R2OK!

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Global Radio Group has decided to "rebrand" 29 local commercial radio stations as Heart, reducing the local input to just breakfast and drivetime and homogenising the rest.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/16/globalradio.commercialradio

The list of those affected - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/16/globalradio.commercialradio1

I can't complain myself - it's a long time since I tuned in to my local (which will survive, for the moment), in fact not since they dopped the evening and Sunday specialist music elements, but it is handy to know that it's there for instant local news of major significance - the earthquake earlier this year, for instance, or last year's flooding. Many parts of the country will now have to do without such a local facility.
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Ron

Lord Evan Elpuss · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3415 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land

I wonder if these stations can still be called 'Local'. It sounds like Virgin (or whatever it's now called) will be their nearest rival rather than the BBC. I think they will have to be more flexible with the music played if they're to compete with the BBC.
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Lord Evan Elpuss, Your ideal job is a Lumberjack.