Global is to end all local and regional shows on Heart, Smooth and Capital brands in England, adopting a new Nations Strategy.
Output will continue on a national level in Scotland and Wales.
The move has been made possible following the introduction of the Media Act late last year, meaning the current regional breakfast shows on Smooth, plus drive shows on Capital and Heart, will end.
All of the output for Capital, Heart and Smooth stations in England, including those owned by Communicorp, will be broadcast from London.
In Wales, Capital North and Capital South will combine to have one national show, with Heart South and Heart North also doing the same, with just a single studio in south Wales being retained.
In addition, XS Manchester will be rebranded to Radio X 90s.
Many presentation and programming jobs will be lost, and regional offices/studios will close across England. Global is not disclosing any details externally, but in a request for further information, Global told RadioToday: “We are indeed making some changes today and we will announce more details in due course.”
There are currently around 20 radio programmes operated on a regional basis in England across the Heart, Smooth and Capital brands.
RadioToday understands the on-air changes will be made on February 24th 2025, and more details will be released prior to this date.
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