23 September 2025
Tuning In 2025: Magic Radio’s glow up and Meghan Markle’s potential career change
Gaby Roslin, Nicki Chapman and Paul Sylvester spoke at Radiocentre’s Tuning In 2025 about the station’s glow up and offering Meghan Markle a radio show.
Magic Radio has been through a period of transformation. An updated sound, new look and fresh presenter line up has seen Magic go through the ultimate glow up – which is fitting, given their new marketing line, Glow Time.
When asked about the origins of the refreshed strategy, Magic’s Content Director Paul Sylvester reflected on the changes. “We wanted to evolve Magic. The brief covered everything – the music, the audience, how we approached commercial partners as well as our socials and our digital strategy…it wasn’t just about fine tuning the playlist, we wanted to lift the lid on what Magic Radio could be”.
When session moderator Tyler West asked about the Magic listener, Paul described the core audience as “Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues, carers and more. They are the decision makers who love planning and also love having fun. We wanted to build a radio station that felt empowering and gave these listeners a home.”
Magic star Nicki Chapman echoed her connection with the station, “Magic is so loved as a brand, I think I personally sit in that brand and I want to be a part of it.”
In radio connection is everything, so when Tyler posed the question, ‘Are you conscious about speaking to one person when in the studio?” Gaby Roslin replied, “You’re always talking to one person, it’s such an intimate relationship. It’s like the two of us together.”
Naturally a brand refresh comes with a refreshed sound. When asked how the sound of Magic has changed, Paul noted, “The music has moved forward so it encompasses more, ‘from 80s to now’… we want to reach all members of the family. We’ve tried to create a safe space and wanted to make the station a party that people wanted to be at.”
Gaby added that beyond music, the atmosphere is equally crucial. “We have to create not only a trusted space but also an escape. The audience wants to feel better, to sing and smile.”
Radio extends far beyond just what you hear, with Paul emphasising inclusivity at the core of Magic’s wider brand. “We live in such a divisive culture, we wanted to create a place that felt completely inclusive for everyone.”
This extends not only to how listeners engage online and through events but also to the brand partnerships Magic curates. In their recent partnership with EE, Gaby Roslin hosted a murder mystery to celebrate the release of the Netflix film, Thursday Murder Club.
When it came to celebrating the Magic rebrand, the team wanted to avoid the predictable route, especially in their new TV ad (below). “We didn’t want to do a traditional advert, we wanted it to feel like an invitation to a party.”
The presenters spoke about some of the biggest names Magic has welcomed in to the studio over the past year, with Nicki recalling a few standouts – “Elton John, Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow have all been highlights. When you’re talking to people who do so many radio interviews, the fact that they all have something so lovely to say about Magic and they’re happy to be there is amazing.”
Finally, the panel could not ignore the headlines from Meghan Markle revealing Magic Radio was the thing she missed most about living in the UK, giving the brand her seal of approval. Paul admitted, “I didn’t have Meghan liking Magic on my 2025 bingo card…if Meghan would like to be a presenter on the station she can be, the offer is out to her!”
