The rebrand, which will be accompanied by a strapline inviting listeners to "discover new music", will be completed by the end of this month.
New hirings include the former Kerrang! DJ Tim Shaw, while the evening presenter Geoff Lloyd moves to the drivetime slot.
Clive Dickens, the company's chief operating officer, said: "The word 'absolute' was staring us right in the face - it embodies what we stand for. We are resolute and unapologetic about our passion for real music, our desire to build a great entertainment brand and business, our determination to put listeners at the heart of our plans and we are not afraid to challenge the commercial radio status quo."
Virgin Radio was sold for £53 million to TIML, part of the Times of India Group, and the radio consultancy Absolute Radio in May this year. Under the deal, Absolute would have had to re-license the Virgin brand at a cost of around £8 million if it planned to continue to use the station's name.
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