Pete & Geoff Step Down From Virgin Breakfast

Virgin radio has confirmed that high-profile breakfast hosts, Pete Mitchell and Geoff Lloyd, will leave the morning slot at the end of the year, although the pair will remain with the station, possibly presenting an afternoon or drive-time show.

A spokesman for the indie music station explained: “They are very much remaining part of the station. It has not been decided where they are going yet, but they have been successful in the evening before, and with drivetime, so that’s a possibility, but I don’t think even the programme controller knows where they will go yet!”

Virgin’s breakfast show is one of the station’s most successful slots, with Pete and Geoff increasing their audience by 17% quarter on quarter in London during the three months to March. The show currently commands a weekly reach of 597,000 in the capital, making it the fifth most popular in the region (see RAJAR Results Q1 2005: Listeners Hungry For Breakfast Shows) RAJAR Results Q1 2005: Listeners Hungry For Breakfast Shows) .

Elsewhere, the show’s popularity led to it being used in Virgin Radio’s first ever podcasting programme, allowing listeners to download the show for use on their mp3 players at a time convenient for them. The show’s distribution via the internet was funded by the UK’s first example of podvertising, which saw a sponsorship deal with the COI and Expedia cover Virgin’s expenses and allow the download at no cost to listeners (see Virgin Makes Podvertising First With Pete And Geoff).

Virgin’s spokesman confirmed that the station’s podcasting activities would continue after Pete and Geoff’s departure from the breakfast show, stating: “Virgin Radio is committed to various different technologies, from 3G phones to podcasting. We won’t stop podcasting, we will continue in some way, shape or form. How and who that is, we will have to wait and see.”

Earlier this month saw Virgin’s sales director, Lee Roberts, leave the company by mutual agreement just weeks after the appointment of new chief executive, Fru Hazlitt, who joined from Yahoo (see Sales Director Roberts Leaves Virgin).

Virgin Radio: 020 7434 1215 www.virginradio.co.uk