2009 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2009.

Events

• 5 January - Chiltern Radio, Hereward FM, Radio Broadland, Q103, Northants 96, SGR Colchester, SGR Ipswich, and Horizon Radio are all rebranded as Heart after earlier being acquired by Global Radio.^[1]
• 24 January - Jonathan Ross returns to his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 after finishing his 12 week suspension following his role in the Russell Brand Show prank telephone calls row.^[2]
• 27 January - Bob Shennan is appointed as Controller of BBC Radio 2 following the resignation of Lesley Douglas.^[3] He takes up the position in February.
• 23 March - Fox FM, GWR FM Bath, GWR Bristol, GWR FM Wiltshire, Champion 103, 2CR, Essex FM, Gemini FM, Severn Sound, Ocean FM, Lantern FM, Coast 96.3, Plymouth Sound, Orchard FM, South Hams Radio, Wirral's Buzz and 2-Ten FM are all rebranded as Heart.
• 1 April - Ownership of Touch FM (Banbury) is transferred to Banbury Broadcasting Company Ltd. The station was subsequently renamed Banbury Sound on 1 June.^[4]
• 3 April - Les Ross presents his final weekday afternoon show on BBC Radio WM as he prepares to retire from radio.^[5]
• May - Orion Media purchases BRMB, Mercia, Wyvern, Beacon in the West Midlands and Heart 106 in the East Midlands from Global Radio for a sale price worth £37.5 million.^[6]
• 22 May - The BBC says that Jonathan Ross's Radio 2 show will no longer be broadcast live following complaints about a joke he made on an edition of the programme which some listeners interpreted as being anti-gay.^[7]
• 30 May - Mo Dutta leaves Radio 2.^[8]
• 6 June - Zoe Ball joins Radio 2 as a weekend presenter.
• 7 June - Emma Forbes joins Radio 2 as a weekend presenter.
• 7 June - Rich Clarke presents the final edition of Hit40UK, which is succeeded by The Big Top 40 Show the following Sunday.
• 14 June - Launch of The Big Top 40 Show, a chart show broadcast on commercial radio stations in the UK, and based on a combination of airplay and music download figures provided by iTunes.
• 18 June - It is announced that the media executive Steve Orchard has bought the CN Group of Midland radio stations, having established the Quidem group. The stations involved in the purchase are: 107.3 Touch FM, 102 Touch FM, 96.2 Touch FM, 101.6 & 102.4 Touch FM and 107.1 Rugby FM.
• 22 June - Invicta FM, Southern FM and 103.4 Marcher Sound are rebranded as Heart.
• 1 July - Premiere of the Torchwood drama Asylum on BBC Radio 4.
• 2 July - Debut of the Torchwood drama Golden Age on BBC Radio 4.
• 3 July - Debut of the Torchwood drama The Dead Line on BBC Radio 4.
• 25 July - Chris Tarrant presents his last Saturday morning show for GMG Radio.
• 26 July - Malcolm Laycock presents his final edition of Sunday Night at 10 on BBC Radio 2.^[9]
• 29 July - Conservative leader David Cameron apologizes for any offence caused after using the word "twat" on live radio during a breakfast radio show interview on Absolute Radio.^[10][11]
• 2 August - Jazz singer Clare Teal takes over as presenter of Sunday Night at 10.^[9]
• 14 September - all programmes, apart from weekday/Saturday breakfast and Sunday afternoons, are networked across the KMFM network
• 18 September - Jo Whiley presents her final weekday program for BBC Radio 1.^[12]
• 21 September - Fearne Cotton takes over Jo Whiley's old mid-morning show on Radio 1.
• 1 December - Touch Radio is rebranded to Touch FM.
• 7 December - Les Ross returns to the airwaves when he becomes the presenter of the Big City Breakfast Show on Birmingham's Big City Radio 89.1.^[13]
• 13 December - Emma Forbes announces that she is to leave her Radio 2 Sunday morning show.
• 18 December - After 27 years, Sir Terry Wogan presents his final breakfast show on BBC Radio 2.^[14]
• Unknown - Aston FM changes its name to Big City Radio.

Station debuts

• 10 January - Vixen 101
• 1 February - Wight FM
• February - Felixstowe Radio
• 30 March - BBC Surrey
• 1 June - Amazing Radio
• 1 June - Banbury Sound
• 20 June - 96.5 Bolton FM

Station closures

• 28 May - Focal Radio (2008)^[15]

Deaths

• 8 November - Malcolm Laycock, 71, broadcaster and producer^[16]

References