Virgin Radio drops Pete and Geoff from breakfast show
Virgin Radio breakfast duo Pete and Geoff are quitting the show after three years. It is understood that an announcement about their replacement is imminent.
Industry sources say they are surprised by the departure of the duo, who had brought stability to the breakfast slot, but add that Virgin is “very confident” about their replacement. Before Pete and Geoff took over the show, the station had struggled to find a suitable replacement for Chris Evans, who was sacked in 2002.
In the Rajar figures for the quarter ending March 27, the Virgin breakfast show had 1.2 million listeners, an increase of 90,000 in London. It also gained 100,000 listeners nationally, despite only being available on the AM or digital platforms outside the capital.
The pair, who previously presented Virgin’s drive-time show, will remain on air until the end of the year, before moving to a new time-slot. It is expected that they will be given an evening show.
The decision to change the breakfast show format follows a number of changes at Virgin’s rival stations in London. Last year, 95.8 Capital FM replaced veteran DJ Chris Tarrant with Johnny Vaughan and last month Chrysalis Radio-owned Heart 106.2 brought in Jamie Theakston to replace long-standing presenter Jono Coleman.
