One of the Lothians' most beloved radio stations is being rebranded to become Scotland's only nationwide commercial station.

Forth 2 – along with Clyde 2, MFR 2, Northsound 2, Tay 2, West Sound in Ayrshire, and West Sound – will merge in April to form a new Scotland-wide station called Greatest Hits Radio.

The station is owned by Bauer Media, a German multimedia company that acquired what was Radio Forth (including sister station Forth 1) in 2008.

Radio Forth was founded in 1975, being the home of North Berwick DJ Jay Crawford for many years.

In 1990, the company launched a second station on its AM frequency, originally named Max AM before being rebranded as Forth 2 from 2000.

Forth 1 will remain unaffected by the new change and continues as an independent station within Bauer Media.

Explaining the merger, Bauer Media said in a statement: "Listeners will have one recognisable name they can search for to find their favourite music soundtrack of the greatest songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s, along with the presenters they know and love."

It added: "Listeners will be able to continue to find all their local news and information, including traffic and travel that they receive from their current stations upon rebrand, and advertising opportunities for local businesses will also remain."

Current Forth 2 breakfast presenters Ewen and Cat will continue to lead the Breakfast Show on the new station.

Speaking about the change, Ewen and Cat said in a statement: “We are thrilled to be leading the Breakfast Show each weekday on Greatest Hits Radio as it expands into Scotland, creating the first nationwide commercial station. We have some really exciting plans up our sleeves and can’t wait to reveal them later this year.”

Victoria Easton-Riley, content director for Bauer Scotland, said: “Entertaining hundreds of thousands of listeners a week, Forth 2, is much-loved for its playlist of classic hits and entertaining content, so rebranding as Greatest Hits Radio just makes total sense. "Strengthened under its new name, we’re so excited by the scope of opportunity ahead, including national marketing campaigns and more.”

Station frequencies will stay the same for listeners in April, and they’ll be able to find the station online, via smart speaker and the station app by searching for 'Greatest Hits Radio' and their relevant area.