102.2 Smooth FM
Encyclopedia
102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio
station for Greater London
. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM
on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar
and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg
. The first track played, keeping with the name of the newly launched radio station was Sade Adu's
"Smooth Operator
", and was owned by the radio division of the Guardian Media Group
, GMG Radio
. Following disappointing audience figures, the station was closed on the 23 March 2007 and relaunched as 102.2 Smooth Radio
the following Monday, following a successful format change request to Ofcom
to play music oriented at listeners aged 50 and above.
102.2 Smooth FM was available on DAB
across London, Central Scotland, the North East of England, South Wales and the Severn Estuary, Yorkshire and the West Midlands, as well as on Freeview channel 718.
made the decision to drop the jazz name from the Jazz FM brand and relaunch the station as Smooth FM. The London version of Jazz FM closed on the 27 May 2005 to prepare for the launch of Smooth FM on the 7 June.
and R&B
during the day and, as part of its licence requirements, focused on jazz
music at night. Smooth FM also played specialist jazz
and soul
shows at weekends, details of which are listed below.
The station was launched on the premise of a 'clutter-free' listen, offering 40 minutes of non-stop music every hour without commercial interruptions, deliberately posed as a direct challenge to the 'might' of the BBC
and a tactic aimed at increasing the total number of hours listeners stayed with the station. The 'Smooth 40' later became the '9-5 Smooth 40', with off-peak shows introducing more commercial breaks into their output, before the concept was dropped altogether in mid-2006.
Weekday programming featured an 'all-request' feature entitled 'Smooth On Demand' at 2 pm and 7 pm, Monday to Friday, where listeners were invited to 'demand' their favourite song by calling a local-rate phone number.
Smooth FM also ran a number of 'big money' promotions to entice listeners to trial the station - the 'Smooth £10K Tripleplay' ran for several weeks in late 2005, giving £10,000 to a listener for correctly identifying three consecutive songs in a particular order. Another large prize was awarded to Dawn Muggleton on the 19 April 2006, however - who correctly identified the 'Smooth Secret Song' (Diana Ross
' My Old Piano), winning £118,454 at the end of a contest that had run for several months, which was, at that time, the biggest cash prize awarded on UK radio since 1999.
The station also held exclusive live commentary rights for Chelsea FC soccer matches in London for the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. Commentary was provided by Gary Taphouse
and Kerry Dixon
.
The station's jingle package was produced by Bespoke, and voiced by Mitch Johnson
.
Smooth FM trailed the forthcoming changes from the beginning of March 2007, promising 'more of London's smooth favourites mixed with the best songs from the past five decades'. The station closed at 6:02pm on Friday 23 March 2007 with newsreader Sam Gudger uttering the final words - "that was Smooth FM" - followed by a weekend of preview music, before the station's replacement, 102.2 Smooth Radio
, launched on Monday 26 March.
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station for Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM was a local jazz and soul music station for London run by GMG Radio. The station was based and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London to around 15.5 million people within the broadcasting area...
on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar
Lemar
Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg
Jon Scragg is a radio presenter who has spent most of his career working on radio stations in the south of England. After a spell with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Scragg joined Essex Radio in September 1981 as part of its launch team, and was the first voice heard on the station...
. The first track played, keeping with the name of the newly launched radio station was Sade Adu's
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
"Smooth Operator
Smooth Operator
"Smooth Operator" is a song by the English group Sade, released as the fourth and final single from their debut album Diamond Life . It was released as a 7" single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12" maxi single with "Smooth Operator" and "Red Eye" on side A and "Spirit" on side B...
", and was owned by the radio division of the Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
, GMG Radio
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
. Following disappointing audience figures, the station was closed on the 23 March 2007 and relaunched as 102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the Greater London area, which replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007, launched by Gavin McCoy with Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born"...
the following Monday, following a successful format change request to Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
to play music oriented at listeners aged 50 and above.
102.2 Smooth FM was available on DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
across London, Central Scotland, the North East of England, South Wales and the Severn Estuary, Yorkshire and the West Midlands, as well as on Freeview channel 718.
Origins
In 2005, the Guardian Media GroupGuardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
made the decision to drop the jazz name from the Jazz FM brand and relaunch the station as Smooth FM. The London version of Jazz FM closed on the 27 May 2005 to prepare for the launch of Smooth FM on the 7 June.
On-Air
102.2 Smooth FM played middle of the road music, soulSoul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
during the day and, as part of its licence requirements, focused on jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music at night. Smooth FM also played specialist jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
shows at weekends, details of which are listed below.
The station was launched on the premise of a 'clutter-free' listen, offering 40 minutes of non-stop music every hour without commercial interruptions, deliberately posed as a direct challenge to the 'might' of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and a tactic aimed at increasing the total number of hours listeners stayed with the station. The 'Smooth 40' later became the '9-5 Smooth 40', with off-peak shows introducing more commercial breaks into their output, before the concept was dropped altogether in mid-2006.
Weekday programming featured an 'all-request' feature entitled 'Smooth On Demand' at 2 pm and 7 pm, Monday to Friday, where listeners were invited to 'demand' their favourite song by calling a local-rate phone number.
Smooth FM also ran a number of 'big money' promotions to entice listeners to trial the station - the 'Smooth £10K Tripleplay' ran for several weeks in late 2005, giving £10,000 to a listener for correctly identifying three consecutive songs in a particular order. Another large prize was awarded to Dawn Muggleton on the 19 April 2006, however - who correctly identified the 'Smooth Secret Song' (Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
' My Old Piano), winning £118,454 at the end of a contest that had run for several months, which was, at that time, the biggest cash prize awarded on UK radio since 1999.
The station also held exclusive live commentary rights for Chelsea FC soccer matches in London for the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. Commentary was provided by Gary Taphouse
Gary Taphouse
Gary Taphouse is a football commentator on TV and radio from Surrey, England. He mainly works for Sky Sports and Trans World International.He commentates on Barclays Premier League matches for Sky Sports' Football First programme most weekends during the football season and also covers World Cup...
and Kerry Dixon
Kerry Dixon
Kerry Michael Dixon is a retired English professional footballer who played most notably for Chelsea and England.-Early years:...
.
The station's jingle package was produced by Bespoke, and voiced by Mitch Johnson
Mitch Johnson (announcer)
Mitch Johnson is a British television announcer, voiceover artist and radio presenter.Johnson joined Live & Kicking at the start of series 3 as the voice-over man who lived in the cupboard and was never seen on air. His voice was already well known with listeners to Virgin Radio where he presented...
.
Presenters
102.2 Smooth FM's presenters included:- Mike AllenMike Allen (broadcaster)Mike Allen is a British radio presenter, who was last on the air hosting an evening show on 102.2 Smooth Radio in London. He left in December 2008....
- Dave BrownDave Brown (broadcaster)Dave Brown, better known as "Brownie", is an RnB soul and funk disc jockey on Solar Radio Mon - Fri between 1 and 4 p.m. BST on Sky 0129 www.solarradio.com, who started his broadcasting career in the early 1980s for BBC Radio Medway presenting the Mid-Morning Talk & Music Show 9 -11am Monday to...
- Campbell BurnapCampbell BurnapCampbell Crichton Mackinnon Burnap was a British jazz trombonist, vocalist and broadcaster....
- Mike Chadwick
- Jim ColvinJim ColvinJames Reginald Colvin is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Houston and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1960 NFL Draft....
- Jenni Costello
- Kevin GreeningKevin GreeningKevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:...
- Rosie Kendrick
- Dave KozDave KozDave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
- Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
- Gavin McCoyGavin McCoyGavin McCoy Broadcaster born and educated Oxford, UK.-Biography:McCoy entered radio in the 1970s at BBC Radio Oxford whilst a student. Moving from there to Beacon Radio 303, and The Voice Of Peace in Israel. He later became a journalist-reporter at Radio 210 in Reading, Berkshire...
- Howard PearceHoward PearceHis Excellency Howard John Stredder Pearce, CVO was Governor of the Falkland Islands and Civil Commissioner of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands until July 2006. He assumed both positions on 3 December 2002. Before his appointment, Pearce was High Commissioner to Malta from 1999 to 2002...
- Russell PockettRussell PockettRussell Pockett is a radio presenter who has spent the majority of his career working for stations in the south of England.Russell was heard on Radio Mercury from 1984 to 1997, later moving to Thames 107.8 as their weekday mid-morning presenter, also appearing on Star 106.6 in Slough...
- David Prever
- Jon ScraggJon ScraggJon Scragg is a radio presenter who has spent most of his career working on radio stations in the south of England. After a spell with the British Forces Broadcasting Service, Scragg joined Essex Radio in September 1981 as part of its launch team, and was the first voice heard on the station...
- Mark Walker
- Sarah Ward
- Nigel WilliamsNigel Williams (broadcaster)Nigel Williams, sometimes known as NJ Williams is British broadcaster and voice over artist.-Biography:After leaving the University of Surrey in 1983, he began his radio career at County Sound in Guildford....
- Paul Wisdom
- Peter Young
Specialist Shows Broadcast on 102.2 Smooth FM
- Motown Sunday: Four hours of Motown classics, initially hosted by programme director Mark Walker and later by Dave Brown.
- Legends of JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
with Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
: A show which featured classic jazz recordings from major and influential jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
artists. - Mainstem with Campbell Burnap: A two hour programme which included many forms of jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
from classic to Latin as well as a mix of jazz from the younger players of the day. - Peter Young: Three hours of funkFunkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, soulSoul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music. - Smooth Selection: A selection of mellow jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
through the evening, first presented by Sarah Ward, later by Mark Walker and finally by Dave Brown. - Smooth Edge: Four hours of soul musicSoul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
on in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning. - The Dave KozDave KozDave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
Radio Show: The jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonistSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
presented a two hour syndicated radio show on Sunday nights featuring the latest tracks in the world of smooth jazzSmooth jazzSmooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, alongside interviews with well known smooth jazz artists. - The Late Lounge with Rosie Kendrick: A two hour show featuring chillout grooves and jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. - The Saturday Night Experience: Broadcast on Saturday evenings from 9pm and presented by Mike Chadwick, the show specialised in music with a distinct cutting edge.
Rebrand
On 20 October 2006, GMG Radio announced that it was requesting a change of format for Smooth FM from Ofcom, moving the station away from its daytime soul and R&B remit, instead offering easy listening music and speech for the over 50's and 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.Smooth FM trailed the forthcoming changes from the beginning of March 2007, promising 'more of London's smooth favourites mixed with the best songs from the past five decades'. The station closed at 6:02pm on Friday 23 March 2007 with newsreader Sam Gudger uttering the final words - "that was Smooth FM" - followed by a weekend of preview music, before the station's replacement, 102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio
102.2 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the Greater London area, which replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007, launched by Gavin McCoy with Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born"...
, launched on Monday 26 March.
External links
- Official website (now redirects to Smooth Radio)
- Press Release about the rebrand
- GMG Radio article about the launch of 102.2 Smooth FM