2004 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2004.

Events

• 5 January - Lesley Douglas succeeds Jim Moir as Controller of Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music.
• 5 January - Chris Moyles takes over the breakfast show on Radio 1.
• 6 January - The BBC announces that veteran broadcaster Barbara Sturgeon will leave Radio Kent at the end of the month to pursue other projects after two decades at the station.^[1]
• 12 February - 100.7 Heart FM presenter Tushar Makwana dies in hospital following a hit-and-run incident during a botched robbery attempt at his home in Birmingham a few days earlier. Four teenagers were later convicted of his murder and given 10 year jail terms.^[2]
• 1 March - Johnnie Walker returns to his Radio 2 drivetime show following a nine month break while he received treatment for cancer.^[3]
• 1 March - 100.4 Jazz FM is relaunched as 100.4 Smooth FM.
• 2 April - Chris Tarrant presents his final Breakfast show on London's 95.8 Capital FM after 17 years in the chair. He is succeeded by Johnny Vaughan.^[4]
• 7 June - Scott Mills takes over as presenter of the drivetime show on BBC Radio 1.
• 20 September - Mark Damazer succeeds Helen Boaden as controller of BBC Radio 4.
• December - Les Ross leaves Birmingham's Saga 105.7 FM following differences with station bosses. He claimed the station management was guilty of sending "nannying" e-mails which were turning him into a "robo-jock".

Station debuts

• 1 March - 100.4 Smooth FM
• 1 May - km-d (now KMFM Extra)
• 10 June - Kerrang! 105.2
• 7 September - Saga 105.2 FM

Station closures

• 28 February - 100.4 Jazz FM (1994)

Deaths

• 12 February - Tushar Makwana, 37, award-winning Birmingham based radio presenter
• 30 March - Alistair Cooke, 95, journalist, television personality and broadcaster, long time presenter of Letter from America^[5]
• 25 October - John Peel, 65, broadcaster and journalist^[6]
• 27 November - John Dunn, 70, broadcaster^[7]

References