Latest news about BBC Radio 2

Brexit is the 2019 Children’s Word Of The Year by OUP for BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show’s 500 Words competition

Analysis of short stories submitted to BBC Radio 2’s 500 Words competition by Oxford University Press reveals that the Brexit impasse and Theresa May’s travails are inspiring children’s creativity. A significant increase in the use of vegan and vegetarianism, plus references to climate change and plastic, show that British children are increasingly aware of health and environmental issues, along with political activism.

Pet Shop Boys to headline BBC Radio 2 Live In Hyde Park

BBC Radio 2, the UK’s most listened to radio station, proudly announces the line-up for one of the summer’s most-anticipated music festivals - BBC Radio 2 Live In Hyde Park - which takes place on Sunday 15 September in London. The most successful duo in UK music history, Pet Shop Boys will headline the concert, performing a selection of hits from their award-winning catalogue of classics. This year’s line-up is a pop music bonanza, with performances from Westlife, Status Quo, Clean Bandit, Bananarama, Emeli Sandé, Kelsea Ballerini and Simply Red.

James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: Where should a radio station be? And RAJAR Q1 2019

James Cridland, radio futurologist, is a conference speaker, writer and consultant. He runs the media information website media.info and helps organise the yearly Next Radio conference. He also publishes podnews.net, a daily briefing on podcasting and on-demand, and writes a weekly international radio trends newsletter, at james.crid.land.

RAJAR Q1 2019 – Zoe & Chris plus national and London radio round-up

Chris Evans and Virgin Radio both reached over a million listeners in the first quarter of 2019. The digital station’s audience has almost trebled compared with the last period of 2018 thanks to the arrival of Evans from Radio 2. In Q1/2019 it posts a weekly reach of 1.3m and total hours of 7.765m. A year ago those figures were 427,000 and 1.632m. Last quarter they were 447,000 and 1.686m.

Broadcasters unite once again for Mental Health Minute

Commercial Radio and the BBC are once again uniting to broadcast a one-minute message in support of mental health awareness. For the second year Mental Health Minute will feature globally famous voices and unite stations all over the UK, from national networks such as those run by Global, Bauer and Wireless, to smaller local stations and community stations, together with BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, and 5 Live.

Greg James and James Purnell sign up for Radio Festival

The Radio Festival will include sessions from BBC Radio 1 breakfast show presenter Greg James, and the BBC’s Director of Radio and Education James Purnell. Other new sessions announced today are from Google News’ Brenda Salinas and Katy Leeson of Social Chain. James Purnell will be joining RadFest to share his thoughts on the importance of treasuring radio amidst significant change in the industry and in people’s listening habits.

BBC to create single role to Control Radio 1 and Radio 2

The BBC is to create a new single role of Controller of its pop music stations Radio 1, 1Xtra, Asian Network, Radio 2 and 6 Music. Heads of each station, plus BBC Music and the Music TV commissioning heads, will report to the new Controller. A source tells RadioToday that Ben Cooper, currently Controller of Radio 1, 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network is expected to be appointed to the new position across all five services.

BBC Radio 2 reveals the UK’s best selling ABBA studio album - Arrival

BBC Radio 2’s special programme, Let’s ABBA Party! with Nicki Chapman, revealed that ABBA’s 1976 album Arrival - which features hit songs such as Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You and Money, Money, Money - is the band’s best-selling studio album in the UK to date. The programme, which also featured brand new interviews with Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, revealed a specially commissioned chart, ranking the UK sales of ABBA’s eight studio albums, from Waterloo to The Visitors.

Andrew Ridgeley to host Bank Holiday special on BBC Radio 2

Andrew Ridgeley is hosting a special 80s music show on BBC Radio 2 next month. He’ll make his radio presenting with Andrew Ridgeley’s 80s’ Playlist on Monday 6th May from 5pm till 7pm. Andrew will be playing the tracks that mean the most to him from the decade and sharing his own memories and stories from the era in which he dominated the pop charts as one half of Wham!, alongside George Michael.

Zoe Ball & Margot James confirmed for Radio Festival 2019 line-up

BBC Radio 2 Breakfast host Zoe Ball and Digital Minister Margot James have been added to the line-up of this year’s Radio Festival, joining already-announced Simon Mayo. Zoe Ball will open the Radio Academy event this year talking to Paddy O’Connell about her old Radio 1 days, history repeating itself as she stepped into Chris Evans’s shoes and taking on Radio 2 breakfast, alongside her love of radio.