The first National commercial radio station? Good luck to it and especially when my friend Simon Bates starts as the host of the Breakfast Show next year. Stolen from Classic FM for a vast salary, I shall be listening to him instead of Chris Evans on Radio Two and I suspect millions of others will too.

I listen to Classic FM and I am very glad he has left ! I found him to be very annoying these days. Yes he once was a decent DJ but whereas Tony Blackburn is just as good as he used to be I feel Simon Bates is very tired in the way that he presents. Just my opinion ! but I always switched off when he came on - and DJs like Mark Forest - Myleene - etc at Classic FM are far more suited to the relaxing nature of that station.

Good luck to him though and the idea of Smooth Radio is quite a good one with the aging hippie generations and Radio 2 being more for the 25 - 50 age group.

There are already a few national commercial radio stations. Classic FM for one, and Virgin 1215, (now branded Absolute) for another. But I accept Smooth will be the first nationwide pop FM station. Not sure I'll switch over to Simon Bates though. I actually like Chris Evans, and, at the moment, his listening figures are holding up at the same level as Wogan had. (After an initial hike up).

Any news on Richard Desmond starting a ToTP-type show on Channel 5?