GMG acquire Saga Radio

The Guardian Media Group has confirmed it is to acquire the four licences owned by Saga Radio - which includes stations in the East Midlands, West Midlands, Glasgow and, slightly controversially, an as yet unlaunched station in the North East (controversial because some say that Saga shouldn't be able to sell its recently won North East licence before it has even launched a service there). The move, which follows GMG's acquisition of two Century FM stations off GCap back in October, makes the Guardian Group an increasingly significant player in the UK radio market. The new owners say they will rebrand the Saga stations in due course, leading to speculation they will become part of a Smooth FM network - GMG's London branch of Smooth FM having just received OfCom permission to reposition itself as a Saga style general interest service pitched at the over-50s.