R2OK!

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

London's Smooth Radio has poached Graham Dene from rival Magic 105.4 to be its new breakfast presenter.

Dene, who is currently the drivetime host of Emap's Magic, will replace David Prever on Smooth, owned by GMG Radio.

Radio veteran Dene's appointment is the first of a number of expected changes to the Smooth schedule.

The station will relaunch next month as part of a nationwide revamp of GMG Radio's Saga and Smooth networks.

Dene has been broadcasting in London for more than 30 years, more than 10 of those on breakfast at Capital, with six years at Virgin Radio.

Prever will leave the London station when his contract runs out at the end of next month.

The Smooth breakfast show lost one-third of its listeners last year, according to the latest Rajar figures.

It had 200,000 listeners, down from 301,000 listeners in the final three months of 2005, putting it in 11th place in the London market behind BBC London's JoAnne Good in 10th. The top-rating show, Heart's Jamie Theakston, had 948,000.

Gavin McCoy, the programme controller of Smooth in London, said Dene was a "heritage presenter who's in tune with what Londoners in this market want to hear".

Dene said he could not turn down a "great opportunity to rekindle my relationship with London's breakfast audience". His contract with Magic runs until the autumn and he is in negotiations with the station about an earlier leaving date.

Smooth will relaunch on March 26 with a new music policy, featuring more easy listening and less soul music, targeting a more mature audience or "lama" - "loaded and mature adult".

GMG Radio is part of the Guardian Media Group, which publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk.

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He was on Capital breakfast for many years. Part of the fixtures and fittings of London sound.

gfloyd · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:42 pm Post subject:

Funny how this guy can work on Virgin, Magic & Smooth and poor only Dickie Allinson cant get a job on any London station.
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Richard has a daily show on BFBS Radio 2-he choose this over other offers.