Global, the Media and Entertainment group, has announced new programming changes across Heart, Capital, and Smooth as part of its Nations Strategy.
Starting Monday, 24th February, JK & Kelly Brook, Will Manning, and Jenni Falconer will take on new networked shows across England, while dedicated drive-time shows will continue in Wales and Scotland.
- Heart Drive (England): JK & Kelly Brook will host Heart Drive from 4pm-7pm, Monday to Friday. Already available nationally on DAB, their show will now also air on FM across England.
- Capital Drivetime (England): Will Manning will present Capital Drivetime, airing Monday to Friday from 4pm-7pm. He will also continue hosting The EE Official Big Top 40 every Sunday from 4pm-7pm.
- Smooth Breakfast (England & Wales): Jenni Falconer will front a fully networked Smooth Breakfast across England and Wales, airing Monday to Friday from 6am-10am.
Scotland & Wales
Global remains committed to Scottish-led programming, enhancing presenter schedules on Capital and Heart, while Smooth Scotland’s Breakfast with John Mellis will continue broadcasting from Global’s Glasgow studios.
In Wales, Josh Andrews & Kally Davies will host a dedicated Capital Drive from Cardiff, while Jagger & Woody will continue to present Heart Drive across Wales.
Each national show will still feature local news, travel, and weather updates from Global’s UK-wide newsrooms.
Heart, Capital, and Smooth remain the UK’s top three commercial radio brands, with Heart alone attracting 12.99 million weekly listeners.
Ashley Tabor-King CBE, Founder & Executive President of Global, said:
“This marks an important step in our growth, with fully national drive shows for Heart and Capital in England, and a national Smooth Breakfast across England and Wales. Our Nations programming strategy focuses on delivering national brands with a local touch—providing top-tier content for both listeners and advertisers, while maintaining essential local elements like news, travel, and weather.”
Context & Implementation
These changes follow the introduction of the Media Act, which secures radio’s place on smart speakers and removes the legal requirement for locally-produced programming on regional licences—while ensuring locally relevant content remains.
The new schedules go live on Monday, 24th February.
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