andrew Castle presented the last Great American Songbook. The show was reverted into Smooth Sanctuary from 2018. Castle left the station in March 2018 and Gary Vincent fulfilled the presenting duties of the Sunday Smooth Sanctuary. In February 2018, Russ Williams resigned from presenting the Smooth Breakfast Show and was replaced by Gary King.

On 2 September 2019, a new networked afternoon Drivetime show was introduced across all Smooth stations, hosted by

Magic. Weekday breakfast remained local to each FM station, mostly retaining existing presenters. Carlos moved from Smooth North West drive to the breakfast show on Heart 70s
.

One-off presenters

wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton for Smooth on 29 April 2011.[46] The astrologer Russell Grant joined the network to present a one-off programme on 27 August (Bank Holiday Monday) featuring some of his favourite songs from the 1960s.[47] The singer Michael Bublé presented a series of three shows over Christmas 2012.[48] Also over the 2012 holiday season Dionne Warwick hosted a programme in which she talked about her life in music, while Katherine Jenkins had a one-off special playing some of her favourite songs.[48]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Radio 2 – Presenters – Lynn Parsons". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Parsons and Allen join Smooth". Radio Today. 21 March 2007. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  4. ^ Plunkett, John (23 August 2007). "Goodier Smooth show will be networked". Media Guardian. The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Presenter Mark Goodier leaves Smooth Radio". Radio Today. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ^ Reynolds, Gillian (1 October 2010). "New national network makes a Smooth attack on Radio 2". The Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Tributes paid to presenter Dave Hickman". Radio Today. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
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  9. ^ "Tony Blackburn goes national". Radio Today. 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  10. ^ Plunkett, John (29 September 2010). "Radio 2 tells Tony Blackburn he must quit Smooth Radio show". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  11. ^ Dowell, Ben (11 March 2008). "GMTV's Fiona Phillips to host Smooth Radio show". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  12. ^ Sweney, Mark (30 June 2008). "Tarrant v Ross: let battle commence". London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  13. ^ "Tarrant covers Wright on Radio 2". Radio Today. 1 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Coia replaces Collins on Smooth". Radio Today. 21 November 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  15. ^ Plunkett, John (21 November 2008). "TV and radio presenter Paul Coia is to replace Martin Collins as the drivetime host of London's Smooth Radio". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  16. ^ Blackaby, Anna (29 March 2009). "Business – Business News – Creative industries – Andy Peebles to present Smooth Radio evening show". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
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  19. ^ a b c d "Andy Peebles' Soul Train transfers to Gold". Radio Today. 4 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
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