Presenter jobs lost at Chesterfield's Peak FM as station transitions to Greatest Hits Radio

Earlier this year, it was announced Peak FM would be one of 49 local stations to be rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio by owners Bauer Media.

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That transition started this week with only breakfast hosts Laura and Ricky continuing in their weekday morning slot ahead of the station making its full transition to Greatest Hits Radio North Derbyshire in early September.

Bauer Media has brought in several national presenters – including former Radio One DJs Mark Goodier and Pat Sharp – to fill remaining slots.

A Bauer Media spokesperson said: “The contracts of existing presenters – who work on the station on a freelance basis – will sadly be coming to an end in line with the changes.”

Gav Puszczalowskyi hosted his last show on Peak FM on Sunday.

In a statement, he said he wanted to thank ‘the most important people’ – the listeners.

He added: “I am a North Derbyshire lad, a lad from Dronfield.

"I have never considered myself a radio presenter, I am just a bloke who likes to entertain and have fun who got a chance to do the best job in the world and I got to do it on my local radio station.

"I am so lucky.”

To those who have lost their jobs, Graham Bryce, group managing director at Hits Radio Network Brand, said: “I’d like to personally thank all the individuals for their professionalism and outstanding contribution.

"These changes in no way diminish those achievements but merely reflect the changing market in which we operate.

"We wish them the very best for the future.”

Of the rebrand, he added: “We’re pleased to welcome in this pivotal new chapter for the station as we launch a new line-up of esteemed nationally-known presenters.

"Reimagining local radio for the future is a vital part of securing its future success – and these changes have been designed to offer listeners access to fantastic new shows alongside all the local news content, local information and traffic and travel that is important to them.”

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