Editing Absolute Radio (section)

=== 2000–2008: SMG ownership ===
The management team therefore set itself on a strategy to sell the business three years ahead of schedule.{{sfn|Evans|2010}} It hired [[Goldman Sachs]] to run the sale process, and considered a public flotation,<ref>{{cite news | title = Evans ponders float for Ginger | first = Julia | last = Finch | url = https://www.theguardian.com/business/1999/aug/20/12 | work = The Guardian | location = London | page = 31 | date = 20 August 1999 | access-date =30 May 2011}}</ref> before selling to the [[STV Group|Scottish Media Group]] for £225&nbsp;million in March 2000. The Scottish Media Group, which owned [[Scottish Television]] and the [[The Herald (Glasgow)|Herald]] newspaper, fought off other bidders including [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]], [[NRJ Radio|NRJ]] and [[Guardian Media Group]]. Evans personally made £75&nbsp;million out of the sale.<ref>{{cite news | title = Evans sells up | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/601640.stm | work = BBC News | location = London | date = 13 January 2000 | access-date =29 May 2011}}</ref>

Evans was subsequently fired by his new employer in 2001 for failing to report into work for five consecutive days while reportedly partying with his then wife [[Billie Piper]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Virgin axes DJ Evans | work = BBC News | date = 28 June 2001 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/1412225.stm  | access-date =27 November 2007}}</ref>

Chief executive John Pearson, who had been with the station since before launch, resigned in April 2005,<ref>{{cite news | title = Pearson quits as chief of SMG radio, leaving Virgin Radio rudderless | first = Damian | last = Reece | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/pearson-quits-as-chief-of-smg-radio-leaving-virgin-radio-rudderless-543626.html | work = The Independent | location = London | date = 13 October 2004 | access-date =1 June 2011}}</ref> and was replaced by Fru Hazlitt, who had previously been managing director of [[Yahoo!]] UK and Ireland.<ref>{{cite news | title = Virgin Radio hires chief executive to fend off unwanted bidders | first = Saeed | last = Shah | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/virgin-radio-hires-chief-executive-to-fend-off-unwanted-bidders-495411.html | work = The Independent | location = London | date = 19 April 2005 | access-date = 1 June 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On 13 June 2006, SMG plc signed a deal with YooMedia to make Virgin Radio available on [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]]. Long before the station's AM transmitters were closed in January 2023, it had always placed a great emphasis on other methods of transmission than medium wave, as the 1215&nbsp;kHz frequency suffered from considerable interference, particularly after dark – BBC Radio 1, which used 1215&nbsp;kHz for its first eleven years on air, moved to higher-quality medium wave frequencies (now used by [[talkSport]]) in 1978 primarily for this reason.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}