After 15 years the plug was finally pulled on what must be the only commercial FM radio station in the UK to survive for so long without making a profit.
London’s 102.2 JAZZ FM closed down at midnight after many months of planning for a new service on the same frequency. The last song played was by Ella Fitzgerald (Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye) followed by audio clips of a 1khz tone and radio tuning fx, and a new countdown sequence kicking into life. The first song played after midnight was We’ve only just begun.
Programme Director Mark Walker hosted the final show, mentioning that the countdown to smooth fm will start on the FM frequency after midnight. Listeners on Sky Digital channel 917 will start to receive the former ejazz.fm service, renamed jazzfm.com. The freeview channel (88) will broadcast the same output as the London FM frequency.
102.2 smooth fm will launch on 7th June at 10am. The new station will offer a broad mix of familiar soul and r ?n? b music during the day, while remaining committed to broadcasting 45 hours of specialist programming, including jazz, each week.
You can listen to the closedown sequency by clicking here. (Registration at JingleMad.com required)