Latest news about BBC Radio 5 Live

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...

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...

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...

Winners announced for Young Audio Awards 2020

All the winners from this year’s Young Audio Awards have been announced during an online awards ceremony hosted from home by Award Ambassadors Matt Edmondson and Mollie King from BBC Radio 1. They were joined by special guests including Annie Mac presenting Best in Music to 15-year-old Oli Hackett, whose show, Musicals My Way, is syndicated from his home in Corby and airs across 43 different radio stations around the world, including in the USA and Spain. Other presenters included TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter Rylan, BBC Radio 5 Live’s Laura Whitmore, singer and Hits Radio Breakfast presenter Fleur East, KISS FM’s Tyler West and Swarzy, and BBC Radio 1’s Greg James...

5 Live Sport boss Mike Carr departs BBC after 18 years

The Editor of 5 Live Sport, Mike Carr, has left the BBC after 18 years, with staff told his immediate departure was to ‘avoid any potential conflict of interest’. He has been overseeing the station’s sports output since 2011, having previously worked as an Assistant Editor and Producer in BBC Radio Sport – which he joined in 2002. Before joining the BBC he’d worked in roles at Trinity Mirror and ITN. Ben Gallop, Head of Radio & Digital at BBC Sport, told staff in an email: “Mike is leaving to pursue an opportunity outside the BBC. To avoid any potential conflict of interest we have agreed it is best for Mike to leave with immediate effect. He goes with our best wishes and our thanks for all his work over many years for BBC Sport...

BBC racing correspondent bows out with 5 Live special

BBC Radio 5 Live has broadcast an hour-long special featuring Cornelius Lysaght, who’s leaving the corporation this week after almost 30 years. In the programme presented by Steve Crossman, the BBC racing correspondent picked his 10 favourite moments from horse racing over the last three decades – and was joined by BBC Radio horse racing commentator John Hunt to talk through the highlights. “Since I started in August 1990, the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot have been staged 29 times each and there have been 28 Grand Nationals and 146 Classic races – and that’s just in Britain,” he wrote on the BBC Sport website...

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...

Andrew Flintoff joins talkSPORT for Breakfast

Former international cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is joining talkSPORT to co-host Breakfast with Laura Woods Monday to Wednesday. Since retiring from cricket in 2010, Freddie has hosted several programmes on television and radio, including Top Gear and a weekly radio show on 5 Live. He also hosted a podcast with former footballer Robbie Savage and journalist and former table tennis professional Matthew Syed called Flintoff, Savage & The Ping Pong Guy and has won three Radio Academy Awards...

A Question of Sport finds new home on 5 Live

Long-running television sports quiz A Question of Sport is moving to radio as the coronavirus makes recording TV programmes almost impossible. Team captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson will each be joined by one guest when the show starts on 5 Live this Saturday at 2pm. The series will be launching with four episodes initially. This Saturday Phil is joined by Dion Dublin and Karen Carney will be on Matt’s team. The programme will be made with all participants in their homes to observe social distancing guidelines...