Farewell Stray FM here is Greatest Hits Radio as it launches in Harrogate

Last Friday saw the team of presenters Nick Hancock and WIll Smith, as well as managing director Sarah Barry, say farewell to listeners at Stray FM.

Will Smith even posted a video on his Twitter page in which he described having to call it a day on the station "tougher than imagined."

After all the controversy and complaints in Harrogate in the run-up to the demise of the Stray FM name, the freshly-rebranded Greatest Hits Radiois here and its owners Bauer Media Group pledge to bring "highly-engaging radio for listeners and a scaled and deeply-engaged audience for advertisers."

The new format promises an upbeat classic hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s - the most popular music format in the UK - will be complemented by a team of loved and trusted broadcasters.

The style of presentation, the passion for great music and the delight that the likes of Simon Mayo, Mark Goodier, Janice Long, Paul Gambaccini, and Pat Sharp take in creating great radio moments is designed to bring the personality of the Greatest Hits Radio brand to life.

Graham Bryce, Group Managing Director, Hits Radio Brand Network, said: “We are excited about the role for Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales in giving local communities and listeners the music, content and local connections we know they value highly, as well as a platform for a future of digital listening."

We are committed to retaining our local relationships and look forward to engaging closely with local listeners, businesses and charitable organisations as we launch our airtime initiatives.”

Listeners to Greatest Hits Radio (Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales) will be served news bulletins carrying locally gathered stories, local traffic bulletins and local information to reflect the interests of each market. For local advertisers, the move will provide significant scale and a broader range of advertising opportunities.

Greatest Hits Radio will kick off with a Top 500 countdown of the country’s most popular songs, ahead of new local content programmes to run over the autumn:

‘Cities of Sound’ – A weekly documentary series celebrating the musical heritage of towns, cities and regions across the UK, including Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales

‘Loving Life Round Here’ – highlighting the best voices, music, culture, local beauty and business of Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales

The station will be launched alongside a major marketing campaign across TV, print media, radio and digital and social platforms. Central to the campaign is the idea of ‘music bringing good times’ to our lives.

It will feature some of Greatest Hits Radio’s favourite artists, including David Bowie, Tina Turner, Madonna, Queen and Bob Marley.

Greatest Hits Radio is opening applications today for its ‘Getting You Back to Work’ campaign to promote local job opportunities, both on-air and online. Local employers are encouraged to submit vacancies for inclusion, allowing them to reach a wide audience of local job-seekers free of charge.

Job vacancy bulletins will be broadcast four times a day to local audiences and will be promoted on the Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales website.

Employers looking to participate in the scheme should email [email protected] for more information on how to apply.

As part of the relaunch, applications are also now open for local charities, workers, and businesses in the region to benefit from a package of local initiatives to support communities as they tackle Covid-19.

Harrogate and Yorkshire Dales charities, hospices and other not-for-profit community organisations can apply for free advertising airtime to help them rebuild their fundraising base post-lockdown.

Sales teams are expected to reach out to organisations directly and can also be contacted at the station directly via [email protected].

Sad farewell to Stray FM's Nick Hancock as era comes to an end for Harrogate's radio station

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