Global Radio axes all regional/local breakfast shows

I would argue the first sign of change was 30 years ago, and the abolition of needletime restrictions. Up until then stations had lots of airtime to fill and they couldn’t play unlimited ‘normal’ tracks. Stations like Capital and Beacon played ecclectic stuff, live recordings and imports not subject to NT. Suddenly overnight the stations could ( and did) pump out the Top 30 24/7.

We’ve actually been without original ILR for twice as long as we actually had it now !

There is absolutely no link to ITV, so I think we can scrap that bit.

It was always going to be on the cards with Global once Ofcom allowed National Breakfast shows on so called local stations.

If anything this has more of a effect to the BBC, as both Radio 1 and 2 will now be competing with national radio breakfast shows on FM, and in due course they will be recruiting big names to front those shows.

I can’t see it going down well in some areas, Adam and especially JoJo have been doing Capital Yorkshire Breakfast for years and the blend of Yorkshire humour is popular with listeners. I imagine the same applies in other areas.

And that's the crux of it. Commercial radio has always been at a disadvantage as they haven't been able to attract the big names in their prime or when they do, can only broadcast to the London area as Capital did in the 70s and 80s with the likes of Kenny Everett and Michael Aspel.

It evens out the playing field more equally between commercial operators and the BBC.

Now bring covered by BBC News:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47371616

The article includes the following link with specifics of the changes for each station on the ofcom website (no dates though):
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radio-broadcast-licensing/amend/format-changes-2019

As a local Heart breakfast listener, really sad news - I think I'll be jumping ship when the change occurs.

I used to be a regular listener to what was 2-Ten FM, but stopped listening once the rebrand to Heart occurred.

Since then I've always tried to only listen to proper regional stations.

Well apart from the BBC there won’t be any left.

There's plenty where I live (Hampshire), including Wave 105, The Breeze, Kennet Radio and Andover Radio.

It's been Ed and Gemma for two years.

Anyway, people who listen to Heart in the car on the way to work will still listen to Heart in the car on the way to work, regardless of who is presenting.

BBC Local Radio is often piss poor though.

I often think of an Ashens video from a few years ago, where he was reviewing some miniture FM radios and telling us what he could hear and when he got to Radio Norfolk he said something like "bloody hell, it's an old man ranting about the state of the BBC toilets", and I've always felt that sums up the state of BBC local radio.

Well there first two are Bauer so expect the same thing to happen to those two stations.

You sure it wasn’t North Norfolk Digital?

Bauer seem to be a bit more cautious with the rebranding so i would expect the names at least to stick around for a while. They've introduced Hits Radio in all but name to Free Radio and the other stations but held back on changing the name with the exception of Key 103 in Manchester. It does mean we have the silly situation where we now have two stations on DAB with different names playing the exact same playlists but I suppose this has been the case on FM in various areas for years.