Nissan pays Tarrant£1m in US-style radio deal

Under the terms of the deal, GMG pays nothing for the show and Nissan covers the presenter's salary by sponsoring it. Tarrant is not employed directly by GMG and is free to present other radio shows for different broadcasters in areas where his GMG show is not aired.

The model has been brought over from the US by Tarrant and his manager, Paul Vaughan, who believe it is unprecedented in the UK. The veteran broadcaster told Broadcast that he expected it to catch on.

“GMG airs the show and collects all the advertising, while Nissan pays me,” Tarrant said. “It's a great deal for GMG. I think it could be a big thing here. You might get some DJs who remain committed to a single station, but this sponsorship idea has been massive in the US for a while.”

Tarrant has also promised his new show would be “devoid of playlists”. He said he only came back to radio because he was given “complete editorial control” to play whatever music he liked.

“Having my own music policy is important to me because too many stations play the same tunes,” he said. “I am going to play everything from Amy Winehouse and Duffy to rare tracks by the Stones and The Who. I'm just fed up with this obsession with play-lists and focus groups.”

He said too many stations were scared to play anything other than music that was in the top 10.

“People want to listen to songs that mean something to them,” he said. “Fans of John Lennon want to hear his rare stuff - not just Imagine. I think playing this stuff too much is unfair on the artist, too. A classic track gets ruined because it's overplayed.”

Broadcastnow.co.uk broke the news of Tarrant's GMG show - his first permanent radio role since quitting Capital in 2004 - earlier this week.

The Chris Tarrant Show will go out on eight of GMG's stations including Smooth in London, Real Radio in Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire and Century Radio in the north-east and north-west.

It will air on Saturdays between 10am and 1pm from 26 July, pitching Tarrant against Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2. But the presenter played down the competition. “It's not a battle at all - but the press likes to say it is. I have gone up against Wogan and Moyles in the past, so it's no big deal.”

Have your say

You must sign in to make a comment.