Bauer are changing their second tier of stations, by launching Greatest Hits Radio. The existing ‘Greatest Hits Network’ will lose local names in England, adopting the Greatest Hits Radio brand name. Scottish stations are to retain their local names.
The service will take over the 105.2 FM frequency from Absolute Radio, and will also take over the Coventry MW frequency of Free Radio 80s (which is presumably going to close or go digital only).
The service will also mirror Hits Radio’s DAB transmission area. It is expected that a station will have to leave the Northern Ireland DAB multiplex to make way for Greatest Hits Radio to launch in Northern Ireland.
The new services will feature no locally produced programming except for 3 hours a day on the Radio City 2 and West Midlands FM frequencies, and with only minimal local news coverage on the FM and MW frequencies.