BBC Radio Wales begins to appear on FM in the major conurbations for the first time. Previously, apart from in Gwent, the station had only been available on MW with the allocated block of FM frequencies for local broadcasting in Wales, which was only available in parts of the country, used by BBC Radio Cymru as BBC management had concluded that BBC Radio Cymru would not have enough listeners to merit nationwide coverage on a medium wave frequency.
22 January – Church leaders condemn Birmingham-based station BRMB's "Two Strangers and a Wedding" competition in which contestants entered a competition to marry a complete stranger.[2] The winners, Greg Cordell and Carla Germaine are married at a Registry Office in the city, but the couple are separated three months later.[3] Germaine later meets and marries BRMB disc jockey Jeremy Kyle.[4]
January –
Choice FM is taken over by the Chrysalis Group, which later renames it Choice FM Birmingham Galaxy 102.2.
London's dance/urban station Kiss 100 is rebranded by EMAP Radio with a new logo. The station introduces a more mainstream pop-orientated playlist which leads to criticism from some DJs and listeners.
February[]
No events.
March[]
No events.
April[]
26 April – Radio 2 presenter Johnnie Walker is suspended from his drivetime show after allegations concerning a drug problem appeared in the Sunday tabloid, the News of the World. Walker has been the victim of a tabloidexposé over his cocaine problem.[5]Richard Allinson presents the drivetime show during Walker's absence, while Tom Robinson stands in on his Saturday afternoon show.
April – Radio Regen is launched in Manchester to provide training in community radio. It broadcasts a two-month-long temporary radio station called City Centre Life 87.7.
May[]
24 May – Radio 2 says that presenter Sarah Kennedy is taking a week's holiday because of stress following a bizarre performance while standing in for Terry Wogan the previous Friday. This had included calling Ken Bruce an "old fool" and referring to the presenter of the day's Pause For Thought slot as "an old prune". The episode attracted a number of concerned calls to the BBC, while Kennedy blames the incident on a lack of sleep the previous night and apologises to listeners. She had been due to stand in for Wogan the following week, but takes time off instead.[6]
June[]
June – Launch of Sky News Radio, a service providing bespoke bulletins for Talk Radio.
18 June – Des Lynam presents his last Friday evening show on Radio 2.[7]
July[]
2 July – Ed Stewart presents his final weekday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 as he moves to weekends.[8]
2 August – It is announced that ITV has signed BBC sports presenter Des Lynam on a four-year contract to become the company's main football presenter.[11] Consequently, he will no longer present his Friday drivetime show on Radio 2.
19 August – BBC Radio 1 broadcasts its first split programming when it introduces weekly national new music shows for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. One of the new presenters is Huw Stephens joins the station and Bethan Elfyn also joins.[12]
September[]
11 September – BBC Radio 3's breakfast programme On Air is renamed Morning on 3.[13]
Thirteen years after Radio Victory had stopped broadcasting, Victory FM starts broadcasting to the Portsmouth area on a permanent basis, after six 28-day RSL FM broadcasts which took place between 1994 to 1998. Within weeks, the station is acquired by TLRC.
October[]
14 October – Managers at BBC Radio 2 reinstate Johnnie Walker after he is fined £2,000 by magistrates for admitting possession of cocaine, he will return to the airwaves 6 December.[16]
November[]
15 November – Britain's first national commercial DAB digital radio multiplex, Digital One, goes on air to England, and parts of Scotland and Wales – D1 did not become available in Northern Ireland until 2013. The stations carried on D1 at launch include the three national commercial AM/FM services – Classic FM, Virgin Radio (now Absolute) and Talk Radio UK (now talkSPORT) – along with two new digital-first stations – fresh pop service Core and classic rock station Planet Rock, both then under the ownership of Classic FM's then parent (and Digital One shareholder) GWR Group.
December[]
5 December – Despite having been banned by many radio stations, and panned by critics, Cliff Richard's single The Millennium Prayer – which features Richard singing the words of the Lord's Prayer to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" – reaches number one in the UK charts.
17 December – Britain's first million pounds prize is given away, on a segment of Chris Evans's Virgin breakfast show called Someone's Going to be a Millionaire (a reference to ITV's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which at the time has not had a million pound winner).
Unknown[]
BBC Radio 1 establishes its Live Lounge as part of the mid-morning show.
Bedford station B97 is rebranded back to its original name of Chiltern FM.