GMG must keep the jazz on Smooth

Ofcom has refused to drop its requirement that Smooth Radio play at least 45 hours of jazz per week.

Guardian Media Group Radio, which operates the London and North West station, had offered to start broadcasting Jazz FM on DAB in return for a change to Smooth's licence.

Smooth was required to meet the jazz minimum to protect diversity when it succeeded Jazz FM's analogue licence in the North West. Now GMG wants to introduce more of its other focus, easy listening.

The broadcaster claims to have the support of its target audience - older people - and interest groups such as Age Concern Cheshire.

"The overall view from these organisations and many listeners is that Smooth Radio is delivering the style of music and presentation which audiences enjoy and that it should be able to move with the times," said development director Jeff Stephenson. "This ostensibly means broadcasting more of what they enjoy rather than the current restriction to providing a minimum of 45 hours of jazz related music each week."

In it submission to the broadcasting regulator, GMG also reiterated its commitment to launching jazzfm.com on DAB in London and Greater Manchester, if the format change was allowed.

However, Ofcom's content board and radio licensing committee rejected the plan.

"Ofcom welcomes GMG’s desire to provide jazz services on DAB," said its ruling. "However, under existing legislation, Ofcom cannot link consideration of a change to analogue radio services to a proposed change to DAB services."

It continued: "Support for more easy listening at the stations - over and above the core offering - could not outweigh the effect of the removal of jazz in its entirety from the station, which had been retained by Ofcom in order to ensure some original specialist music remained on offer."

Jazz FM, now named jazzfm.com by GMG, has been an internet-only station since 2006.