Latest news about BBC Local Radio

Joanna Page to host Sundays on BBC Radio Wales

Welsh actress Joanna Page is to present her own Sunday morning show on BBC Radio Wales, starting 18 October. Sunday Morning With Joanna Page will be her first ever radio show, following her titular role in the BBC comedy. The mother-of-three from Swansea, well know for her role in Gavin & Stacey, says: “I’m really excited about my new series on Radio Wales and look forward to just gossiping. Because the Welsh talk like nobody else. You can expect lots of good music, a sprinkling of showbiz, interesting stories and lots of gossip and chat. “I’ve never done anything like this before but we all know I’m a bit of a talker! I’m just going to imagine that I’m chatting to my best friend. You don’t know what I’m going to say – so you better tune in and listen!” ...

Winners announced at Irish radio awards event

Five radio stations in Northern Ireland picked up awards at the All-Ireland radio awards, the IMROs, last Friday. BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Foyle, Q Radio and Cool FM/Downtown were recognised in various categories. Broadcaster Stephen Nolan won Best Interactive Speech Programme whilst John Toal got the Specialist Music Broadcaster of the Year award. Q Radio’s Connor Brennan won Gold for Newcomer of the Year whilst Cool FM/Downtown Radio’s Sarah McKinley won Silver...

Alex Jones joins BBC Radio Wales weekends

The One Show’s Alex Jones is joining BBC Radio Wales to host a new weekend show. Alex says: “I’m so excited to get my headphones back on for BBC Radio Wales and to play some of my favourite songs. “There is something so special about radio – the connection you can have with the listeners and there’s something extra special about talking to people in Wales.” So far the “Sunday Morning with…” slot has been presented by a series of Welsh names which have included Keeping Faith star Eve Myles, presenter Carol Vorderman, athlete Colin Jackson, actress Suzanne Packer and broadcaster Anna Ryder Richardson...

BBC Radio 5 Live takes overnights back from Local Radio

Dotun Adebayo is starting his new role as 5 Live’s weekday overnight presenter from next week – three months later than originally planned. Dotun was announced earlier this year as the replacement for the departing Rhod Sharp, and was due to take over the Monday to Friday 1am-5am slot from the start of April. But the Coronavirus pandemic meant that instead he has been hosting overnight shows for BBC Radio London, which the rest of the BBC Local Radio network – as well as 5 Live – have been opting in to...

Comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean joins BBC Radio Wales

Welsh comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is hosting a new radio programme on BBC Radio Wales. The station says Kiri will provide great music, entertainment and company for your Saturday afternoons for the next seven weeks. Kiri said; “I cannot wait to start my show on BBC Radio Wales. It’s Saturday afternoon so perfect listening for people in the car off to do the big shop and people doing the walk of shame – my ideal audience!” Joining Kiri will be an array of special guests across the seven weeks, kicking off with fellow comedians Stephen Bailey (Live at the Apollo) and Tez Ilyas (Man Like Mobeen)...

BBC Local Radio to showcase creative work in Upload Festival

BBC Local Radio is to team up to broadcast a weekend festival featuring comedy, spoken word and drama from budding creatives around England. The Upload Festival over the weekend of 19th to 21st June will include a main performance at 9pm each night across all 39 local radio stations in England and the Channel Islands, which will also be available to watch in-vision online. Acts will appear live via webcam from home or as recorded videos of their sketches or performances...

5 Live and talkSPORT to broadcast all remaining Premier League games

BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT have reached an agreement with the Premier League to enable football fans to listen to live commentary of all 92 remaining top-flight matches when the season resumes later this month. No two fixtures will be at the same time for the first week after the competition resumes, meaning full match commentary of every match can be broadcast across both radio and TV initially. When matches are played concurrently they will air across 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2. talkSPORT‘s ‘GameDay’ will return to Saturdays with the station securing the rights to broadcast the matches at 12.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm and 7.45/8pm. It will also cover some of the Sunday and weekday evening games...

Cristo Foufas replaces Iain Lee on talkRADIO lates

talkRADIO has replaced Iain Lee with Cristo Foufas on the 10pm till 1am slot. Cristo started his show on Tuesday night after Iain hosted his last show on Monday. Iain says he was told on Tuesday that he wouldn’t be on-air again. Cristo is now covering the slot until a replacement is announced. “From tonight, and every weeknight from 10pm to 1am I’ll be stepping into the late show @talkRADIO where we’ll give you the chance to discuss the days’ big news, tell your stories, and keep each other company in the small hours. Can’t wait to talk to you all!,” Cristo tweeted...

Orchestra to perform BBC Local Radio’s Great Northern Playlist

BBC Local Radio listeners across the North of England are being asked to nominate the song that best symbolises their area, with the winners then being performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. An ensemble of up to 80 players will adapt and perform each of the 10 songs, with each individual part recorded from the musicians’ own homes. The final 10 songs will be selected by a presenter from each of the stations involved – which are Radio Merseyside, Radio Manchester, Radio Lancashire, Radio Cumbria, Radio Newcastle, Radio Tees, Radio Leeds, Radio York, Radio Humberside and Radio Sheffield...

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”...