Beloved radio station is AXED after 21 years as host reveals he 'didn't even get to say goodbye' before being taken off-air

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

One of the UK's most beloved radio stations has been axed after 21 years, with one of its hosts revealing he 'didn't even get to say goodbye' to listeners.
Time 107.5FM, which began operating in 2004 and broadcast to the east London and west Essex area, ceased broadcasting earlier this month after being taken over Nation Broadcasting, and has since been rebranded as Nation Radio London.
It's thought that the new station will not have the same focus on the Havering area where Time was based, with plans for its replacement to appeal to a wider audience across London.
The news came as a shock to both listeners and its presenting team, with Neil Andrews, who hosted the breakfast show for 18 years, learning his show had been axed after he'd presented his final show.
Speaking to The Romford Recorder, Neil revealed he was robbed of a farewell to his listeners, with the station 'abruptly' halting broadcast just hours after he finished hosting his show.
He told the publication: 'Nobody had any idea it was happening.
'I finished my breakfast show at 10am on August 1, came off air and was told that was it – it's over and the programmes were coming to an end at 2pm that afternoon. It was as abrupt as that.
'What hurt me more than anything else was that I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I've worked in radio for almost 30 years and I know everything comes to an end.'
'But it would have been nice to have said goodbye to the loyal listeners who rung us up on a daily basis.'
Neil added that all of Time's presenting team were freelancers, and so were never direct staff of the station's former owners Lyca Media II Ltd.
He claimed that the station was 'shockingly run' by the company before the takeover by Nation Broadcasting.
Since the axe, many of Time's presenting team have joined forces to launch a new independant radio station, All Hit Radio.
The rebrand sparked concern from both Time fans, and Romford-based MP Andrew Rosindell, who has written to Ofcom to express his concerns that local content has been 'significantly reduced' since the takeover.
He said: 'Its locally produced content and community-focused broadcasting has been an essential part of its public value for many years.
'The station now primarily broadcasts networked content from other Nation broadcasting outlets.'
Lyca chief executive Raj Badhan previously said: 'Whilst we continue investing in our south Asian radio stations, our time as owners of 107.5 is ending.
'We wish the station's employees and clients well as it becomes part of the Nation Broadcasting Group.'
Nation Broadcasting were previously asked if local programming would remain after the takeover but they did not answer.
Its founder Jason Bryant said: 'London is an increasingly important market for Nation and holds significant growth potential.
'The ability to launch Nation Radio on FM to a large part of the capital alongside DAB, presents an attractive opportunity to increase the reach of the station and to market our wider range of services, including the Nation Player app, to London.'
Daily Mail has contacted Nation Broadcasting and Lyca Media II Ltd for comment.