2008 in British radio
Encyclopedia
This is a list of events in British radio during 2008.
Events
- 28 April - The Heart NetworkHeart NetworkHeart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
begins simulcasting some of its programmes from Heart 106.2Heart 106.2Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network.On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, Sky News Radio, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There are now only ten hours of local programming from 100.7 Heart FMHeart West MidlandsHeart West Midlands is a radio station based in Birmingham, England, as part of the Heart Network, with a regional license to broadcast to the West Midlands...
in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Heart 106 in the East MidlandsEast MidlandsThe East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
during weekdays and four hours on Saturday and Sunday. - 30 June - It is announced that Chris TarrantChris TarrantChristopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
will return to radio, hosting a weekly Saturday morning show for the GMG RadioGMG RadioGMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
's network of stations including London's 102.2 Smooth Radio102.2 Smooth Radio102.2 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the Greater London area, which replaced 102.2 Smooth FM on 26 March 2007, launched by Gavin McCoy with Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born"...
, Real Radio (Scotland)Real Radio (Scotland)Real Radio Scotland is an Independent Local Radio station in Central and Southern Scotland, owned and operated by GMG Radio. The station broadcasts from studios at Ballieston in the east end of the Glasgow on 100.3 & 101.1FM and on DAB.- Background :...
and the North West's Century Radio. The show will air in direct competition to Jonathan RossJonathan RossJonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
's show on BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. It began on 26 July. - 27 July - As part of the BBC Proms season, BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
broadfasts the Doctor Who Prom live from the Albert HallAlbert HallAlbert P. Hall is an American actor.Born in Brighton, Alabama, Hall graduated from the Columbia University School of the Arts in 1971. That same year he appeared Off-Broadway in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and on Broadway in the Melvin Van Peebles musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death...
in London. Before the concert, the Doctor Who mini-episode Music of the SpheresMusic of the Spheres (Doctor Who)"Music of the Spheres" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that premièred at the Royal Albert Hall in London before the Intermission of the Doctor Who Prom on 27 July 2008, for which it was especially made. The Doctor Who Prom, including the audio for...
receives its premiere. - September - An interview on BBC Radio WM between Les RossLes RossLes Ross MBE is a British disc jockey and long established personality in the West Midlands.-Early life and career:...
and writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh KohliHardeep Singh KohliHardeep Singh Kohli is a British writer and radio and television presenter.-Background:Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow in Scotland when he was four. His parents came to the UK from India in the 1960s. The family's roots lie in the Punjab. His mother was a social worker, and his...
is criticised for its awkwardness in the music magazine The Word and in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper (suggesting that the interview ends up more like an Alan PartridgeAlan PartridgeAlan Gordon Partridge is a fictional radio and television presenter portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan and invented by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring for the BBC Radio 4 programme On The Hour...
tribute act). In the interview, Ross asked Singh about his views on self-identity in terms of race; confused his humorous book on Indian food with a serious radio documentary by Singh discussing genocide during the partition of IndiaPartition of IndiaThe Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
; and then mistakenly referred to Singh's book as a TV series. Singh remained polite, if baffled, throughout, before terminating the interview after 4 minutes. - 10 September - BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcasts the play Lost SoulsLost Souls (Torchwood)"Lost Souls" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Joseph Lidster and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. It aired on 10 September 2008 in the Afternoon Play slot as part of Radio 4's Big Bang Day which celebrated...
, a spin-off from the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
spin-off TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from... - 29 September - Virgin Radio changes its name to Absolute Radio.
- 4 October - BBC7 changes its name to BBC Radio 7.
- 11 October - The closure of Channel 4 RadioChannel 4 RadioChannel 4 Radio was a radio brand launched by Channel 4 in January 2007. On October 11, 2008 the closure was announced. It incorporated Oneword, in which Channel 4 purchased a 51% share in 2005, although it relinquished this share to co-owner UBS Media in January 2008.Listeners were required to...
is announced. - 14 October - The Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme You and YoursYou and YoursYou and Yours is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began broadcasting in October 1970, its first presenter was Joan York. In the great rescheduling of April 1998 it was increased from a 25 minute programme to 55 minutes. In the 1980s it briefly ran...
undergoes a large change of format, with two presenters being replaced by one. The breadth of topics covered is also extended to global problems as well as those closer to home. - 16 October - An episode of the Russell Brand ShowThe Russell Brand Show (radio show)The Russell Brand Show is a radio show first broadcast in 2006 on BBC 6 Music. The show's host is English comedian Russell Brand, who is usually joined his by co-host and long-term friend, Matt Morgan, as well as the show's poet laureate, Greg "Mr Gee" Sekweyama...
, co-hosted by fellow Radio 2 presenter Jonathan RossJonathan RossJonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
is recorded for transmission at a later date. The show includes Brand and Ross leaving four prank messages on actor Andrew SachsAndrew SachsAndrew Sachs is a German-born British actor. He made his name on British television and is best known for his portrayals of Manuel in Fawlty Towers, a role for which he was BAFTA-nominated, and Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street.-Early life:Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany, the son of Katharina , a...
's answerphone including offensive remarks about his granddaughter and use of foul language. The programme is subsequently broadcast on Saturday 18 October, partially censored, having passed the various pre-transmission checks from the programme's editors. Initially the programme only receives a negligible number of complaints regarding Jonathan Ross' bad language; however, after the incident is reported a week later by the Mail on SundayThe Mail on SundayThe Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
a public outcry soon ensues. The case is referred to both OfcomOfcomOfcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
and the BBC TrustBBC TrustThe BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
and in the interim Ross and Brand are both suspended for 12 weeks from all BBC programmes pending investigation. Soon after these announcements Russell Brand announces his resignation from the BBC shortly followed by Radio 2 controller Lesley DouglasLesley DouglasLesley Douglas is a former British radio executive. She was the Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.-Early life:...
. Jonathan Ross is suspended from the BBC without pay for 12 weeks. - 30 October - Lesley DouglasLesley DouglasLesley Douglas is a former British radio executive. She was the Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.-Early life:...
's resignation is announced.
Station debuts
- 8 January - 97.5 Smooth Radio97.5 Smooth Radio97.5 & 107.7 Smooth Radio was an independent local radio station broadcasting to the north east of England. It launched at 8am on 8 January 2008, and was broadcast from new studios based at the Team Valley complex in Gateshead. The station competed with BBC Radio 2, aiming its music at listeners...
- 28 January - City Talk 105.9City Talk 105.9City Talk 105.9 is a commercial radio station in Liverpool, England. The station was awarded a licence by Ofcom on 9 November 2006 and the station launched on 28 January 2008. City Talk is a sister station to the existing Bauer Radio-owned Radio City and Magic 1548, and the stations share studio...
- 15 February - Phonic FMPhonic FMPhonic FM is a community radio station in Exeter, Devon, England. The station was set up in 2008 and started broadcasting on 15th Feb 2008. Phonic FM was originally call Vibraphonic FM and broadcast as part of a 1 month Music Festival in the City of Exeter called The Vibraphonic Music...
- 18 February - Exeter FMExeter FM-About:Exeter FM is a locally focused radio station for Exeter and the surrounding area that is designed to appeal to a broad range of adult listeners, particularly those aged 35–54, with a full service of comprehensive news and local information, engaging speech features and conversation and a...
- 15 March - Swindon 105.5Swindon 105.5SWINDON 105.5 is a community radio station for Swindon, Wiltshire fully licensed by media and communications regulator Ofcom. The station is run by volunteers and obtains its funding by donations from the public and local companies and from Ofcom grants...
- 26 March - Oak FMOak FMOak FM is a local radio station broadcasting across West Leicestershire as well as the town of Nuneaton in the English Midlands in the United Kingdom...
- 1 April - Rock Radio (North East)Rock Radio (North East)Real Radio XS is a classic rock independent local radio service broadcast on DAB in various parts of the United Kingdom...
- 4 April - Touch FM (Warwick)Touch FM (Warwick)107.3 FM Touch Radio is a radio station that broadcasts in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England.-History:OFCOM awarded the Warwick licence to the CN Group in January 2006 for their 2-Day FM application...
- May - Andover SoundAndover SoundAndover Sound is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in East Street, Andover, and serving North West Hampshire and parts of East Wiltshire....
- 5 May - 106.1 Rock Radio
- 16 June - Nation RadioNation RadioNation Radio launched on 16 June 2008 as a regional radio station broadcasting to the South Wales area from Neath.Nation Radio took over the Ofcom broadcasting licence held by Xfm South Wales when GCap Media sold the station to Town and Country Broadcasting for an unspecified fee on 30 May 2008....
- 24 June - NME RadioNME RadioNME Radio is the radio station from NME magazine, that broadcasts in a new commercially oriented alternative music format. It first began broadcasting on 24 June 2008.- History :...
- 1 July - GrooveradioGrooveradioLondon's Groove is an Independent Local Radio station based in London, created by media group TCPMEDIA in mid-2008, who subsequently also launched other stations throughout the UK....
- August - Rhubarb RadioRhubarb RadioRhubarb Radio is an internet and community radio station in Birmingham, England. It began broadcasting test transmissions in August 2008 from its studio in the Custard Factory...
- 9 August - South Birmingham Community Radio
- 8 October - Jazz FM (relaunched)
- 14 October - Radio HartlepoolRadio HartlepoolRadio Hartlepool is a full time Community Radio Station that broadcasts to the various communities in Hartlepool, England on 102.4 FM and online. The station went on air full time on 14 October 2008...
- 30 October - The Coast (radio station)The Coast (radio station)106 Jack FM is an adult hits format radio station broadcasting to a stretch of the English South Coast on 106 MHz & 106.6 MHz FM and on DAB Digital...
- 5 November - Focal RadioFocal RadioFocal Radio was a commercial radio station based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent and broadcasting to the two counties of Staffordshire and Cheshire in England....
(2008-2009) - 8 November - The Bay 102.8The Bay 102.8The Bay 102.8 is the community radio station for Poole, Bournemouth and the surrounding areas offering music and local information. The station was awarded a community radio licence by Ofcom in 2007 and began broadcasting on 8 November 2008. Community Radio stations in the UK are required to...
- 7 December - 106.5 Central Radio
- Unknown - Celtic Music RadioCeltic Music RadioCeltic Music Radio is a Community Radio station, broadcasting on 1530 kHz AM to the Glasgow and Central Scotland area. It can also be accessed via a...
- Unnown - Somer Valley FMSomer Valley FMSomer Valley FM is a local community radio that serves Midsomer Norton, Radstock and surrounding areas. The station is based in the grounds of Somervale School, though it serves the full community population in excess of 21,000, not just the school...
Station closures
- 11 January - OnewordOnewordOneword Radio was a British commercial digital radio station featuring books, drama, comedy, children's programming, and discussion. The station was available in the UK via digital radio and digital television and was streamed on the internet 24 hours a day worldwide...
(2000) - 11 January - Core RadioCore (radio station)Core was a digital radio station broadcasting across the UK on the Digital One and streamed online. It was aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds with a focus on new music.-Station history:Core was originally owned by GWR Group, now GCap Media...
(1999) - 26 March - Fosseway RadioFosseway RadioFosseway Radio was a local commercial radio station based in Leicestershire, and owned by Lincs FM Group. It served the south-west of that county, as well as North Warwickshire. It was based on Castle Street in Hinckley. The name of the station referred to the nearby Fosse Way, which marks the...
(1998) - 26 March - Oak 107 FMOak 107 FMOak 107 FM was an Independent Local Radio station owned by the CN Group and based on Prince William Road in Loughborough, Leicestershire in the UK.-History:...
(1999) - 31 March - theJazzTheJazztheJazz was a British commercial jazz digital radio station. The station was run by GCap Media and launched on Christmas Day 2006. originally as a non-stop jazz station on the Digital One DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the Internet....
(2006) - 23 December - Talk 107Talk 107talk107 was a radio station based in Edinburgh, Scotland, broadcasting a phone-in based talk format. It was the UK's first local commercial talk licence to be awarded outside London and was the only station of its kind in Scotland...
(2006)