2000 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 2000.

Events

January

• No events

February

• 14 February – BBC Thames Valley FM closes because the station was not popular with listeners, resulting in the return of BBC Radio Berkshire and BBC Radio Oxford.^[1] Their programme schedules remain unchanged and most output continues to be shared.
• 17 February – Talk Radio UK is rebranded as talkSPORT.
• February – BBC Radio 2 presents its first annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

March

• 14 March – Chris Evans sells his Ginger Media Group to SMG plc for £225m.^[2] The sale made Evans the highest paid entertainer in the UK in 2000, estimated by the Sunday Times Rich List to have been paid around £35.5million.^[3]
• 25 March – BBC GLR changes its name to BBC London Live.
• 30 March – Zoë Ball presents her final breakfast show on Radio 1.
• 31 March –
  • Sara Cox takes over as Radio 1 breakfast presenter.
  • Katrina Leskanich presents her last night time show on BBC Radio 2.
• March – Helen Boaden is appointed as controller of BBC Radio 4.

April

• 3 April – Janice Long begins presenting the night time show on Radio 2.

May

• May – Virgin Radio is fined £75,000 (then the largest penalty imposed by the Radio Authority) for breakfast show presenter Chris Evans's repeated on-air endorsement of Ken Livingstone in the London mayoral elections.^[4]

June

• No events

July

• 10 July – Ten 17 changes its name to Ten 17 Mercury.

August

• 4 August, Radio 1 breakfast show presenter Sara Cox is reprimanded after saying live on air that Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother "smelt of wee"^[5]

September

• No events

October

• 21 October – The comedian Jack Docherty joins Radio 2 to host Saturday Night Jack. The show is aired for three months.

November

• No events

December

• 4 December – FLR 107.3 changes its name to Fusion 107.3FM.

Station debuts

• 26 January – Q97.2
• 1 May – 106.3 Bridge FM
• 2 May – Oneword^[6]
• 3 May – Choice 107.1
• 29 May – Kick FM
• 10 July – Argyll FM
• 25 July – 2BR
• 3 October – Real Radio Wales
• 16 October – PrimeTime Radio
• Unknown – Source FM

Closing this year

• 14 February BBC Thames Valley FM
• 28 September – Channel Travel Radio

See also

• 2000 in British music
• 2000 in British television
• 2000 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2000

References