2001 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2001.

List of years in British radio (table)
In British television
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
In British music
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
In British film
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

Events

January
  • 31 January – BBC Radio 2 begins broadcasting the eight-part series, Kirsty MacColl's Cuba, which was postponed as a mark of respect following her death in December 2000.[1]

February

March
  • No events

April
  • No events

May
  • 10 May – For the first time, BBC Radio 2 becomes the UK's most listened to radio station, overtaking BBC Radio 1. [2] It has held that position ever since.

June
  • 28 June – Chris Evans is dismissed by Virgin Radio for repeatedly failing to arrive at work. Evans was replaced by the older Steve Penk, whom Evans criticised for his age – 39 versus Evans's then 35.[3] Evans subsequently attempted to sue Virgin Radio, claiming that he was unfairly dismissed and denied share options worth £8.6 million,[4] but in 2003 was found to have been fairly dismissed and not entitled to the share options.[5]

July
  • No events

August

September
  • 11 September – Following a terrorist attack on the United States, and the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City, live on television, most broadcasters abandon regular programming in order to provide up to date coverage of unfolding events.
  • September – the KM Group rebrands its newly acquired Mercury FM stations as KMFM West Kent and KMFM Medway.

October
  • 1 October – BBC Radio 2 starts broadcasting a weekly album chart show. The one-hour programme is broadcast on Monday evenings and is presented by Simon Mayo.[6]
  • 4 October – Premier Christian Radio receives an official warning from the Radio Authority for broadcasting "items that were offensive to people of other, non-Christian beliefs".[7]
  • 16 October – Saga 105.7 FM, the first radio station dedicated to the over-50s, is launched in Birmingham.
  • October – BBC London Live changes its name to BBC London 94.9.
  • October – BBC Three Counties Radio launches opt-out programming for the county of Buckinghamshire.
  • October – The Sky News Radio service is expanded to provide hourly news bulletins, audio and scripts for a number of clients in the commercial radio sector.

November
  • 2 November – It is reported that police are to examine an edition of BBC Radio 2's Jimmy Young Show broadcast on 31 October to decide whether comments made on the programme by Abdul Haq, a spokesman for the extremist Muslim group al-Muhajiroun amount to incitement. Haq said he and other Muslims would "continue to struggle and strive until we see the flag of Islam flying over 10 Downing Street". The show drew over 200 complaints.[8][9]
  • 24 November – On the tenth anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death, BBC Radio 2 airs The Mercury Tapes, a programme featuring recently discovered recordings made by David Wigg in which he talks to the Queen frontman about his life and music.[10]

December
  • 17 December – Release of the Gordon Haskell song How Wonderful You Are which was issued as a single after mass promotion by BBC Radio 2 where it became a favourite of listeners after being played on the Johnnie Walker show.[11] The song was the most requested song of all time at the station and became the Christmas number-two in the UK charts.[12]
  • 20 December – Enda Caldwell presents Atlantic 252's final programme before the station goes off air after twelve years. It continued with an automated output for a few weeks before finally ending in January 2002.
  • 25 December – Classic FM broadcasts its Nation's Favourite Christmas Carol countdown for the first time.
  • December – The eight medium wave Magic stations in northern England begin networking 10 am – 2 pm and 7 pm – 6 am with the London station Magic 105.4 providing the programmes.

Station debuts

Closing this year

Programme debuts

Continuing radio programmes

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

Ending this year

Deaths
  • 27 March – Irene Thomas, 80, radio personality
  • 26 April – Bryon Butler, 66, football correspondent
  • 22 October – Cliff Adams, 77, musician and bandleader[13]
gollark: You can see the intellectual content I put in to test the search engine.
gollark: However, Minoteaur 8.
gollark: Oh, right.
gollark: Built by whom?!
gollark: Obviously, only people who care about their appearance relative to certain groups' metrics care about nail scissors, so it makes sense.

See also

References
  1. "ENTERTAINMENT | Postponed MacColl series airs". BBC News. 2001-02-01. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/may/10/broadcasting.bbc Radio 2 is top UK station]
  3. "Penk replaces Evans at Virgin Radio". BBC News. 2001-07-02. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  4. "Evans sues for lost Virgin shares". BBC News. 2001-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  5. "Christopher Evans v SMG Television et al". Royal Courts of Justice. 2003-06-23. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/jul/20/broadcasting.bbc Simon Mayo to front Radio 2 album show]
  7. Notes of Radio Authority Meeting, Radio Authority, 4 October 2001.
  8. Leonard, Tom (2 November 2001). "Police study Jimmy Young Show after 'incitement' complaints". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  9. Higham, Nick (1 November 2001). "The media battles on". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  10. "The Mercury Tapes – BBC Radio 2 – 24 November 2001 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  11. Eden, Richard (24 December 2001). "And then they go and spoil it all for Gordon Haskell". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  12. "Haskell's 'old school' rules". BBC News. 13 January 2002. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  13. "Cliff Adams obituary". The Guardian. 1 November 2001. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
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