Radio News

BBC Asian Network hires 13 new radio presenters

BBC Asian Network is welcoming 13 brand new presenters to the station following a search for new talent. Each of the new presenters will host their own Sunday shows each between March 2021 – and February 2022 as part of the station’s New Presenter Voices initiative. BBC Asian Network launched the search for new presenter voices in December, searching for talent who have a passion for British Asian culture and the latest in music and entertainment. For several of them, hosting on the Asian Network will be their first ever role in radio, including for Serena from Birmingham, who works as a model and content creator. Serena will be the first of the new DJs to...

Penny Smith to host Drivetime on Scala Radio

Former GMTV anchor Penny Smith is taking over Drivetime on Scala Radio each weekday. In other changes following the departure of Simon Mayo from the daily schedule, Mark Forrest is to host mid-mornings permanently and Angellica Bell is to launch a new magazine style weekend show Saturday and Sunday 10am till 1pm. Simon will launch a new Saturday afternoon show from April called Simon Mayo’s Essential Albums. Jack Pepper will continue in his 3pm slot throughout March before moving to a new showtime of 6pm. Hannah Cox meanwhile moves to Saturday Breakfast at 7am, and Anne Frankenstein joins the Scala team for Sunday afternoons 1-3pm...

Ken Bruce named as Britain’s favourite radio presenter

BBC Radio 2 presenter Ken Bruce has been named as Britain’s favourite radio presenter in a new poll. Capital’s Roman Kemp takes second place with BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball in third. Chris Evans takes 4th and Jeremy Vine is in 5th place. Research carried out by digital radio manufacturer Pure also shows millions more Brits have turned to radio since the pandemic, regarding it as a trusted source of breaking news and instant information. Ken Bruce takes the top spot, despite not making the Top 10 in the same survey last year. Here’s how the top 10 shapes up...

Pirate FM and Lincs FM to take Bauer’s chart show

Bauer’s Sunday afternoon chart countdown is to air on Pirate FM and Lincs FM from this weekend. The Hits Radio Network’s ‘UK Chart Show’ is hosted by Sarah Jane Crawford and can be heard across stations such as Metro Radio, Radio Clyde and Radio City. On Lincs FM, it replaces the locally made Top 30 with Joseph Begley, whilst at Pirate FM it provides an alternative to the current non-stop music. Joseph will continue to host his Saturday breakfast show on Lincs FM...

David Kid Jensen gets six part series on Jazz FM

Kid Jensen is joining the team at Jazz FM to host a six-part series about his love for jazz music and to highlight the work of Parkinson’s UK. The former BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Capital FM, The Jazz and Smooth Radio presenter, who is also an ambassador of Parkinson’s UK, starts his weekly show on Sunday 21st February. Of his new Jazz FM show and passion for the music he will play, David says: “I made my BOAC maiden flight in 1968, landing in London with a toothbrush and a pocket full of dreams and I used to love strolling down Wardour Street, loving venues like Revolution, Ronnie Scott’s, The Cromwellian and the Speakeasy...

Vernon Kay to host Super Bowl LV on BBC Radio 5 Live

The Super Bowl is back on BBC Radio 5 Live for the first time in five years with a new show hosted by Vernon Kay. Live radio coverage of the showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs begins this Sunday at 11pm on 5 Live and BBC Sounds. BBC One will also provide live TV coverage from 11.30pm. Vernon Kay, a frequent visitor to Super Bowl as a fan and broadcaster, is also a former player himself with the London Warriors. His last regular radio show was with Radio X four years ago but he’s also covering on BBC Radio 2 at the moment...

Special Audio Content Fund round gives out £297k

Over 100 radio stations will get special programmes thanks to the latest awards from the Audio Content Fund. There were 19 projects this time around, which was a special round to combat Winter loneliness. The brief for the special round asked bidders to demonstrate how their idea would make listeners feel less lonely, and empower them to combat any loneliness they might be feeling due to lockdown restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The next Funding Round to be announced will be the Standard Round 6, with results in mid-March. So far, the Audio Content Fund has distributed £1.96m since it launched in April 2019...

Steve Harris has Twitter success with Russell Crowe

BBC Radio Solent’s Breakfast in Dorset presenter Steve Harris has been making headlines after a simple request on Twitter. He sent a message on Tuesday morning asking if anyone knows how he can get a reply from Russell Crowe. Steve wanted him to ask him if he’d record a birthday message for one of his listeners, who is currently sailing around the world in the Vendee Globe race, and happens to be a big fan of the actor...

Event to celebrate 40 years of Moray Firth Radio

The Radio Academy’s Scotland Branch is holding a virtual evening event to celebrate 40 years of MFR. Broadcaster Garry Spence will be joined by Susie Rose who recently released a book about the station called ‘Making Waves’, along with launch MD Thomas Prag, former Head of Radio for BBC Scotland Jeff Zycinski, and Grace Nicoll who presents the MFR Breakfast Show with Dan Gilchrist. Join them on their Facebook page on Tuesday 9th February at 7pm to hear stories from MFR’s past right through to the present day and discover just what it means to broadcast to such a unique part of the country...

BBC Radio 1’s Clara Amfo made ambassador at Dulux

Clara Amfo has been unveiled as the ambassador for the Dulux Colour of the Year 2021, Brave Ground. She says: ““I love the colour of Brave Ground and what it symbolises. It’s Mother Earth, our roots. It’s perfect for this year as it makes us feel more connected to where we live.” Clara has been doing up her home recently by adding a bit of Brave Ground paint, which Dulux interestingly told us about in a press release today. “In my daily life I’m surrounded by noise, by music, so I love those moments of peace, of being able to chill out. And Brave Ground definitely helps me to do that.” ...