History
The station launched on 4 March 1990 as Jazz FM, playing mainly soul and jazz music. It was relaunched in June 2005 as 102.2 Smooth FM, playing middle of the road music, soul and R&B during the day and, as part of its licence requirements, focused on jazz music at night. On 20 October 2006, GMG Radio announced that it was requesting a change of format for 102.2 Smooth FM from Ofcom, moving the station away from its daytime soul and R&B remit which had, until that point, formed an integral part of the licence. GMG proposed an easy listening music service mixed with speech for the over 50s, coupled with an improved local news service. Ofcom approved the changes on 8 December 2006, with the condition that GMG retained the 45 hours of jazz per week that constituted part of the former licence requirement.
As a result of the format change, GMG agreed to adhere to a minimum of 20% of its music during daytime being over 40 years old, to distance the station from its London rivals Magic and Heart 106.2.
Paul Chantler was appointed by GMG to be full-time programme consultant to the station from 14 January 2008 for one year, working with the existing programming team to develop the sound of the station.
In March 2008, GMG requested a format change to remove the 45 hour jazz commitment it has in place for 102.2 Smooth Radio. Part of the plans included a relaunch of Jazz FM from the jazzfm.com service (at the time broadcasting on DAB in Glasgow and online) onto a DAB multiplex in London. In a meeting on 22 April 2008 Ofcom denied GMG's request to drop its jazz commitments. GMG, under licence to The Local Radio Company relaunched Jazz FM despite the decision.
On 6 October 2008 Smooth Radio was removed from the MXR Wales and West multiplex to allow for the relaunch of Jazz FM. Although initially, Real Radio was removed, Smooth Radio was removed and Real restored on the multiplex. It replaced Jazz FM in South Wales and returned to DAB.
On 29 June 2010, GMG announced that it wanted to turn Smooth Radio in to a National Station rivaling 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. Shows would be broadcast nationally, but a regional feel would be kept for each area with news, travel and weather bulletins being tailored for each area and broadcast on the FM and DAB frequencies. Listeners tuning nationally would hear national information. 105.2 Smooth Radio in Scotland would be the exception to this, keeping its Breakfast and Drivetime shows, but networking everything else.
The new service, Smooth Radio, was launched on Monday 4 October 2010. Most of the shows are broadcast from Salford Quays in Manchester, with other shows from London. This was made possible due to the Digital Economy Act which allows stations to co-locate or drop all local shows and broadcast on national DAB Radio. On 4 August 2010, it was announced that 102.2 Smooth Radio would air on the Digital 1 multiplex for the UK from the following day, 5 August, ready for the national service's October launch.
Read more about this topic: 102.2 Smooth Radio
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