# Magic Classical > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Magic_Classical > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Magic_Classical.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Classical > Source revision: 1355799538 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) UK digital radio station Magic Classical London United Kingdom Broadcast area United Kingdom Frequency DAB: 11A Sound Digital Programming Format Classical Ownership Owner Bauer Media Audio UK Sister stations Absolute Radio Greatest Hits Radio Heat Radio Hits Radio Jazz FM Kerrang Radio Kiss Magic Radio Planet Rock History First air date 4 March 2019 (2019-03-04) Former names Scala Radio Links Webcast Rayo Website Magic Classical **Magic Classical** (formerly **Scala Radio**) is a [British](/source/Radio_in_the_United_Kingdom) digital radio station owned and operated by [Bauer Media Audio UK](/source/Bauer_Media_Audio_UK). The station was launched in March 2019 as Scala Radio and broadcasts nationally on DAB Digital Radio, via [smart speaker](/source/Smart_speaker), app, and online. The station was the first national classical music service to launch on terrestrial radio in the UK since [Classic FM](/source/Classic_FM_(UK)) in 1992. The station's playlist features 70% popular classics and 30% new and "surprising" music. Scala also aimed to produce more speech content – or more "storytelling" – than Classic FM or [BBC Radio 3](/source/BBC_Radio_3).[1] ## History On 22 December 2018, following the demise of his [BBC Radio 2](/source/BBC_Radio_2) drivetime show – which had been co-hosted with [Jo Whiley](/source/Jo_Whiley) since May 2018 – [Simon Mayo](/source/Simon_Mayo) revealed that "...the new radio show will be announced in January. It will be startling."[2] A month later, on 21 January 2019, [Bauer Radio](/source/Bauer_Radio) announced plans to launch a new national classical music service under the name Scala Radio from March, with Mayo having signed up to be one of the lead presenters of the new station.[3] More information about presenters and their shows was confirmed in February 2019.[4] Scala Radio launched at 10am on 4 March 2019, with Simon Mayo hosting the first live programme. The first track played was the prélude to [Carmen Suite No. 1](/source/Carmen_Suites_(Bizet%2FGuiraud)) by [Georges Bizet](/source/Georges_Bizet).[5] Advance weekly listings for Scala Radio were published from launch in *[Radio Times](/source/Radio_Times)* and the Bauer-owned *Total TV Guide*. The *Radio Times* removed listings for [BBC Radio 1Xtra](/source/BBC_Radio_1Xtra) and details of news and weather bulletins on Radios 1 and 2 to make space for the new station. The station launched on [Sky](/source/Sky_UK) on 1 May 2019 on channel 0216 (later moved to channel 0151). It was removed on 14 December 2022, and was replaced by sister station [Greatest Hits Radio](/source/Greatest_Hits_Radio) on the platform.[6] Changes made to the programming schedule from 2 March 2024 resulted in a presenter-less format for most weekday slots, in response to falling listening figures; however, the weekday breakfast show continued to be presented by [Charles Nove](/source/Charles_Nove). The changes also led to the loss of [Mark Kermode](/source/Mark_Kermode), Luci Holland, [Richard Allinson](/source/Richard_Allinson), Sam Hughes, and [Mark Forrest](/source/Mark_Forrest_(radio_presenter)) as presenters.[7] On 16 September 2024, the station was rebranded to Magic Classical, as part of Bauer Media Audio's "Magic"-branded stations.[8] Schedule changes on 9 June 2025 saw the return of weekday daytime and evening presenters – [Tim Smith](/source/Tim_Smith_(DJ)) and [Fran Godfrey](/source/Fran_Godfrey) (both formerly at Radio 2), and Jo Cochrane (from [Forth 1](/source/Forth_1) and Magic Soul) – while Tony Minvielle joined from sister station [Jazz FM](/source/Jazz_FM_(UK)) for a Friday-night programme.[9] ## Presenters The presenters on Magic Classical include a range of radio and television personalities, some of whom have previously presented on other Bauer stations, as well as with competitor stations such as Classic FM. The current presenters with regular shows are:[10] - [YolanDa Brown](/source/YolanDa_Brown) - Hannah Cox - [Charles Nove](/source/Charles_Nove) - Jack Pepper - Darren Redick - [Ayanna Witter-Johnson](/source/Ayanna_Witter-Johnson) - [Tim Smith](/source/Tim_Smith_(DJ)) - Jo Cochrane - [Fran Godfrey](/source/Fran_Godfrey) - Tony Minvielle - Sonali Shah ### Former presenters - [Gemma Cairney](/source/Gemma_Cairney) - [DJ Spoony](/source/DJ_Spoony) - [Goldie](/source/Goldie) - [Sister Bliss](/source/Sister_Bliss) - [William Orbit](/source/William_Orbit) - [Chris Rogers](/source/Chris_Rogers_(journalist)) - [Anthea Turner](/source/Anthea_Turner) - [Midge Ure](/source/Midge_Ure) - [Jamie Crick](/source/Jamie_Crick) - [Angellica Bell](/source/Angellica_Bell) - [Danielle Perry](/source/Danielle_Perry) - [Mark Kermode](/source/Mark_Kermode) - [Alexis Ffrench](/source/Alexis_Ffrench) - Luci Holland - Mark Forrest - Sam Hughes - [Richard Allinson](/source/Richard_Allinson) - [Penny Smith](/source/Penny_Smith) - [Simon Mayo](/source/Simon_Mayo) ## Audience According to [RAJAR](/source/RAJAR) data, the station has a weekly reach of 219,000 people as of October 2024.[11] ## Activities ### Album of the Week Magic Classical recommends an album weekly as their *Album of the Week*, and conducts relevant give-away activities.[12] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Hann, Michael (1 March 2019). ["Can Scala Radio disrupt the UK's classical market?"](https://www.ft.com/content/d7bb1800-3a7a-11e9-9988-28303f70fcff). *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*. London. Retrieved 9 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Mayo, Simon \[@simonmayo\]](/source/Simon_Mayo) (22 December 2018). ["An ex-Radio 2 host writes... So thank you all for all the wonderful comments here. Quite moved by it all. I've done a daily national BBC show for 31 years solid so this might take a while to adjust to...anyway the new radio show will be announced in January. It will be startling"](https://twitter.com/simonmayo/status/1076389629740367872) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))). Retrieved 11 May 2020 – via [Twitter](/source/Twitter). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Simon Mayo joins new classical station"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46947959). *[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)*. [BBC](/source/BBC). 21 January 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Scala Radio announces more names for presenter line up"](https://getdigitalradio.com/scala-radio-announces-further-presenters-for-its-line-up). *Digital Radio UK*. 21 February 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Martin, Roy (4 March 2019). ["Simon Mayo launches Scala Radio on DAB digital radio"](https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/03/simon-mayo-launches-scala-radio-on-dab-digital-radio/). *[Radio Today](/source/Radio_Today_(website))*. Retrieved 4 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [https://rxtvinfo.com/scala-radio-to-leave-sky/](https://rxtvinfo.com/scala-radio-to-leave-sky/) Scala Radio to leave Sky 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Martin, Roy (22 February 2024). ["Mark Forrest, Mark Kermode, Luci Holland, Richard Allinson and Sam Hughes to leave Scala Radio"](https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/02/mark-forrest-mark-kermode-luci-holland-richard-allinson-and-sam-hughes-to-leave-scala-radio/). *Radio Today*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Martin, Roy (16 July 2024). ["Bauer plans rebrands for Scala Radio and Magic Chilled"](https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/07/bauer-plans-rebrands-for-scala-radio-and-magic-chilled/). *RadioToday*. Retrieved 18 July 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Collins, Steve (22 May 2025). ["Tim Smith and Fran Godfrey join Magic Classical weekday schedule"](https://radiotoday.co.uk/2025/05/tim-smith-and-fran-godfrey-join-magic-classical-weekday-schedule/). *RadioToday*. Retrieved 7 June 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Presenters - Scala Radio"](https://planetradio.co.uk/scala-radio/presenters/). *Planet Radio*. [Bauer Media](/source/Bauer_Media). Retrieved 4 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** RAJAR [https://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php](https://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** David May. ["WIN - Scala Radio's Album of the Week"](https://planetradio.co.uk/scala-radio/competitions/win/album-of-the-week/). *Scala Radio*. ## External links - [Official website](https://planetradio.co.uk/scala-radio) - [Magic Classical's channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4BUnMPEukqqt38l6_iXl6A) on [YouTube](/source/YouTube_channel_(identifier)) [51°30′44″N 0°08′13″W / 51.5122°N 0.1369°W / 51.5122; -0.1369](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Magic_Classical¶ms=51.5122_N_0.1369_W_type:landmark_region:GB) v t e Bauer Media Group Publishing Germany Adel exklusiv Alles für die Frau Astrowoche Auf einen Blick Auto Zeitung Auto Zeitung Classic Cars Auto Zeitung Gebrauchtwagen Avanti Bella Bravo Bravo Girl Bravo Sport Bummi Bussi Bär Card Collector Closer Cosmopolitan Das Neue Das Neue Blatt einfach.sein Fernsehwoche Freizeitwoche Good Health Happinez Heidi In meiner Küche inTouch inTouch Style Joy kochen & genießen Laura Laura Wohnen Kreativ Lecker Lissy Mach mal Pause Maxi Mehr Spass Mein Hund & Ich Mein Lieblingsrezept Mein TV & Ich Meine Melodie Meins Mini Mutti Myway Neue Post Pflege & Familie Rezepte Pur Schöne Woche Selbst ist der Mann Shape Super Freizeit tina tina GESUND&Fit tina Koch&Back-Ideen tina WOMAN&Style tv14 tvpur tv!top TV Hören und Sehen TV Klar TV Movie TV Movie digital Volksstimme Welt der Wunder Woche Heute Wohnidee United Kingdom Angling Times Bella Bike Bird Watching Car Classic Bike Classic Cars Closer Empire FHM Golf World Grazia Heat Match Model Rail Mojo More! Motor Cycle News (MCN) Parker's Performance Bikes Pop Practical Classics Practical Fishkeeping Practical Photography Pregnancy & Birth Rail Take a Break That's Life! Today's Golfer TV Choice TV Quick Zoo Radio Denmark Nova The Voice Radio 100 Pop FM myROCK Radio Soft Finland Radio Nova Iskelmä Radio City SuomiRock NRJ Radio Nostalgia Kasari Radio Pooki Radio 957 Auran Aallot KISS Germany Radio Hamburg (25%) Ireland 98FM Newstalk SPIN 1038 SPIN South West Today FM Norway KISS Norsk Pop P24-7 MIX Radio 1 Radio Norge Radio Rock Radio Topp 40 Radio Vinyl Poland Radio 90 FM Radio GRA Radio Jura RMF Classic RMF FM RMF MAXXX RMF Ukraina Portugal Cidade FM M80 Radio Rádio Comercial Smooth FM Vodafone FM Slovakia Europa 2 Rádio Expres Rádio Melody Rádio Rock Sweden Gold FM Mix Megapol NRJ Lugna Klassiker Rockklassiker Radio Active Radio Disney Retro FM Svensk Pop Topp 40 Vinyl FM Ukraine RMF Ukraina United Kingdom Networks Absolute Radio Greatest Hits Radio Hits Radio KISS Magic Radio Digital Absolute Radio Country Heat Radio Hits Radio Pride Jazz FM Kerrang! Radio Magic Classical Planet Rock Stand-alone Cool FM Downtown Radio Downtown Country Former Bauer City 3 Mojo Radio Q Radio Radio City Talk Smash Hits Radio Sam FM 3C Magic v t e Bauer Media Audio UK Absolute Radio Absolute Radio Absolute Radio Classic Rock Absolute Radio Country Absolute Radio 70s Absolute Radio 80s Absolute Radio 90s Absolute Radio 00s Absolute Radio 10s Absolute Radio 20s Hits & GHR Greatest Hits Radio Greatest Hits Radio 60s Greatest Hits Radio 70s Greatest Hits Radio 80s Hits Radio Hits Radio Pride Hits Radio Chilled Hits Radio 90s Hits Radio 00s Kiss Kiss Kiss Dance Kiss Xtra Kisstory Kisstory R&B Magic Magic Radio Magic Classical Mellow Magic Magic Soul Magic at the Musicals Other Local Radio Cool FM Downtown Radio Other National Radio Heat Radio Jazz FM Kerrang! Radio Planet Rock Former Radio Stations 3C Mojo Radio Q Radio Smash Hits Radio Related articles Timeline of Bauer Media Audio UK Absolute Radio Hits Radio Greatest Hits Radio Jazz FM Magic v t e Media in the United Kingdom UK national newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals Newspapers (history, circulation) Broadsheet Financial Times The Daily Telegraph The Sunday Telegraph The Sunday Times Compact The i Paper The Times The Guardian The Observer Middle-market Daily Express Daily Mail The Mail on Sunday Tabloid Daily Mirror Sunday Mirror Morning Star The Sunday People Daily Star Daily Star Sunday The Sun Sunday Sport Weekend Sport Midweek Sport Online 5Pillars The Independent Magazines and other periodicals List of magazines in the United Kingdom List of magazines by circulation Radio in the UK National stations BBC BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Asian Network BBC World Service BBC National DAB (multiplex) Independent / commercial Absolute Radio Network Boom Radio BFBS Radio Capital Capital Xtra Classic FM Digital One (multiplex) Gold Greatest Hits Radio Heart Hits Radio Jazz FM Kiss Network LBC LBC News Magic Magic Classical Premier Christian Radio RNIB Connect Radio Sound Digital (multiplex) Smooth Radio talkSPORT TalkRadio Times Radio UCB UK Virgin Radio UK Radio X Regional and local stations BBC List of BBC Local Radio stations BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio nan Gàidheal BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Foyle BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Cymru Cymru 2 Independent / commercial List of community radio stations List of local commercial radio stations List of semi-national / regional analogue and digital radio stations Other stations List of hospital radio stations Pirate radio Restricted Service Licence (RSL) List of RSL stations List of student radio stations Other Broadcasting House FM broadcasting Radio Academy Radio Academy Awards Radio Independents Group RAJAR Most listened to programmes Television in the UK Principal channels (list) BBC/UKTV BBC One BBC Two BBC Three BBC Four BBC News BBC Parliament BBC Alba BBC Scotland CBBC CBeebies U&Alibi U&Dave U&Drama U&Eden U&Gold U&W U&Yesterday ITV ITV1/STV/UTV ITV2 ITV3 ITV4 ITV Quiz Channel 4/S4C Channel 4 S4C E4 E4 Extra Film4 More4 4seven Paramount 5 5Star 5USA 5Select 5Action Comedy Central Comedy Central Extra MTV Nickelodeon Nicktoons Nick Jr. Sky UK Challenge Sky Arts Sky Atlantic Sky Cinema Sky Comedy Sky Crime Sky Documentaries Sky History Sky History 2 Sky Kids Sky Mix Sky Nature Sky News Sky One Sky Sci-Fi Sky Sports Box Office F1 News Racing Sky Witness Warner Bros. Discovery Animal Planet Boomerang Cartoon Network Cartoonito CNN International Discovery Channel Discovery History Discovery Science Discovery Turbo DMAX Food Network Investigation Discovery Quest Quest Red Really TLC TNT Sports Narrative Entertainment UK Limited Great! Action Great! Movies Great! Romance Great! Real Great! TV Services and platforms Current Amazon Prime Video BBC iPlayer cable Channel 4 digital digital terrestrial List of channels Disney+ EE TV 5 Freely Freesat Freesat+ Freeview high-definition List of channels ITV ITVX STV Player local television Now Netflix Paramount+ Restricted Service Licence satellite Sky Group Sky Q Sky Glass Sky Stream TalkTalk TV TVPlayer U Virgin Media FilmFlex TiVo YouView Defunct analogue analogue terrestrial BBC Store Film4oD Pop Player Real Digital Sky Group Freesat from Sky On Demand Sky+ Sky+ HD TalkTalk TV Store Top Up TV Virgin Media V+ Studios Current 3 Mills Studios BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House BBC Elstree Centre BBC Pacific Quay The Bottle Yard Studios Broadcasting House Broadcasting House, Belfast Broadcasting House, Bristol Dock10 Elstree Studios (Shenley Road) Gas Street Studios The Leeds Studios The Maidstone Studios Mailbox Birmingham MediaCityUK Old Granada Studios Riverside Studios Roath Lock The Sharp Project Sky Campus Space Studios Manchester Television Centre, London Defunct Broadcasting House, Cardiff Dickenson Road Studios Fountain Studios The Hospital Club Lime Grove Studios Limehouse Studios The London Studios MGM-British Studios New Broadcasting House, Manchester Pebble Mill Studios Teddington Studios Television Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Television Centre, Southampton Upper Boat Studios Other Television in Northern Ireland in Scotland in Wales Defunct channels Edinburgh International Television Festival History List of years Viewing statistics Most-watched broadcasts Companies and organisations Major companies Banijay UK Productions Bauer Media Audio UK BBC Bloomsbury Publishing BT Group Channel Four Television Corporation Daily Mail and General Trust Dentsu International Economist Group EMI Music Publishing Future plc Global Media & Entertainment Guardian Media Group Haymarket Media Group Informa ITN ITV plc National World News Broadcasting News UK Newsquest Pearson plc Press Holdings Reach plc RELX Reuters Sky STV Group Syco TalkTalk Group Paramount Networks UK & Australia Virgin Media O2 The Walt Disney Company (UK) Ltd. Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA Resources Arqiva List of largest UK book publishers Government and regulatory bodies Advertising Standards Authority BBC Board (formerly: BBC Trust Board of Governors of the BBC) British Board of Film Classification British Film Institute Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee Department for Culture, Media and Sport Independent Press Standards Organisation Ofcom Press Recognition Panel S4C Authority Industry and trades bodies British Academy of Film and Television Arts British Phonographic Industry Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union Clearcast Digital TV Group Equity Everyone TV Federation Against Copyright Theft Independent Publishers Guild National Union of Journalists The Publishers Association Royal Television Society United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting Other BBC Academy National Film and Television School National Science and Media Museum Regional, student and community media Regional media Media in England Birmingham London Manchester Media in Scotland Aberdeen Dundee Glasgow Media in Wales Cardiff Student media Student television Student press Community media Islam21c Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Magic Classical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Classical) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Classical?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.