Bates occasionally took the show out on location for special editions, such as a week-long broadcast from Camp Bastion in December 2011 and the Falkland Islands in June 2012.
[6][7] In February 2014 it was announced that Bates would leave Smooth Radio after 3 years of broadcasting, as the station prepared to relaunch with a new schedule in March.
The show began each weekday at 6.00am when Simon Bates took over from overnight presenter Derek Webster,[b] and aired for four hours until he handed over to Mark Goodier at 10.00am.
[f] In September 2011 Simon Bates travelled to South Australia to broadcast a week of programmes as part of a promotion to give away a holiday to the country,[9] while in December he visited Afghanistan for a series of shows with British troops from Camp Bastion.
[14][15] In September 2012 two one-off editions of the show were presented from Dublin and Belfast as part of a sponsorship deal between Smooth Radio and Tourism Ireland aimed at promoting the two cities.
[16] The programme is credited with discovering the American Country singer-songwriter Jenn Bostic after Bates played her song "Jealous of the Angels" on the show, and it became popular with listeners.