Radio News

Radio 1 makes Stay Home Live Lounge to raise money

BBC Radio 1 is to record its biggest ever Live Lounge for charity amid the coronavirus crisis, featuring Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, AJ Tracey, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding and more. The Stay Home Live Lounge will be broadcast for the first time across Radio 1, Radio 2, 1Xtra, 6Music and Asian Network from midday on Thursday 23 April and will see some of the music industry’s biggest stars collaborate on a cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Times Like These’ to raise money for charities, with the accompanying video to receive its world exclusive premiere during BBC One’s The Big Night In...

Machynlleth Comedy Festival returns with BBC Radio Wales

BBC Radio Wales is to broadcast the previously cancelled Machynlleth Comedy Festival on the radio. Spread across the original dates for this year’s festival, 1st to 3rd of May, The Machynlleth Comedy Festival on the Radio will feature stand-up and cabaret. In addition, BBC Radio Wales will also look back on the first 10 years of the festival with a documentary retrospective, talking to some of the acts who have performed at the event. All of the programmes feature Welsh comedy talent, with a mix of performers from the rest of the UK and around the world...

Europe’s Biggest Dance Show returns to Radio 1

Europe’s Biggest Dance Show returns with seven radio stations from seven different countries coming together for another seven-hour dance music simulcast. BBC Radio 1 will be partnering with stations from across the European Broadcasting Union to broadcast the dance marathon. Annie Mac will kick the show off at 7pm on Friday 8 May 2020 with an hour of exclusive mixes and interviews from UK acts before handing over to the next country. Annie says: “When we did this last year it was unprecedented and the reaction was huge. It felt genuinely special. This event is about harnessing the collective listening experience of radio, it’s about togetherness and I look forward to sharing my show with millions more listeners and six more radio stations.”...

Virgin Radio plans concert for 35,000 key workers

Virgin Radio and The Sun are planning to hold free concerts at venues across the UK as a thank you to key workers. Tour dates to take in The SSE Arena, Wembley on Wednesday 28 October, Manchester Arena on Thursday 29 October and The SSE Hydro Arena Glasgow on Sunday 1 November, assuming large gatherings are allowed by this time. The Wembley show will incorporate The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards, celebrating healthcare workers at the front line of battling the virus. 35,000 free tickets will be given away for key workers – from health care staff to bus drivers – as Virgin Radio and The Sun say a Big Thank You...

Greg Burns moves to new Hits Radio afternoon show

Changes at Hits Radio in reaction to the coronavirus pandemic include breakfast co-host Greg Burns moving to a new afternoon show. Greg will be on-air from 1pm till 4pm across the Hits Radio network of stations replacing Hattie Pearson who is currently in the slot. Hattie will remain with the station at weekends. The station says it has evolved elements of its music programming, competitions and afternoon show to meet the changing needs of audiences and their listening patterns during the lockdown period...

Music production album released for World in Crisis

Production studios around the world are creating music to use with coronavirus news updates. Beat Bakery in the UK has just released World In Crisis – an album created within two weeks in reaction to the pandemic. Shirlie Randall, Director at Beats Bakery told RadioToday: “We have found ourselves putting planned projects on hold as we react to the demand for news coverage and urgent reporting productions. It is impressive how the industry has reacted to working remotely and facing the challenges the lockdown has created, with it in most cases seemingly business as usual...

BBC Radio 2 names most played song of the decade

Pharrell’s Happy has been named the No 1 track in the Most Played Songs of the Decade programme broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Scott Mills counted down the Top 40 songs that have been played the most on UK radio and television since 2010, on Bank Holiday Monday from 2-5pm. Pharrell recorded an exclusive video message just for the programme in which he says: “Thank you, thank you. It is incredibly humbling to think that Happy is the most played song across radio in the UK for the past decade. “When I was a little boy hearing those letters, UK, and thinking about the culture and seeing all of my favourite artists that I loved as a child go over and perform big concerts and festivals – I just never ever thought that anything that I would ever do would be part of that history...

Virgin Radio to air Pete Mitchell tribute this weekend

A special show to celebrate the life and career of radio presenter Pete Mitchell, hosted by Chris Evans, will be broadcast on Virgin Radio UK on Sunday evening. Pete died suddenly last month, aged just 61, while out walking near his home in Stockport. His 34 years in radio as a presenter and producer had seen him work at stations including Piccadilly Radio, Key 103, Virgin, Radio 2, 6 Music and Absolute Radio. Perhaps most famous for his partnership with Geoff Lloyd on Virgin Radio in the 2000s, he’d most recently been making ‘Revolutions in Music’ documentaries for the new Virgin Radio...

Gary Barlow says thanks to BBC Radio Merseyside

Gary Barlow thanked BBC Radio Merseyside and all radio stations broadcasting during the coronavirus crisis in a chat with presenter Sean Styles. Speaking about his Crooner Sessions – where he duets with famous pals on social media to keep spirits up – Gary spoke of the importance of radio and entertainment in these times. He said: “It definitely makes a difference, everyone who is broadcasting right now – this is the time when they’re needed the most. It takes people out of the real world for that couple of hours that they’re listening – it’s such a lovely escape.”...

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...