GMG poaches Magic DJ Dene
Guardian Media Group (GMG) has poached Magic 105.4 DJ Graham Dene to host the breakfast show on its relaunched Smooth Radio station.
Dene will replace David Prever on the flagship show when Smooth relaunches on 26 March. The DJ has over 30 years of broadcasting experience, including stints at Capital Radio and Virgin Radio.
Dene’s arrival is part of a radical overhaul of the station, with a new presenter line-up set to be unveiled shortly. The station will adopt a new easy listening music policy, targeting mature London-based listeners.
The relaunch is part of a wider rebranding strategy by GMG. The media company is renaming its five Smooth FM and Saga Radio stations across the UK as Smooth Radio.
GMG purchased the Saga network, which consists of three stations in the Midlands and Glasgow, in December for an undisclosed sum. The purchase followed the £60 million capture of GCap Media’s two Century FM stations, in Manchester and Newcastle, two months earlier.
GMG hopes to capture the often-overlooked over 55s market with its new Smooth network. The company will be directly taking on the BBC, as the corporation has traditionally dominated the mature audience’s listening habits.
Gavin McCoy, programme controller at London’s Smooth Radio, said: “Graham’s a heritage presenter who’s in-tune with what Londoners in this market want to hear. We are looking forward to returning him to the breakfast airwaves where he belongs.
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