Episodes
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1717: Producing a Radio 1 breakfast show - BBC Radio Scotland
A BBC Radio Scotland educational broadcast for primary school children - on producing the Radio 1 breakfast show in the days of Simon Mayo.
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1713: The announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on UK radio
The announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on a selection of national UK radio stations. With Twitter beating them all in timeliness, by its very nature, it shows, nevertheless, the role for radio in today's media world. A human voice leading listeners through challenging times.
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1710: Farewell, Tony Lyman - 2021
Tony Lyman began his radio career in hospital radio at Radio Nene Valley – whilst working as a postie - before making his radio debut on board the Voice of Peace, anchored just off Tel Aviv. From there, he joined Trent in Nottingham in May 1979, assuming the role of relief presenter before...
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1708: UK radio announces the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh - 2021
This montage illustrates how UK radio broke into regular programming on the event of the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh on Friday 10th April 2021. The gaps are as broadcast – there were several handbrake turns, as the internal procedures demanded. It does not do justice to the many...
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1707: Simon Mayo first on Greatest Hits Drive - 2021
In the most expected move in UK radio, Simon Mayo transfers from Scala weekdays to Greatest Hits Radio. He calls upon the decent 'new term' analogy - just as he did when beginning Radio 1 breakfast.
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1705: Simon Mayo announces move
When Simon arrived at Bauer-owned Scala Radio, a few of us stroked our chins and thought he'd turn up on Greatest Hits Radio before too long. On the 1st February 2021, he announced just that.
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1704: Final Jane Garvey Woman's Hour on Radio 4 - 2020
How many true radio greats are on air in a generation? A dozen? Jane Garvey is high on my version of that list. And if the list is a chart, she's still on the way up. She leaves Woman's Hour at just the right time to carve out a Jane-shaped future - where she can own the next decade in UK radio…
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1702: Pick of the Pops into Radio 2 continuity! - 1969
What a wonderful culture clash - with Alan Freeman at his peak hosting Pick of the Pops and hitting a Radio 2 junction.
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1699: Keith Skues final BBC show - 2020
27th September 2020 saw Keith Skues hit the stab on Mr Tambourine Man for the final time, as his 500th show marked the end of his broadcasting career at the BBC, aged 81. As he previewed some of the songs to come, he conceded that he might not fit them all in. Last shows can be like that. Other...
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1698: Cousin Brucie returns to WABC - 2020
The style and voice of characters like Cousin Brucie dominated AM radio in the 50s and 60s in the US - whilst life in UK radio was altogether more sedate. Gradually, life changed there as it has here. He moved around and his famous WABC went all talk. But in 2020 - some 46 years since he appeared...
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1697: Bauer station 'closedowns' - August 2020
2020 and another slew of stations reach the end of the road, as national radio brands become bigger. This time, Bauer incorporate more of their new acquisitions into their branded world after a journey which, thanks to the competition authorities, has been more protracted than any sane person…
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1696: The BBC Radio 5 story
On 27 August 1990 the BBC launched its fifth national radio station – Radio 5 - the first network addition since 1967, using the frequencies 693 and 909, formerly occupied by Radio 2. Radio 5 carried sport, educational and children’s programmes. In 1994 Radio 5 was replaced by Radio 5 Live,...
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1695: Dotty's last breakfast on BBC 1Xtra - 2020
Dotty's last breakfast show on 1Xtra on 30th July 2020
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1694: First Kiss breakfast with Jordan and Perri - 2020
The new breakfast show on Kiss launched on 3rd August 2020 with Jordan and Perri.
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1692: Norman Smith leaves the BBC - 2020
On 30th July 2020, Norman Smith announced his farewell from the BBC. He joined the BBC as a local radio reporter in 1986, becoming a parliamentary correspondent in 1993, appearing on BBC Radio 4 on Today and Yesterday In Parliament. Assistant political editor since 2014, his 6.33 morning...
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1691: The Bruno Radio 1 chart where Number Two came after Number One - 1986
If you’ve ever hosted a chart, you’ll know that precision counts. Every word. Every second. You have little space to adlib around errors inconspicuously. Remember that too in vinyl days without digits counting down in front of you, just a pile of black singles and a list of songs with your...
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1689: Times Radio launch - 2020
Times Radio launched on 29th June 2020. (Blog post to follow)
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1687: First American Top 40 with Casey Kasem - 1970
Making its debut on Independence Day weekend in 1970 on just 7 stations, the American Top 40 would grow to be heard around the World on more than a thousand stations in more than 50 countries. It was hosted at launch and through to 1988 by Casey Kasem. He was to be succeeded by Shadoe Stevens…
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1686: De Gaulle broadcasts from BH in 1945 - Stourton report on Radio 4
As the French government prepared to sign an armistice with the Nazis, President Charles De Gaulle turned up at BH on 18th June 1940 to broadcast to France on the BBC. This report, on the 80th anniversary of that momentous broadcast was compiled by Edward Stourton for Radio 4's World at One.
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1684: Tony Blackburn Top 40 issue - 1980
Things go wrong in radio. It happens to all of us. It's worse when they go wrong at the beginning of your show, as it then puts you in the wrong mood and things go downhill from there. Here, Tony Blackburn kicks off his Top 40 on the 25th May 1980. He's taken the trouble to pre-record the opener,...
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1683: Mental Health Minute, Commercial and BBC radio - 2020
I cannot think of any other time when so many commercial and BBC stations have united to broadcast a single co-ordinated message. The Mental Health Minute 2020 featured the voices of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, England captain Harry Kane, singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, actor David Tennant and...
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1682: Christian O'Connell, final link on Absolute Radio - 2018
Five months after announcing he was to leave, Christian O'Connell left Absolute Radio on May 18th 2018. He had hosted the breakfast show for 12 years, firstly on Virgin Radio then Absolute Radio as it re-branded. Christian moved to a new life in Australia - and a new career on-air at on Gold FM…
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1680: Pete Mitchell tribute, Virgin Radio - 2020
Pete Mitchell died on March the 12th 2020, aged 61. He'd been on-air for 34 years, and was well-known as one half of Pete and Geoff and for his time at Virgin Radio in the 2000s. Chris Evans pays this generous, fond and fitting tribute - as aired on Virgin Radio in April 2020.
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1679: 'Let my people go' COVID as heard on 77 WABC New York - 2020
Talk radio American style on COVID 19. Government is shutting down - and Mark Levin is not happy. 'Let my people go'. Truly shocking radio. 'You're telling everyone to stay home. And save toilet paper. And go on the internet and sing to each other...'
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1677: Reflections on The World Tonight - Douglas Stuart
On 10th July 1969, the BBC published a short report ‘Broadcasting in the 70s’, “to enable BBC radio to play a full part in the broadcasting pattern of the seventies”. The report, carried out by an internal study group, assisted by McKinsey & Co, acknowledged that ‘radio is very far from dead’…
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1674: Mickey Clarke ends on Wake Up to Money- 2020
As BBC news implemented its latest round of cuts, the axe fell on 5 Live's Wake Up to Money and Mickey Clarke said his goodbyes with a lengthy tribute on the programme on February 28th 2020. It coincided with the biggest fall in the markets since the financial crisis, but there was little doubt...
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1672: Final Sean Dunderdale Lincs FM bulletin - 2020
After almost 30 years at Lincs FM - graduating from rookie journo to head honcho - Sean Dunderdale left commercial radio in February 2020. Having hosted all his ‘last programmes’ (sport and the legendary Farming Programme), he dropped in for a farewell newscast. The bulletin was accommodated in a...
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1671: The UK exits Europe - 2020
A flick across BBC Radio 4, Radio Ulster, Radio Wales, BBC Scotland, BBC local radio, Hits Radio, Heart, LBC and Talk Radio at 2300 on 31st Jan 2019 as the UK left the EU.
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1670: BBC news coverage of the death of Nicholas Parsons - 2020
The death of Nicholas Parsons was announced on 28th January 2020. Hear, here his 'home service' Radio 4 announce the news - and enjoy the PM programme's fond coverage as panellists Gyles Brandreth and Janey Godley are offered 'just a minute' to tell why they regarded him so fondly.
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1669: Final 'Just a Minute' with Nicholas Parsons - 2019
Nicholas Parsons died in January 2020, aged 96. He'd been on air with his 'Just a Minute' programme on BBC Radio 4 since it began in 1967. Here, enjoy clips from his final edition - with Stephen Fry, Jan Ravens, Pam Ayres and Paul Merton - aired in September 2019. My tribute here.
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1668: Tony Blackburn chart show confusion - 1981
Most of us have done it at some stage in our career. Aired something that was not destined for so being. In the fortunate examples - such as this - there are no expletives. Tony likely kicked himself, though, as a perfect chart opener was not aired on 11th Jan 1981 as he no doubt produced - but…
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