2008 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2008.

Events

• 11 January – Birdsong Radio launches on the Digital One platform following the closure of Oneword. The station features recording of birdsong, a device first employed in 1992 as a test transmission for Classic FM.^[1][2]
• 12 January – 100.7 Heart FM breakfast presenter Sarah-Jane Mee announces she will leave the show to join Sky News in London.^[3] She presented her final programme on 6 March.
• 12 January – The Forces Station BFBS beginn a trial period of broadcasting nationwide across the UK on DAB from midnight. The trial ran until 23:59 on 31 March 2008, and audience research carried out during this time concluded that it was successful. BFBS subsequently returned to DAB Digital Radio on a permanent basis.^[4]
• 25 March – Rachel New joins Ed James as the new co-presenter of the Breakfast Show on Birmingham's 100.7 Heart FM.^[5]
• 28 April – The Heart Network begins simulcasting some of its programmes from Heart 106.2 in London. There are now only ten hours of local programming from 100.7 Heart FM in Birmingham and Heart 106 in the East Midlands during weekdays and four hours on Saturday and Sunday.
• 30 June – It is announced that Chris Tarrant will return to radio, hosting a weekly Saturday morning show for the GMG Radio's network of stations including London's 102.2 Smooth Radio, Real Radio (Scotland) and the North West's Century Radio.^[6] The show will air in direct competition to Jonathan Ross's show on BBC Radio 2. It began on 26 July.
• 27 July – As part of the BBC Proms season, BBC Radio 3 broadfasts the Doctor Who Prom live from the Albert Hall in London. Before the concert, the Doctor Who mini-episode Music of the Spheres receives its premiere.
• 8 August – Thomas Quirk, the former managing director of Saga 105.2 FM (the predecessor to 105.2 Smooth Radio in Glasgow) criticises parent company GMG Radio's decision to sack six local Scottish presenters in favour of increased networking of shows from Smooth stations in London and Manchester. The station had operated a 24-hour schedule of local programming until August 2008.^[7]
• September – An interview on BBC Radio WM between Les Ross and writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli is criticised for its awkwardness in the music magazine The Word and in The Guardian newspaper (suggesting that the interview ends up more like an Alan Partridge tribute act). In the interview, Ross asked Singh about his views on self-identity in terms of race; confused his humorous book on Indian food with a serious radio documentary by Singh discussing genocide during the partition of India; and then mistakenly referred to Singh's book as a TV series. Singh remained polite, if baffled, throughout, before terminating the interview after 4 minutes.^[8][9][10]
• 10 September – BBC Radio 4 broadcasts the play Lost Souls, a spin-off from the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood
• 29 September – Virgin Radio changes its name to Absolute Radio.
• 4 October – BBC7 changes its name to BBC Radio 7.
• 11 October – The closure of Channel 4 Radio is announced.^[11]
  • Any Questions? broadcasts from Winchester to mark its sixteith anniversary.
• 14 October – The Radio 4 programme You and Yours undergoes a large change of format, with two presenters being replaced by one. The breadth of topics covered is also extended to global problems as well as those closer to home.
• 16 October – An episode of the Russell Brand Show, co-hosted by fellow Radio 2 presenter Jonathan Ross is recorded for transmission at a later date. The show includes Brand and Ross leaving four prank messages on actor Andrew Sachs's answerphone including offensive remarks about his granddaughter and use of foul language. The programme is subsequently broadcast on Saturday 18 October, partially censored, having passed the various pre-transmission checks from the programme's editors. Initially the programme only receives a negligible number of complaints regarding Jonathan Ross' bad language; however, after the incident is reported a week later by the Mail on Sunday a public outcry soon ensues. The case is referred to both Ofcom and the BBC Trust and in the interim Ross and Brand are both suspended for 12 weeks from all BBC programmes pending investigation. Soon after these announcements Russell Brand announces his resignation from the BBC shortly followed by Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas. Jonathan Ross is suspended from the BBC without pay for 12 weeks.^[12][13]
• 27 October – Former ITV Central Tonight presenter Joanne Malin joins BBC WM. She will present a mid-morning show from February 2009.^[14]
• 30 October – Lesley Douglas's resignation is announced.
• 21 November – London's 102.2 Smooth Radio announces that former BBC Radio Scotland and Pebble Mill presenter Paul Coia will replace Martin Collins as its Drivetime presenter.^[15]

Station debuts

• 8 January – 97.5 Smooth Radio
• 11 January – Birdsong Radio (2008–2009)
• 28 January – City Talk 105.9
• 15 February – Phonic FM
• 18 February – Exeter FM
• 15 March – Swindon 105.5
• 26 March – Oak FM
• 1 April – Rock Radio (North East)
• 4 April – Touch FM (Warwick)
• May – Andover Sound
• 5 May – 106.1 Rock Radio
• 2 June – Q Radio
• 16 June – Nation Radio
• 24 June – NME Radio (2008–2013)
• 1 July – Grooveradio
• August – Rhubarb Radio^[16]
• 9 August – South Birmingham Community Radio^[16]
• 14 October – Radio Hartlepool
• 30 October – The Coast (radio station)
• 5 November – Focal Radio (2008–2009)^[17]
• 8 November – The Bay 102.8
• 7 December – 106.5 Central Radio
• Unknown – Celtic Music Radio
• Unknown – Somer Valley FM

Relaunching this year after a break of one month or longer

• 8 October – Jazz FM (relaunched)

Closing this year

Deaths

• 30 July – Peter Coke, 95, actor^[20]

References