Birmingham-based Kerrang! Radio has announced sweeping changes to its presenter line-up just days after it emerged the station was cutting jobs across a range of departments.

In an e-mail to the station’s fans, Gordon Davidson, Kerrang! Radio programme director, said presenters Christian Stevenson, Emma Scott and Nick Margerrison will be leaving the station as part of a major reshuffle of its programming.

In the e-mail Mr Davidson told members of the station’s Freq Club: “I wanted to drop you a line to run through some changes we are making at Kerrang! Radio, and as loyal fans of the station I wanted to explain why we are making these changes.

“Kerrang! Radio over the last year has seen its audience grow both in the West Midlands and across the country.

“We are also the Sony Radio Station of the Year for 2009, and add to this the award Simon James and Hill picked up (beating some big name BBC types) and the Rising Star award that was presented to Singin’ Henri, I am personally really proud of the team we have built here.

“Unfortunately though, we can’t escape the fact that the economy at the moment is screwed and like every other business we have had to make some tough decisions.”

Mr Davidson said Stevenson, who co-presents the week-day evening show with Loz Guest, will be leaving to spend more time with his family who live on the South coast as well as to focus on DJ and TV projects.

Sony award-winning Singin’ Henri – a former labourer who sings the travel on Kerrang!’s Drive Show with Kate Lawler and OJ Borg – will be taking over from Stevenson and Guest to present the evening show.

Scott, who presents the lunch-time weekday show as well as a late-night Saturday evening programme, is also leaving. She made it clear in a statement on her website that it was not her choice to leave the station.

She said: “I’ve had an amazing time at Kerrang! and achieved so much more than I could ever have imagined.

“I would have liked to have stayed another year, but the radio station has had to make these cut-backs in order to survive.

“I’m going to enjoy some time off this summer with my family, and then plan my next move! It’s been an awesome ride and I’m so lucky to have been at Kerrang! Radio for the past five years.”

Mr Davidson explained in his e-mail that Scott had her own music promotions business with her husband and is in talks to film a live DVD for the world tour of a “major band.”

Luke Wilkins, who joined the station 18 months ago, will present the replacement for Scott’s show between 11am and 3pm. Guest will present a new late-night eclectic music sequence for the station.

Nick Margerrison, who presents The Night Before, is also leaving although his co-host Amy Jones will be staying on at the station and will get her own weekly show.

The presenter reshuffle comes days after it emerged Kerrang! could be cutting up to half of its workforce across a range of departments.

Earlier this week the Birmingham Post reported that the station was understood to be in consultations to make eight full-time staff members redundant as well as a number of freelancers and contract staff.

The final tally of positions going could be between 15 and 20 roles – almost half the station’s 43 staff.

Last week it emerged that news bulletins on the station may be produced in Manchester under plans to close Kerrang!’s newsroom in the Jewellery Quarter.

The four-strong news team producing West Midlands-focused bulletins are among those being offered redundancy, with the potential for two positions to relocate to Manchester.

Kerrang!, which is owned by Bauer Media, is considering using its Manchester-based sister brand Key 103 to produce news for the Birmingham station.

Kerrang!’s parent company Bauer has been engaged in a string of cost-cutting programmes across its regional radio stations, including reducing staff numbers at its network of Big City stations based in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It was also among the bidders to buy Global Radio’s Midland stations, which include BRMB, but lost out to former Chrysalis Radio chief executive Phil Riley and his private equity backers Lloyds TSB Development Capital (LDC).