GMG Radio

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GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Leeds. John Myers is the Chief Executive Officer. John Simons is the group's programme director. It owns several stations across the United Kingdom:

Real Radio
Smooth FM
- Smooth FM 100.4
- 102.2 Smooth FM
Century FM
- 100-102 Century FM (North East)
- 105.4 Century FM (North West)
- Century Digital
Saga Radio
- Saga 105.2 FM, Glasgow
- Saga 105.7 FM
- Saga 106.6 FM
- 97.5fm Saga North East (Not launched)
96.3 Rock Radio (Renfrewshire, Scotland - Formally Q96)

On July 12, 2004, GMG Radio launched ejazz.fm, a dedicated jazz website.

In January 2005 it launched a service, named Hear It Buy It Burn It, to permit users to legally download music from its station's websites.

In February 2005, Myers announced that they have scrapped plans to launch Channel M Radio, a 24-hour news and talk station for Manchester due to commercial viability issues.

In March 2005, the Guardian Media Group rejected a £115 million bid from the Chrysalis Group for the GMG Radio division. [1]

In June 2005 London station 102.2 Jazz FM was rebranded to 102.2 Smooth FM after disappointing RAJAR figures. At the same time, ejazz.fm was renamed to jazzfm.com and appeared on DAB in Yorkshire, South Wales and the Severn Estuary and on Sky Digital.

On October 18, 2006, it was announced that GMG Radio had bought the two Century branded stations from Gcap Media [2]. The Century brand was originally launched by Myers and Simons in North East England in 1994 , whilst they were at Border Television.

On December 18, 2006, it was announced that GMG Radio had bought the four Saga Radio branded stations[3]. It's GMG intention to rebrand the Saga stations in March 2007 to Smooth Radio. The current Smooth FM stations will also become Smooth Radio [4].

GMG's radio division now includes 12 large commercial FM stations in the UK including Smooth FM in London and the north-west, 96.3 Rock Radio in Scotland and Jazzfm.com