Radio News

Steve Lamacq goes on tour with BBC Radio 6 Music

Steve Lamacq is taking his BBC Radio 6 Music show to five UK cities during Independent Venue Week 2020. The programme will be live from a tour bus in Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff, Exeter and Brixton, and Steve will be welcoming Mercury Prize-nominated Anna Calvi, Nadine Shah and Gruff Rhys, and Self Esteem and Frank Turner on his show from Monday 27 to Friday 31 January. Also appearing on the show are venue owners, movers and shakers and music fans, talking about the importance of independent venues in supporting new, emerging and more established artists and for local audiences too...

New direction for the sound of BBC Local Radio

All BBC local radio stations are getting a different sound for 2020 with a new jingle and imaging package from ReelWorld Europe. The first station to broadcast the new sound was the first BBC local radio station – BBC Radio Leicester – on Monday 6th January. A new strapline has been created “The Sound of [area] and all the music you love” along with an updated six-note logo. The previous network-wide package, produced by Mcasso, also featured a six-note logo, with listeners left to work out the words to match...

Jenni Falconer moves from Heart to Smooth Radio

Jenni Falconer joining Smooth Radio to present the breakfast show in London and nationwide on Smooth Extra after leaving Heart last year. She takes over from Gary King, who will present Smooth’s new, national early breakfast show from Monday to Friday, as well as continuing to host Saturday afternoons across the network. Angie Greaves, who joined Smooth last September to host the brand-new nationwide Smooth Drive Home, will present a new three-hour Sunday morning show. The Smooth Sanctuary at Seven will now run seven days a week till 10pm hosted by Gary Vincent from Sunday to Friday and Tina Hobley every Saturday...

Opinion: RadioToday industry predictions for 2020

One thing is for sure – radio is changing at an incredible pace. Keeping up with emerging products and making full use of smart technology is key. But whilst the art of ‘input’ is changing, the ‘output’ has remained fairly static for many decades. Listeners can still hear a friendly voice on the radio at all hours of the day – the major difference is where the voice is located and when they were recorded. But let’s dig deeper down into the industry and see what 2020 might bring...

Radio broadcasting into the new decade

Opinion: Michael Walbach, CEO, Central Media Group, writes about radio broadcasting into the new decade. “The media landscape may be in near-constant flux, but radio remains one of the most effective ways to reach an audience. In a time when the power of telling your own stories and news directly to audiences has arguably never been more important, radio’s reach and ability to engage not just one person but potentially whole offices of individuals at once is unparalleled. It can bring people together, and its often easy to overlook its amazing diversity of channels that speaks to very specific audiences."...

Radio is vital in local communities now more than ever

Opinion: Alistair Clarke, awarded an MBE for services to Social Enterprise in Lancashire this week, writes about the importance of radio in the community. “US Marine Toby Studabaker flew from America to Manchester and absconded with a young girl from Wigan. Media outlets from around the globe were onto the story. It was 2003 and little old me was the head of news at 102.4 Wish FM in Wigan with the biggest story in the world on my patch. I rang the headteacher of the girl’s school to ask if she’d do an interview."...

Annie Nightingale recognised in New Year Honours List 2020

BBC Radio 1 presenter Annie Nightingale has been awarded a CBE for services to radio in the New Year honours list. Annie joined the BBC in 1970 for a regular programme on BBC Radio 1 and remains there to this day with a weekly show, and will celebrate 50 years at the station next year. She was also appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to radio broadcasting in 2002. In 2004, Annie was the first female DJ from Radio 1 to be inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame...

Winners of BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2019 announced

Anna Haestrup from St Paul’s Girls School in London and William Miles-Kingston from St Peter’s School in York have been announced as the winners of the BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2019. The grand final took place at the BBC Philharmonic Studio at Media City UK, Salford. It was hosted by former Blue Peter presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and will broadcast in a special programme on Radio 2 at 6pm on 22 December. Anna is lead soprano at Saint Mary’s Church in Barnes and William sings in the St Peter’s Chapel Choir. Now in its 33rd year of broadcast, BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year celebrates...

Ruth Davidson returns to radio for LBC Christmas shows

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is joining LBC to host five Christmas specials next week. In An Inconvenient Ruth, the ex-radio journalist will look behind the public façade to uncover the achievements, challenges, victories and disappointments of her five guests each weeknight from 9pm till 10pm. Guests from Monday to Friday are former Chancellor-turned-Editor George Osborne, Labour peer Dame Joan Bakewell, the forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black, businesswoman Baroness Martha Lane-Fox and broadcaster Piers Morgan...

Paul Jones returns to Jazz FM for Christmas show after 15 years

One of Jazz FM’s original presenters, Paul Jones, is returning to the station as part of its Christmas schedule. Festive programmes include specials from comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris, and on New Year’s Eve Omar Lye-Fook MBE and The Brand New Heavies will see in the Big Ben bongs alongside Jazz FM’s John Osborne and Sarah Ward with a commercial-free party soundtrack. Marcus Brigstocke will join Jazz FM for two special programmes. On Christmas Day from 1pm, he’ll be joined by comedian wife Rachel Parris, as they celebrate their first Christmas together as...