Latest news about BBC Asian Network

New shows to replace Group Chat on BBC Asian Network

Three brand new weeknight shows will begin on BBC Asian Network next month replacing the current debate show Group Chat. Entrepreneur and business author Sonya Barlow will be joining the station for a BBC Asian Network first with The Everyday Hustle. The show will inform young people on how to navigate professional practices and particularly for those from ethnic minorities, how to push through the glass ceiling (Monday, 22:00 – 23:00)...

BBC Asian Network hires 13 new radio presenters

BBC Asian Network is welcoming 13 brand new presenters to the station following a search for new talent. Each of the new presenters will host their own Sunday shows each between March 2021 – and February 2022 as part of the station’s New Presenter Voices initiative. BBC Asian Network launched the search for new presenter voices in December, searching for talent who have a passion for British Asian culture and the latest in music and entertainment. For several of them, hosting on the Asian Network will be their first ever role in radio, including for Serena from Birmingham, who works as a model and content creator. Serena will be the first of the new DJs to...

Anita Rani to host Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4

Anita Rani is to join BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour as presenter every Friday and Saturday. She joins alongside Emma Barnett, who became the show’s main host in early January. Anita is well known as one of the lead presenters on BBC One’s Countryfile, and has been a regular on Radio 2. Previously, Anita hosted weekend breakfast on BBC Asian Network and started her radio career at Sunrise Radio in Bradford when she was 14. Anita’s first programme will be Friday 15 January and she will present the Friday and Saturday editions of the programme...

BBC Asian Network on the lookout for new talent

BBC Asian Network is looking for new presenters to join the station who will host their own shows from March 2021. The talent search initiative is looking for 12 new voices who live and breathe British Asian culture and have a passion for reporting on the latest in music, current affairs and the world of entertainment. The search for new voices will focus on those whose strengths lie in presenting however, Asian Network welcomes applications from people with and without previous radio experience...

More syndicated programmes for BBC Radio this Christmas

The official launch of Christmas at BBC network radio will take place on Tuesday 1st December when Radio 1, Radio 1 Dance, 1Xtra, Asian Network, Radio 2 and 6 Music come together for a syndicated show. The BBC Radio Christmas House Party will see the six services come together to launch their festive celebrations at 5pm. And BBC local radio stations will be handing over their local frequencies for more networked shows than usual over Christmas with only seven hours of local output on Christmas Day as all 39 stations take the same shows before 7am and after 2pm. Between Christmas and New Year, local stations will also syndicate from 6pm till 6am with Nana Akua from 6pm and Jim Davis from 10pm...

New radio schedule planned for BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network’s new Head of Station Ahmed Hussain is introducing a new schedule from March 2021. The first change will introduce four new shows to the weekly schedule as part of Ahmed Hussain’s commitment to increasing British Asian representation and popular South Asian music culture across the station. The station is also going 24 hours with the overnight hours being used for repeating its own content rather than simulcasting shows from Radio 1. Current Entertainment Reporter for BBC Asian Network Haroon Rashid, will host a brand new Saturday Morning Show Beyond Bollywood (10am-1pm). He will look at all of the newest and biggest cinema and on-demand hits from the Bollywood genre and the sub-continent...

BBC Asian Network celebrates Diwali 2020 with 24 hours of broadcasting

From Thursday 12 November, BBC Asian Network will dedicate 24 hours of programming to Diwali, allowing listeners to observe the festival of lights safely at home, with uplifting music, celebrity guests, and positive discussions. Throughout the 24-hour celebration and into Diwali weekend, listeners will be encouraged to share online and on-air their own stories of what they are grateful for, in the year that saw many unpredictable changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Diwali will also mark the creation of BBC Asian Network’s new brand Asian Network Celebrates... where specially commissioned mixes will be played on-air...

Hype On The Mic returns to BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network’s Hype On The Mic returns to DJ Limelight and Kan D Man’s Friday night show this week. Hype On The Mic is a platform that began in 2018 and has continued to showcase performances from new and emerging British Asian rappers and MCs, as well as rap talent from all over the UK. With close to one million views on BBC Asian Network’s YouTube channel, the show hosted by DJ Limelight and Kan D Man aims to give underground talent an opportunity to showcase their skills on a major platform, while offering listeners a diverse spectrum of talent within the UK rap scene...

DJ Manara gets regular radio show on BBC Asian Network

DJ Manara has secured a permanent slot on BBC Asian Network as the new host of ‘Pure Spice with DJ Manara’, Saturday’s 10pm-1am. The London based DJ first appeared on the station in 2018 as part of Asian Network’s Residency, a show for fresh DJ talent. She made a name for herself through fresh mixes and live appearances around the world, including at London’s Wireless Festival and for Boiler Room. DJ Manara says: “As a DJ I love mixing Asian sounds with all kinds of club music. I’ve been lucky enough to tour internationally for the past two years, bringing my sound everywhere from Japan to Canada and India...

Asian Network holds leavers party on the radio

The BBC Asian Network hosted an on air leavers’ party for the hundreds of thousands of pupils around the country who will be leaving school this summer without a celebration. Breakfast presenter Harpz Kaur hosted the event, with celebrity surprises from names such as Arjun, Jaz Dhami, Mickey Singh and an extended Love Friday mix during the morning show. Harpz Kaur said: “I remember how excited I was counting down the days to my Prom and saying bye to my friends and teachers at school. Due to lockdown – it’s been so hard for students in that position, who right now would have been excited to wear that dress, or get a fresh fade!"...