Latest news about BBC Radio 4

Emma Barnett to host BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Emma Barnett will be the main host of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour from January 2021, replacing Jane Garvey. Emma will present the programme from Monday to Thursday each week, leaving her mid-morning 5 Live show at the end of the year. she’ll also continue in her role at Newsnight. Jane continues to present Woman’s Hour until the end of the year. Between October and December a number of other presenters will guest host in place of Jenni Murray whose last programme is on 1 October. Emma presented Woman’s Hour alongside Jane Garvey and Jenni Murray during the 2017 and 2019 General Elections and...

Launch date and schedule revealed for Times Radio

Times Radio will launch at 6am on Monday 29 June with Mariella Frostrup, Phil Williams, Carole Walker, Giles Coren and Hugo Rifkind joining the schedule. Former BBC Radio 4 presenter and Sky Book Show host Mariella Frostrup will be presenting afternoons, Monday to Thursday. 5 Live’s Phil Williams will host the evening slot, Monday to Thursday. TV and radio journalist Carole Walker, former BBC political correspondent will look after lates whilst Times columnist, restaurant critic and TV presenter Giles Coren will have a weekly Friday afternoon show...

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”...

Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 show loses a million listeners

Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show has lost 1 million weekly listeners since she replaced Chris Evans as presenter of the UK’s most popular breakfast show. Ball, who admitted in a recent interview that losing listeners is something she “takes completely to heart”, has seen her audience decline dramatically since Evans’ departure. He broadcast his final show on Christmas Eve 2018, and is now at Virgin Radio. Ball drew an average of 8.1 million weekly listeners to her breakfast show in the first quarter of this year, compared with the 9.1 million listeners Evans attracted in the final quarter of 2018. In an interview with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in February, Ball admitted that...

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...

Aasmah Mir leaves Radio 4’s Saturday Live after six years

BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live presenter Aasmah Mir has hosted her final edition of the show, after announcing her departure on social media. She signed off with co-host Reverend Richard Coles this morning (Saturday) after almost six years on the show. Rev Coles told listeners she was leaving for “fresh fields and pastures new” and joked he would hang a “tribute plaque on the office wall as soon I can get to Wilko’s again”. Aasmah said: “This is my last programme, it’s been almost six years and it’s time to move onto something new. Thank you so much to the programme team, the producers, the runners, the studio managers, to Richard, to everyone associated with the show – but especially to the listeners...

BBC Radio 5 Live to take Radio London overnight shows

BBC Radio 5 Live will take BBC Radio London’s overnight shows for the foreseeable future In a bid to prioritise its resources, RadioToday can reveal. And as all other BBC local stations currently take 5 Live overnight, they will also relay the programmes of BBC Radio London instead. Dotun Adebayo is the weekday overnight host on BBC Radio London from 1am till 4am, but he is scheduled to move to 5 Live from April 5th. It is unknown at this stage what will happen at that point, but it is presumed Radio London will continue with live programmes around the clock for the foreseeable...

BBC local radio switches to news-led AM output

BBC local radio stations will switch to a more news-led service during breakfast and mid-morning shows, opening phone lines and airing expert advice for local communities between 6am and midday. The move comes as the BBC announces the extra measures it will be taking to offer more information and content during the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. Under the umbrella Make A Difference, every local radio station will join up with local volunteer groups to help co-ordinate support for the elderly, housebound or at risk, making sure people know what help is available in their area...

Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2020 – Winners

The winners at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2020 have been revealed at an event at the London Palladium. The BBC took home 17 awards including Emma Barnett for Best Speech Presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James for Best New Show, The 1Xtra Breakfast Show with Dotty forBest Music Breakfast Show and Elis James and John Robins for Funniest Show on BBC Radio 5 Live. Bauer Media radio brands were recognised on the night with Absolute Radio winning Gold for their coverage for Mental Health Awareness Week as well as their regional station Forth 1 who won Best Local Radio Show...

RAJAR Q4 2019: London and national brands round-up

Coverage of the general election helped 5 Live, Radio 4 and LBC each add half a million listeners across 2019. 5 Live is up from 4.9m to 5.4m in the Q4/2019 RAJAR listening figures, while Radio 4 has added a similar amount, rising from 10.4m a year ago to 10.9m now. LBC, including new digital station LBC News, posts a record high of 2.7m listeners (up more than half a million year on year), while talkRADIO is up more than 40% from 12 months ago to now have 433,000 listeners a week – another record high for the Wireless station...