Latest news about BBC Asian Network

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!"...

Ahmed Hussain named Head of BBC Asian Network

The Head of Prison Radio, Ahmed Hussain, has been appointed to run the BBC Asian Network radio station. He has previously worked as a producer at Radio 1, 1Xtra and the Asian Network, after beginning his career on pirate and community radio stations in east London. Ahmed has also been a trustee of the Radio Academy for the last few years and after previously being on the industry’s ’30 Under 30′ list is now helping to judge the latest search for young talent. He will take up the new role at the BBC from 1st August, leaving Prison Radio where he has been overseeing the radio provision to more than 112 prisons across England and Wales since September 2016...

BBC launches search for best new spoken word artists in lockdown

BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network have launched Words First alongside BBC Arts and Contains Strong Language Festival, aiming to discover the best emerging spoken word artists from across the UK. Working together with poetry organisations across the country, the Words First scheme is looking for people who are passionate about spoken word in any form. From rappers and MCs to poets and lyricists, anyone with an interest in developing their spoken word skills can apply from 29 May until 19 June 2020. In previous years, shortlisted artists would attend regional workshops in person...

What does the BBC’s Annual Plan say about Radio?

OPINION: The BBC is required to publish its annual plan each year. Just as with every broadcaster, however – and every industry – this year’s is atypical. Even when the COVID crisis abates, life will never be the same again. My notes here focus largely on radio, but it is worth citing the general headlines from the report, which bear out Ofcom’s latest research published yesterday: “As social distancing began in the UK in the third week of March, pan-BBC reach among adults peaked at 94%. That is: 94% of the British public used the BBC that week. 86% of young adults aged 16-34 used the BBC that week, up from 77% the week before”...

RAJAR Q1 2020: London and national brands roundup

BBC Radio 2 has lost almost a million listeners in the last year, according to the Q1/2020 audience research from RAJAR. The reach of the UK’s biggest radio station fell from 15.356m at the start of 2019 to 14.362m over the first three months of this year. The two biggest commercial radio networks – Heart and Capital – both lost significant reach over the 12 months too. The Heart network lost 787,000 listeners to leave a reach of 7.737m, while Capital dropped 815,000 to 6.386m. When you add in the other Heart and Capital branded stations – 70s, 80s, 90s, Dance, Xtra and Xtra Reloaded – the Heart brand reaches 9.365m and the Capital brand 7.502m...