2016 in British radio

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This is a list of events in British radio during 2016.

Events[]

January[]

• 18 January – Following Global Radio's purchase of Liverpool station Juice 107.6, the station is relaunched as Capital Liverpool.^[1]

February[]

• 19 February – BBC Radio Bristol stops broadcasting on MW following the sale of the land, on which the transmitter was located, to developers. In order to mitigate the loss of coverage the BBC switched on four new DAB transmitters in the area to help boost the station’s DAB coverage.
• 25 February – Tony Blackburn was sacked by the BBC^[2] and Mark Goodier takes over as temporary host of Pick of the Pops.
• 29 February –
  • The UK’s second national commercial multiplex starts broadcasting. However, only 73% of the UK's population is able to receive it.
  • Absolute 80s, Planet Rock and Premier Christian Radio switch from Digital One to the new multiplex although the stations continue to broadcast on Digital One until the end of April.^[3]
  • Jazz FM is made available nationally as a digital station again after leaving the national DAB multiplex at the end of 2013.^[4]

March[]

• March – Manchester station Real Radio XS is rebranded as XS Manchester.^[5]

April[]

• 9 April – Shortly after leaving BBC Breakfast, Bill Turnbull joins Classic FM to present the station’s weekend morning shows.
• April – After two months of broadcasting on both national commercial multiplexes, Absolute 80s and Planet Rock stop broadcasting on Digital One. Consequently, the stations are no longer available on DAB in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, parts of Scotland and Wales due to the reduced reach of the Sound Digital multiplex.

May[]

• 6 May – Orion Media announces that they have been bought by Bauer for an undisclosed fee, reportedly between £40 and £50 million.^[6][7] This gives Bauer the West Midlands network of Free Radio stations and East Midlands regional station Gem 106.
• 17 May – The Free Radio network's head of sport, Tom Ross, presents his final programme after 35 years working for BRMB, Xtra AM, Capital Gold and Free Radio.^[8]

June[]

• 1 June – A previous jingle package produced for Smooth Radio has been re-recorded for United Arab Emirates station by Salford based .^[9]
• 21 June – The BBC completes its roll-out of BBC Local Radio on Freeview.^[10]
• 22 June – Jazz FM announces it will extend its morning business programme, Business Breakfast from 30 minutes to an hour on 24 June to cover the results of the EU membership referendum.^[11]

July[]

• 9 July – Paul Gambaccini replaces Tony Blackburn as host of Pick of the Pops.

August[]

• 15 August – Jazz FM introduces a new schedule. Clare Anderson's The Late Lounge is dropped, while Mark Walker succeeds Helen Mayhew as presenter of Dinner Jazz. New one-hour programmes are also introduced at 6pm.^[12]

September[]

• 17 September – After 35 years, Robbie Shepherd retires as host of BBC Radio Scotland’s Take the Floor show.

October[]

• 28 October – Desmond Carrington presents his final show for BBC Radio 2, having presented weekly shows for the station for the past 37 years.^[13]

November[]

• No events.

December[]

• 31 December – Tony Blackburn returns to BBC Radio 2.

Station debuts[]

• 29 February – Heart Extra
• 15 March –
  • Talksport 2
• 21 March – Talkradio
• 27 March – Premier Praise
• 28 March –
• 30 March – Virgin Radio
• 9 September – Union JACK

Programme debuts[]

• 30 May – The Break on BBC Radio 4 (2016–2020)^[14]
• 5 November – 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy on the BBC World Service (2016–2017)

Continuing radio programmes[]

1940s[]

• The Sunday Hour (1940–2018)
• Desert Island Discs (1942 – present)
• Woman's Hour (1946 – present)
• A Book at Bedtime (1949 – present)

1950s[]

• The Archers (1950 – present)
• The Today Programme (1957 – present)

1960s[]

• Farming Today (1960 – present)
• In Touch (1961–Present)
• The World at One (1965 – present)
• The Official Chart (1967 – present)
• Just a Minute (1967 – present)
• The Living World (1968 – present)
• The Organist Entertains (1969–2018)

1970s[]

• PM (1970 – present)
• Start the Week (1970 – present)
• You and Yours (1970 – present)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972 – present)
• Good Morning Scotland (1973 – present)
• Newsbeat (1973 – present)
• File on 4 (1977 – present)
• Money Box (1977 – present)
• The News Quiz (1977 – present)
• Feedback (1979 – present)
• The Food Programme (1979 – present)
• Science in Action (1979 – present)

1980s[]

• Steve Wright in the Afternoon (1981–1993, 1999 – present)
• In Business (1983 – present)
• Sounds of the 60s (1983 – present)
• Loose Ends (1986 – present)

1990s[]

• The Moral Maze (1990 – present)
• Essential Selection (1991 – present)
• Essential Mix (1993 – present)
• Up All Night (1994 – present)
• Wake Up to Money (1994 – present)
• Private Passions (1995 – present)
• In Our Time (1998 – present)
• Material World (1998 – present)
• Scott Mills (1998 – present)
• The Now Show (1998 – present)

2000s[]

• BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2000 – present)
• Big John @ Breakfast (2000 – present)
• Sounds of the 70s (2000–2008, 2009 – present)
• Dead Ringers (2000–2007, 2014 – present)
• Kermode and Mayo's Film Review (2001 – present)
• A Kist o Wurds (2002 – present)
• Fighting Talk (2003 – present)
• Jeremy Vine (2003 – present)
• The Chris Moyles Show (2004–2012, 2015 – present)
• Annie Mac (2004 – present)
• Elaine Paige on Sunday (2004 – present)
• The Bottom Line (2006 – present)
• The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show (2006 – present)
• The Unbelievable Truth (2006 – present)
• Radcliffe & Maconie (2007 – present)
• Geoff Lloyd with Annabel Port (2008–2017)
• The Media Show (2008 – present)
• Newsjack (2009 – present)
• Paul O'Grady on the Wireless (2009 – present)
• Alan and Mel's Summer Escape (2009 – present)

2010s[]

• The Chris Evans Breakfast Show (2010–2018)
• Graham Norton (2010–2020)
• Simon Mayo Drivetime (2010–2018)
• The Third Degree (2011 – present)
• BBC Radio 1's Dance Anthems (2012 – present)
• Late Night Graham Torrington (2012–2020)
• The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw (2012 – present)
• Sounds of the 80s (2013 – Present)
• Question Time Extra Time (2013 – present)
• The Show What You Wrote (2013 – present)
• Friday Sports Panel (2014 – present)
• Home Front (2014 – present)
• Stumped (2015 – present)

Ending this year[]

• 28 October – The Music Goes Round (1981–2016)

Deaths[]

• 9 January – Ed Stewart ("Stewpot"), broadcast presenter (BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 1) (Junior Choice) (stroke)
• 31 January – Sir Terry Wogan, broadcast presenter (BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 1) (Wake Up to Wogan and Weekend Wogan) (cancer)
• 14 February – Ali Brownlee, football commentator (BBC Tees) (born 1959)
• 17 March – Cliff Michelmore, broadcast presenter (Family Favourites) (born 1919)
• 21 October – Dave Cash, broadcast presenter (BBC Radio 1, Capital London, Primetime Radio) (heart attack)
• 7 November – Sir Jimmy Young, broadcast presenter (BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 1, BBC Light Programme)

References[]