1990 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 1990.

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Events

January

• 6 January – BBC Radio 2 becomes available on FM on Saturday afternoons for the first time. Previously the station’s FM frequencies were loaned out at this time to BBC Radio 1 but this is no longer necessary as Radio 1 is now available on FM across much of the UK. The weekday late evening ‘borrow’ had ceased in October 1988.
• 8 January –
  • BBC Radio 1 launches a new 30 minute news programme News 90 which replaces the teatime edition of Newsbeat.
  • BBC Radio 1 launches a new jingles package called ‘’Music Radio for the 90s’’.
• January – Frances Line replaces Bryant Marriott as controller of BBC Radio 2.[1]

February

• 7 February – Cool FM begins broadcasting in Belfast. It replaces Downtown Radio on FM with Downtown continuing on MW. Downtown continues to be available on FM in other areas of Northern Ireland.
• 11 February – BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on FM in south west England.[2]

March

• 4 March – Jazz FM, a station playing mainly soul and jazz music, launches with an Ella Fitzgerald concert at the Royal Albert Hall.[3][4]
• 17 March – Gary King joins Radio 1, to take over the early breakfast show, initially replacing Tim Smith at weekends before moving to the weekday early show to replace Jackie Brambles, who moves to the weekday drivetime show.
• 25 March – At 7 pm BBC Radio 2 becomes available on FM 24/7 for the first time after the final ever ’borrow’ of its FM frequencies by BBC Radio 1.
• 30 March – Ahead of major changes to BBC Radio 2’s output, Brian Matthew goes Round Midnight for the final time.
• 31 March – As part of the changes a weekend late night Arts Programme and Sounds of the 50s, presented by Ronnie Hilton, are launched with Brian Matthew taking over as host of Sounds of the 60s.

April

• 2 April – The changes to weekday programming on BBC Radio 2 begin on this date. Ken Bruce launches a new late night programme with Judith Chalmers replacing Bruce on mid-mornings, a weeknight late night jazz show called Jazz Parade is launched and a weekday guest afternoon slot is introduced featuring a different personality choosing their favourite music each week.[5]
• April – BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on FM in north east England.

May

• 24 May – BBC Radio 1 begins FM transmission in Central Southern England.[6] Also during 1990, the transmitters established in 1988 move to higher power.

June

• 1 June – Red Rose Radio, which was transmitted on 97.4 MHz and 999 kHz, is split into two stations – Red Rose Rock FM using the FM frequency and Red Rose Gold on the medium wave frequency.
• 22 June – Orchard FM expands its coverage southwards when a transmitter covering the southern parts of south Somerset and parts of north Dorset is switched on.[7]
• 25 June –
  • Spectrum Radio launches, broadcasting programmes for London's various ethnic communities. However the frequency allocated to the station was being used by pirate station Radio Caroline, thereby causing interference with Spectrum's transmissions. The Independent Broadcasting Authority, in agreement with the Department for Trade and Industry, allowed Spectrum to temporarily broadcast on 990 kHz alongside 558 kHz.[8] Caroline eventually vacated the 558 kHz frequency and the temporary transmitter was switched off.
  • The same day sees the launch of two more Incremental radio stations – Airport Information Radio, providing travel information for users of Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport, and Glasgow station East End Radio. Both turn out to be short lived. Airport Information Radio closes the following year and East End Radio closes when it had its licence revoked.[9]
• 29 June – Programmes For Schools are broadcast on BBC Radio 4 for the final time.

July

• 8 July – Wimbledon is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 for the final time. From next year, the event is broadcast on BBC Radio 5.

August

• August – Atlantic 252 starts broadcasting in the evening and is now on air from 6 am until 2 am.
• 15 August – BBC Radio 2 begins to wind down its transmissions on MW ahead of the launch of BBC Radio 5 by providing a daytime information service providing advice about how to listen to Radio 2 on FM.
• 20 August – The Moral Maze is broadcast for the first time on BBC Radio 4.
• 24 August – Listening Corner, the weekday lunchtime programme for small children, is broadcast for the final time. This marks the end of children's programming on Radio 4 until 1994.
• 26 August – Sport is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 for the final time and educational programmes are broadcast on BBC Radio 4's FM transmitters for the final time – educational programmes will return to Radio 4 in 1994 but will be broadcast only on long wave.
• 27 August –
  • The BBC's long awaited fifth national radio station, BBC Radio 5 is launched on the old Radio 2 mediumwave frequency. The station mainly carries sports, children's and educational programmes. Consequently, Radio 2 becomes the first national radio station in the UK to broadcast only on FM.
  • Following the transfer of all of BBC radio's educational and children's programming from Radio 4's FM frequencies to Radio 5, the full BBC Radio 4 schedule is available on FM for the first time.

September

• 1 September – Official launch of Kiss FM. The station had previously operated as a pirate broadcaster.
• 30 September – Mark Goodier replaces Bruno Brookes as host of BBC Radio 1’s Top 40 show.

October

• 1 October –
  • The Evening Session debuts on BBC Radio 1, presented by Mark Goodier.
  • BBC Radio 3 stays on air for an extra 30 minutes on weeknights, ending broadcasting at 12.35am. The station continues to close at midnight at the weekend.
• 6 October – The Superstation closes after 2 years 3 months on air after going into liquidation.
• 8 October – Severn Sound splits into two services, with Severn Sound continuing on FM with 3 Counties Radio launching on MW.

November

• 5 November – The last of the IBA's Incremental Radio licenses, Sunderland station Wear FM, starts broadcasting.

December

• 30 December – WABC begins broadcasting to Shropshire.

Station debuts

• 3 January – Clyde 2
• 17 January – BBC CWR
• 22 January – Radio Borders
• 7 February – Cool FM
• 17 February – KFM
• 4 March – 102.2 Jazz FM
• 18 March – Radio Thamesmead
• 31 March – Choice FM
• 6 April –
  • KCBC
  • Belfast Community Radio
• 12 April – BBC Radio Suffolk
• 15 April – Isle of Wight Radio
• 21 April – FTP
• 14 May – Buzz FM
• 21 May – South West Sound
• 1 June – Red Rose Gold
• 4 June –
  • Centre Sound
  • CityBeat
• 24 June – Chiltern Supergold
• 25 June –
  • Airport Information Radio
  • East End Radio
  • Spectrum Radio
• 9 July – Melody 105.4 FM
• 15 July –
  • Max AM
  • Touch AM
• 17 July – Magic 828
• 27 August – BBC Radio 5
• 28 August – Radio Harmony
• 1 September – Kiss FM
• 7 October – Mellow 1557
• October – Echo 96
• 5 November – Wear FM

Closing this year

Programme debuts

• March – And Now in Colour on BBC Radio 4 (1990–1991)
• 3 April – Jazz Parade on BBC Radio 2 (1990–1993)
• 2 June – Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel on BBC Radio 4 (1990–1992)
• 20 August – The Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4 (1990–Present)
• 30 August – Formula Five on BBC Radio 5 (1990–1994)

Continuing radio programmes

1940s

• Sunday Half Hour (1940–2018)
• Desert Island Discs (1942–Present)
• Down Your Way (1946–1992)
• Letter from America (1946–2004)
• Woman's Hour (1946–Present)
• A Book at Bedtime (1949–Present)

1950s

• The Archers (1950–Present)
• The Today Programme (1957–Present)
• Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
• Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

• Farming Today (1960–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)
• Week Ending (1970–1998)
• You and Yours (1970–Present)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–Present)
• Good Morning Scotland (1973–Present)
• Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
• Newsbeat (1973–Present)
• The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
• File on 4 (1977–Present)
• Money Box (1977–Present)
• The News Quiz (1977–Present)
• Breakaway (1979–1998)
• Feedback (1979–Present)
• The Food Programme (1979–Present)
• Science in Action (1979–Present)

1980s

• In Business (1983–Present)
• Sounds of the 60s (1983–Present)
• Loose Ends (1986–Present)
• Flying the Flag (1987–1992)
• Citizens (1987–1991)
• Top of the Pops (1988–1991)

Ending this year

• December – The Mary Whitehouse Experience (1989–1990)

Births

• 14 February – Jordan North, DJ

Deaths

• 2 April – Peter Jones, sports commentator (born 1930)
• 9 October – Richard Murdoch, comic actor (born 1907)

See also

• 1990 in British music
• 1990 in British television
• 1990 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1990

References

1. "Radio 2 chief appointed", The Times page 7, 3 October 1989
2. BBC Genome listing – Radio 1 11 February 1990
3. "Entertainment | Jazz FM goes for new smooth title". BBC News. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
4. Graham, Stephen (9 September 2010). "Jazz breaking news: Jazz FM To Air Ella Fitzgerald Historic Albert Hall Broadcast". Jazzwise Magazine. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
5. BBC Genome Project – BBC Radio 2 listings 2 April 1990
6. BBC Genome listing – Radio 1 24 May 1990
7. IBA Engineering Announcements 19 June 1990
8. IBA Engineering Announcements 5 June 1990
9. UK Radio History 3, Commercial Radio, ILR, Capital Radio, By Mike Smith Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine