2020 in British radio

This is a list of events taking place in 2020 relating to radio in the United Kingdom.

List of years in British radio (table)
In British television
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
In British music
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
In British film
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023

Events

January

February
  • 1 February – The final edition of Brexitcast, recorded as a podcast for radio and titled "Over and Out!", is released.[12]
  • 4 February – The BBC announces plans to launch twenty new radio shows on its BBC Sounds platform.[13]
  • 6 February –
    • Audience figures released by RAJAR indicate that Zoe Ball's breakfast show on Radio 2 was heard by 8.25 million listeners during the final quarter of 2019, an increase of 335,000 on the previous quarter, and reversing a six-month period of decline in the show's listeners.[14]
    • Newscast makes its debut on BBC Radio 5 Live.[15]
  • 20 February – Absolute Radio announces the launch of Absolute Radio 20s, its latest decades-themed radio station.[16]
  • 27 February – Controller of BBC Sounds, Jonathan Wall, announces the launch of a new 24-hour 'Radio 1 Dance' stream on the service in the spring.[17]

March
  • 12 March – Global closes Heart Extra and Smooth Extra on DAB and the Global Player. They are replaced the station with the national feed of both Heart and Smooth
  • 13 March – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, scheduled for the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend, is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Organisers subsequently run an alternative event called Big Weekend UK 2020, with acts appearing on one of five virtual stages and performed from their homes; the event also features past performances from previous Big Weekend events.[19]
  • 14 March – Anneka Rice takes a break from her Radio 2 show for a while.
  • 15 March – Paul O'Grady takes a break from his Radio 2 show for a while.
  • 17 March – The BBC announces major changes to the schedule across the network due to the coronavirus pandemic. On radio the BBC World Service programmes The World This Week, World Update and Weekend are all suspended. Radio news summaries on Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live are merged into a single output, with BBC 6 Music using the same script. The BBC Asian Network and Newsbeat work together to maintain production of stories. Week in Westminster which broadcasts on Radio 4 is also suspended.[20]
  • 18 March – Leeds-based radio news bulletin provider Radio News Hub is producing a daily ten-minute round-up of coronavirus news from around the world that will be made available to radio stations free of charge.[21]
  • 19 March – Sounds of the 90s launches on BBC Radio 2 with Fearne Cotton and to mark the launch, Radio 2 plays 90s music throughout the following day.[22]
  • 20 March – Rhod Sharp presents BBC Radio 5 Live's overnight programme Up All Night for the final time. He had presented the programme for more than 25 years, which launched when 5 Live started broadcasting in March 1994.
  • 20 March – After three years at Heart, Sian Welby switches to Capital Breakfast which is hosted by Roman Kemp and co-hosted by Sonny Jay. Welby replaces Vick Hope, who left on 21 February.
  • 23 March – In order to prioritise resources in response to the coronavirus pandemic, BBC Radio 5 Live suspends overnight programmes between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. and carries the output of BBC Radio London.[23]
  • 28 March – As part of the BBC's Make a Difference campaign, BBC Local Radio announces that it has teamed up with manufacturers, retailers and the social isolation charity WaveLength to give away free DAB radios to vulnerable people over the age of 70, beginning on 30 March.[24]
  • 28 March – Huey Morgan takes a break from his Radio 2 broadcasting for a while, and The Radio 2 Rockshow with Johnnie Walker takes a break from the airwaves for a while.
  • 29 March –

April
  • 2 April – At 9.00am, BBC Radios 1, 2, 1Xtra, 6 Music and Asian Network join together for The Great British Singalong, a broadcast aimed at getting the whole nation singing during the coronavirus lockdown. Presenters from each station take turns to play tracks suggested by members of the public who can then sing along with them.[26][27]
  • 12 April – Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night is moved to Sundays for a while.
  • 18 April – Radio 4's The Archers will air a series of episodes from its archives featuring key moments from the series due to difficulty recording episodes during the coronavirus lockdown. The episodes will be broadcast for three weeks from 3 May.[28]
  • 30 April – The British Library is to archive hundreds of essays submitted to BBC Radio 4's PM programme by listeners detailing their coronavirus experiences. The Covid Chronicles, launched in March, has seen listeners submit their accounts of their lives during the lockdown restrictions, some of which have been broadcast.[29]

May
  • 7 May – Bauer Radio announces plans to close Liverpool station Radio City Talk.[30]
  • 8 May – Europe's Biggest Dance Show takes place, with Radio 1 representing the UK for the 2nd time.
  • 12 May – Radio 3 announces plans to resume live concerts from June, having suspended them at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. A series of lunchtime concerts at London's Wigmore Hall will be held without an audience present.[31]
  • 15 May – Radio 1 confirms that its presenter, Maya Jama, has left the station, with her final show broadcast on 3 May.[32]
  • 18 May – At 10.59am most of the UK's radio stations join together for the Mental Health Minute, a one-minute broadcast that seeks to raise mental health awareness and featuring a number of famous names, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. BBC Radio Four joins the broadcast for the first time this year.[33]
  • 25 May – The Archers returns to Radio 4 after a three week break, with new episodes adapted for the lockdown restrictions. Actors are recording at home and the series features a series of monologues offering a glimpse into the characters' private thoughts rather than the usual interactions with each other.[34]
  • 27 May – Bauer announces that the majority of the stations it acquired from UKRD, Lincs, Wireless and Celador will be joining the Greatest Hits Radio network from September, clustered to provide regional programming outside of network hours. Four of the acquired stations will join the Hits Radio network, retaining local names and a daily breakfast show, and three stations – Lincs FM, Pirate FM and SAM FM Bristol – will continue as largely standalone stations.[35]
  • 30 May – Saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown joins Jazz FM to present the Saturday afternoon programme YolanDa Brown on Saturday.[36]

June
  • 1 June – An episode of Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage becomes the first BBC programme to be recorded with a live audience at home.[37]
  • 2 June –
    • BBC Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo wins praise for a candid and emotional on air speech about the death of George Floyd and her own mental health.[38]
    • The launch date for Times Radio is confirmed for 29 June, while the station's schedule is also published.[39]
  • 7 June – Paul O'Grady returns to Radio 2.
  • 11 June – Nigel Farage leaves his presenting role at LBC with immediate effect.[40]
  • 20 June – Huey Morgan returns to Radio 2.
  • 21 June – Angela Scanlon returns to Radio 2.
  • 24 June – Chris Evans relaunches his 500 Words children's writing competition on Virgin Radio.[41]
  • 29 June – Times Radio launches at 6 am.[42]

July
  • 2 July – In a bid to save £25m by 2022, the BBC announces plans to cut 450 jobs in its regional television news and current affairs programming, local radio and online news services in England. These will include restructuring some regional programmes, and making permanent changes to local radio that were introduced during the COVID-19 outbreak.[43]
  • 12 July – Don Black announces the new series of his Sunday evening Radio 2 show will be his last and he is to leave the station in October 2020.
  • 15 July – Alice Levine announces she is to leave BBC Radio 1, with her last show airing on 9 August.[44]
  • 16 July – Bauer announces that Radio Aire will close on 1 September after 39 years on air. Its frequency will be transferred to Greatest Hits Radio.[45]
  • 24 July – Dame Jenni Murray announces she is leaving Radio 4's Woman's Hour after 33 years; she will present her final edition of the programme on 1 October.[46]
  • 31 July-2nd August – Radio 1's Dance Weekend took place to fill what would have been the 25th year in Ibiza

August
  • 8 August – The BBC 1Xtra presenter Sideman quits the station because of the BBC's use of the N-word during a report about a racially-motivated attack on a local news programme.[47]
  • 13 August – Radio 1 announces that Vick Hope will join the station to present the Sunday afternoon Life Hacks show alongside Katie Thistleton. Hope will also present Official Charts: First Look, also on Sundays, as part of a network revamp from 1 September.[48]

September

October

November

December

Station debuts

Closing this year
DateStationDebut(s)
12 March Heart Extra 2016
Smooth Extra 2014
31 May Radio City Talk 2008
1 September Radio Aire 1981

Programme debuts

Continuing radio programmes

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Ending this year

Deaths
gollark: I was very wise and foresighted, you see.
gollark: I definitely noticed that and did not foolishly assume you hadn't edited it to say zero instead of one.
gollark: We voted democracyicially to be unable to vote for things.
gollark: No. That is unlegal.
gollark: Don't do that.

References
  1. "Jenni Falconer moves from Heart to Smooth Radio". Radio Today. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. "John Humphrys joins Classic FM on a permanent basis". Radio Today. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  3. "BBC Radio to close more medium wave transmitters". January 14, 2020.
  4. "Frequency Finder – FM and AM radio updates". www.frequencyfinder.org.uk.
  5. Martin, Roy (15 January 2020). "Tony Hall confirms BBC Local Radio changes are coming". Radio Today. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  6. Martin, Roy (22 January 2020). "Brexitcast to end as UK departs EU this month". Radio Today. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  7. Cremona, Patrick (23 January 2020). "Brexitcast to end as Britain leaves the EU". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  8. "Jo Brand: Ofcom to take no further action over battery acid joke". BBC News. BBC. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  9. "BBC News to close 450 posts as part of £80m savings drive". BBC News. BBC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  10. "The Times unveils plan for digital talk radio station". BBC News. BBC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  11. "Sarah Sands: Radio 4's Today editor to stand down". BBC News. BBC. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  12. "BBC Radio 5 live – Brexitcast, Over and Out!". BBC. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  13. Lerone, Toby (4 February 2020). "BBC to launch 20 new radio shows on Sounds". Radio Today. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  14. "Zoe Ball breakfast show sees listeners rise after six months of decline". BBC News. BBC. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  15. "But still wanging on about Brexit". BBC News. BBC. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  16. Collins, Steve (20 February 2020). "Bauer announces Absolute Radio 20s". Radio Today. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  17. "BBC Radio 1 Dance to launch on BBC Sounds". Radio Today. Radio Today. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  18. "Radio 1 Big Weekend cancelled due to coronavirus". BBC News. BBC. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. "Radio 1 announces alternative Big Weekend 2020 line-up". BBC News. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  20. "BBC News sets out plans to keep audiences receiving trusted and accurate information" (Press release). BBC. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  21. "Free daily coronavirus news round-up available". Radio Today. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  22. "BBC Radio 2 – Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton". Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  23. "BBC Radio 5 Live to take Radio London overnight shows". Radio Today. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  24. "BBC to give away DAB radios to some over 70s". Radio Today. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  25. "Coronavirus: The Archers to reflect global outbreak in May". BBC News. BBC. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  26. "BBC stations join forces for nationwide singalong". BBC News. BBC. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  27. "BBC radio stars lead the nation in a mass singalong". BBC News. BBC. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. "Coronavirus: The Archers BBC R4 soap to broadcast archives". BBC News. BBC. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  29. "Coronavirus: British Library to archive Radio 4's Covid Chronicles for posterity". BBC News. BBC. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  30. Clarkson, Stuart (7 May 2020). "Bauer announces plans to close Radio City Talk in Liverpool". Radio Today. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  31. "BBC Radio 3: Live music to return with lunchtime concerts". BBC News. BBC. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  32. "Maya Jama leaves her job as Radio 1 presenter". BBC News. BBC. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  33. "Voices revealed for 2020 Mental Health Minute". Radio Today. 18 May 2020.
  34. "The Archers returns with a lockdown twist". BBC News. BBC. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  35. "Most of acquired Bauer stations to become Greatest Hits Radio". May 27, 2020.
  36. "Sax player and broadcaster YolanDa Brown joins Jazz FM". Radio Today. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  37. McIntosh, Steven (2 June 2020). "The Infinite Monkey Cage: BBC radio show trials virtual audience". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  38. Savage, Mark (2 June 2020). "Clara Amfo praised for emotional anti-racism speech on Radio 1". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  39. Lerone, Toby (2 June 2020). "Launch date and schedule revealed for Times Radio". RadioToday. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  40. "Nigel Farage leaves radio station LBC". June 11, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  41. "Evans relaunches 500 Words for Black Lives Matter". June 24, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  42. Waterson, Jim (29 June 2020). "Times Radio launches with Boris Johnson and Malawi mix-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  43. "BBC announces cuts to English regional shows". 2 July 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  44. "Alice Levine to leave Radio 1". July 15, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  45. Radio Aire to become Greatest Hits Radio, Radio Today, 16 July 2020
  46. "Dame Jenni Murray to leave Woman's Hour". July 24, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  47. "Sideman quits Radio 1Xtra over BBC's use of slur". August 8, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  48. "Vick Hope to join BBC Radio 1". August 13, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  49. Hanley, James (2020-01-21). "Virgin Radio Groove officially launches". Music Week. London: Future. ISSN 0265-1548. Retrieved 2020-05-11. Targeted at 30–45 year olds, Virgin Radio Groove is a presenter-led channel focused on rhythmic pop, beginning at 6.30am with the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, followed by Chris Brooks (10am-2pm), Steve Denyer (2pm-6pm) and Bam (6pm-10pm).
  50. Lerone, Toby (2 June 2020). "Launch date and schedule revealed for Times Radio". RadioToday. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  51. "BBC radio presenter Stephen Clements dies aged 47". BBC News. BBC. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  52. "Peter Hobday". The Daily Telegraph. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  53. "Obituary: Nicholas Parsons". BBC News. BBC. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  54. "Pete Mitchell: Former BBC Radio 2 presenter dies aged 61". BBC News. BBC. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  55. "Roy Hudd, actor and comic, dies aged 83". BBC News. BBC. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
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