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BBC Radio 2
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BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the UK. As well as having most listeners nationally, it ranks first in all regions above local radio stations. BBC Radio 2 played to 27% of the available audience in 2006. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. Programmes are relayed on digital radio via DAB, Sky Digital, Cable TV, IPTV, Freeview and the Internet. The station's FM signal is broadcast on a network of transmitters of 250kW or less, the strongest signals in Europe on FM.
History1967-1986The station launched at 5.30am on 30 September 1967, and evolved from the Light Programme, with some of the Light's music shows transferring to the newly-launched Radio 1.
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BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the UK. As well as having most listeners nationally, it ranks first in all regions above local radio stations. BBC Radio 2 played to 27% of the available audience in 2006. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. Programmes are relayed on digital radio via DAB, Sky Digital, Cable TV, IPTV, Freeview and the Internet. The station's FM signal is broadcast on a network of transmitters of 250kW or less, the strongest signals in Europe on FM.
History1967-1986The station launched at 5.30am on 30 September 1967, and evolved from the Light Programme, with some of the Light's music shows transferring to the newly-launched Radio 1. The first show had started at 5.30am (on the Light programme) but continued with Breakfast Special from Paul Hollingdale as Radio 1 split.
In early years, much programming and music was common to both stations, particularly on the shared FM frequency. Radio 1 was targeted at the audience of pirate radio stations whereas Radio 2 settled down as a middle-of-the-road station playing laid-back pop/rock, folk and country, jazz and big-band music, easy listening, light classics, and oldies, with significant amounts of comedy and sport. Notable broadcasters on Radio 2 in the 70s and 80s were Ray Moore on early breakfast, Terry Wogan on breakfast, replaced by Ken Bruce and later Derek Jameson; Jimmy Young and his lunchtime news and current affairs show; 'Diddy' David Hamilton on mid-afteroons, John Dunn at what became known as drivetime. Radio 2 became the first 24-hour radio station in the UK in 1979.
Frances Line: 1986-1996The station's policy remained stable with only minor changes until April 1986 when Frances Line, head of music, repositioned the station. She would become controller in 1990. An increasingly ageing Radio 1 audience was sticking with that station; Line repositioned Radio 2 to appeal exclusively to older listeners and introduced older presenters and light music pitched at over-50s. As a result, David Hamilton quit the station at the end of 1986, claiming the music policy had become geriatric; Terry Wogan's replacement Derek Jameson also appealed to an older, downmarket demographic. Although popular with its audience, the policy alienated younger listeners who had listened to both Radio 1 and Radio 2; the station's audience fell, taking another hit when sport moved to Radio 5 in August 1990; the rise of album-rock commercial stations (particularly Virgin Radio), also hit Radio 2's audience, taking younger listeners.
James Moir "The Nation's Favourite" - 1996 onwardsLine was replaced by James Moir in 1996. Moir repositioned Radio 2 with a largely AOR/contemporary playlist by day and more specialist broadcasting by experts in the evenings, moving many popular presenters from the increasingly youth-oriented Radio 1. Radio 2 is now "the nation's favourite", a title the BBC uses.
Radio 2 is the most listened to station in the UK, its schedule filled with broadcasters such as: Russell Brand, Sir Terry Wogan, Steve Wright, Chris Evans, Ken Bruce, Jeremy Vine, Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie, Janice Long, Johnnie Walker, Bob Harris, and Jonathan Ross.
The current positionThe station now has adult listeners, mainly from 30 and up. In recent years it has attracted more younger listeners. Its daytime playlist features music from the 1960s to the 1990s as well as contemporary chart, album and indie music. The station's appeal is broad and deep, with accessible daytime programmes and specialist programmes of particular types or eras of music.
Weekday evenings feature specialist music, including jazz, folk music, blues, country and western, reggae, classic rock, showtunes and biographies and documentaries on musical artists and genres. This specialist programming typically runs 7-8pm, and 10pm-12midnight.
Brian Matthew's "Sounds of the Sixties" remains on the Saturday schedule, Steve Harley's shorter "Sounds of the Seventies" running midweek.
On Sundays the schedule reverts to closer its old style, with presenters like Malcolm Laycock and David Jacobs and long-standing programmes like Sunday Half Hour.
Radio 2 does not broadcast complete works of classical music, the domain of Radio 3, or offer in-depth discussion or drama, the job of Radio 4. Jeremy Vine's weekday lunchtime show covers current and consumer affairs informally, a style pioneered Jimmy Young. Until Radio Five Live, Radio 2's medium wave frequencies carried the BBC's sports coverage. Radio 5 was created on Radio 2's mediumwave frequencies.
Like all BBC radio stations broadcasting to UK audiences, Radio 2 is funded by the television licence fee, and does not broadcast commercials.
BBC Radio 2's last closedown was at 02:02am on 27 January 1979. Sarah Kennedy, who after her 1980s television career, has been a daily early-morning presenter since 1993 was at the Newsdesk after Brian Matthew finished "Round Midnight". From 2-5am the following night, listeners heard "You and the Night and the Music". Radio 2 has the longest period of continuous broadcasting of any national radio station in the UK.
The BBC Pips are broadcast at 7am and 8am on weekdays, then at 5pm.
BBC Radio 2 moved its studios from Broadcasting House to the adjacent Western House in 2005 . Although the majority of programming comes from London, some shows are broadcast from other cities around the UK, including Birmingham and Manchester. For many years, the network's overnight presenters, such as Janice Long and Alex Lester, were based in Birmingham, but made the move to London in April 2008. Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie continue to present their show from Manchester.
In February 2007, Radio 2 recruited Jeff Smith, director of UK and International programming at Napster and a former head of music at Radio 1, as its new head of music. Smith joined the network on March 26.
Presenters and showsAn alphabetical list of current presenters is below.
Newsreaders and travel presentersAn alphabetical list of current newsreaders and travel presenters is below.
Notable programmingWeekday Breakfast ShowCurrently this slot is broadcast between 7:30am and 9:30am GMT, Monday to Friday and is hosted by Terry Wogan under the alternative title Wake Up to Wogan.
Presenter historySpecialist programmingMondays
Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Others
Stand-in presenters
Past presenters
Controllers
Logo History, Travel Reporters and Newsreaders
Logo images from TV & Radio Bits
External links
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