BBC London 94.9
Encyclopedia
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio
station, and part of BBC London
. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM
, DAB
, Virgin Media
Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 (in London area only) and also online. BBC London 94.9's Managing Editor is David Robey.
Although the station is only on the Sky Digital EPG in London, it is still available on Sky, via manual tuning, to the rest of the UK in this format.
The station's output is broadly similar to other BBC local radio stations and aims at a general mainstream audience. Previous incarnations of the station had offered a more diverse range of programmes for London's various ethnic, religious, social and cultural communities. Some specialist programming remains and is mostly broadcast at the weekend.
Most programmes contain a lot of speech (including interviews, studio guests, banter between presenters and phone in
s) but many also feature music to a greater or lesser degree. The varied styles of music played on the station is the key element which differentiates BBC London 94.9 from London's other major speech based radio station, LBC 97.3
.
Saturday:
Sunday:
Reporters:
Weather presenters:
During the cricket
season, BBC London 94.9 also supports Internet-only streamed commentary of all games featuring Surrey County Cricket Club
(with Mark Church
as main commentator) and Middlesex County Cricket Club
(with Kevin Hand as main commentator). The commentators give brief updates on the games' progress on the main BBC London 94.9 broadcast throughout the day.
Presenters and commentators:
s. The current crop of presenters include Jules Lang, Steve Phillips, Billy Reeves
, Matt Jones, Pippa Sparkes, Paul Murphy, Fiona McKinnon, Louise Pepper, and Lewis Gillingham. The "JamCams" are also available 24 hours a day online.
The travel presenters also have a Twitter feed carrying the latest London traffic and travel information bbctravelalert
current average in 2011 is 554,000.
, Central London
was opened by Guglielmo Marconi
and became the British Broadcasting Company
's first radio station. The first-ever news bulletin was read by Arthur Burrows. "2LO Calling" was its call-sign and preceded all programmes on the air. In 1923 2LO moved to bigger premises with studios adjacent to the Savoy Hotel in London. Its transmission tower was located on the roof of Selfridges
department store in the West End
. In 1930 2LO evolved into two programming networks: the BBC National Programme
and the BBC Regional Programme
, 2LO being integrated into the latter.
as part of the second wave of BBC local stations, following a successful pilot project headed by Frank Gilliard, who on visiting the United States discovered local radio stations of varying formats and was to bring this concept to Britain
.
Test transmissions for the new local radio station were carried out from Wrotham
, Kent
on 95.3 MHz in FM
mono, relaying BBC Radio 1
(which was at the time only broadcast on medium wave), with several announcements informing listeners of the new service. On 6 October 1970 BBC Radio London was launched, three years before commercial radio for Greater London
in the guise of LBC. An additional medium wave frequency was allocated on 1458 kHz (206 metres) from Brookman's Park. 95.3 soon changed to 94.9.
Radio London was the local station for the capital however in the early days it relied heavily on news reports from other stations in the BBC network and often shared programming with BBC Radio 2
. It took on a fairly lively sound and featured (and still does to this day) extensive traffic reports, phone-in programmes—where it pioneered the daily phone-in in the UK—and lots of contemporary and middle-of-the-road music. For several months after lunch the station was not able to play commercial records as no agreement had been reached over so-called needle time
, which led to London listeners becoming acquainted with broadcast library music from outside the UK (notably the Canadian Talent Library) and music from film soundtracks. A phone-in programme, Sounding Brass
, was pioneered, devised and first presented by Owen Spencer-Thomas
in 1977. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army
brass band stood by in the studio to play their request live. It later moved to BBC Radio 2 and was presented by Gloria Hunniford
.
As soon as Independent Local Radio
stations LBC
and Capital Radio
went on-air public attention to Radio London declined with the station attempting to copy both. Its to be noted that the name Radio London is not to be confused with Wonderful Radio London
, an off-shore commercial pop music station which was silenced before the launch of BBC Radio 1.
BBC Radio London started regular broadcasts from Harewood House, Hanover Square
, near Oxford Circus
later moving to 35 Marylebone High Street
- the former Radio Times
warehouse, famously without windows and providing an enormous sub-basement studio.
Tests for FM stereo began in 1981 with Music on the Move a programme featuring non-stop music prior to full launch on 11 February. The FM transmitter was shortly moved to Crystal Palace
. This coincided with the planned relaunch in 1981 which saw the station take on a style which was softer than BBC Radio 2 - a station predominantly playing 'easy listening
' music, music ranged from softer contemporary pop, like The Carpenters
, to light classical music. This was a move which was unpopular with employed staff, who thought it very un-hip, and politicians who would question the need for a local radio station to sound like the two music-based BBC national networks. However the relaunch lead to improved audience figures and a string of awards and accolades.
The 1981 on-air schedule looked like this:
One of its most influential programmes on the schedule was Black Londoners devised by Ray Criushank, a community relations officer for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
and presented by Alex Pascall. The programme has helped to develop on-air talent from London's Afro-Caribbean community, namely Juliet Alexander, Syd Burke and Mike Phillips and was the pioneering programme on television or radio to regularly speak to Black Londoners. The programme changed title to 'Black London' shortly before Radio London closed (see below). It was recently revived for a short time in 2003 with Pascall returning as presenter. The forerunner to the BBC Asian Network
was a hugely popular Asian
programme, London Sounds Eastern presented by Vernon Corea
who was appointed the BBC's Ethnic Minorities Adviser in the 1970s. Pandit Ravi Shankar, Indian pop star Usha Uthup
, were among those interviewed for ' London Sounds Eastern
' launched on BBC Radio London in 1976 and produced by Keith Yeomans. The programme introduced the Bollywood
music of Asha Bhosle
, Lata Mangeshkar
to new London audiences.
A programming relaunch in 1984 saw Radio London adopt the tagline "The Heart and Soul of London" with more soul music being played during the day. Tony Blackburn
from BBC Radio 1 moved up the schedule to host a morning show for housewives playing classic soul of the 1970s and presenting a show laced with cheeky jokes and double entendres, once daring to 'get out his 12-incher' - referring to an LP record. He was sacked in 1988 crossing the line of taste and decency, conveniently in time for the station's first relaunch. Regular Soul Night Outs were held initially in Kilburn but later in other venues, like Ilford. This was where Dave Pearce, later of BBC Radio 1 fame made his first regular appearances as a BBC DJ. Two of the station's producers Guy Hornsby (Tony Blackburn) and Mike Gray (Robbie Vincent Telephone Programme) later went on to create the ground-breaking commercial dance stations Kiss 102
and Kiss 105
which recaptured the somewhat anarchic spirit of BBC Radio London in its mid-1980s heyday to great audience and commercial success.
BBC Radio London closed on 7 October 1988, much to the dismay of regular listeners. The final programme, just before its 18th birthday, was presented by Mike Sparrow and Susie Barnes. Immediately after closedown at 7pm, test transmissions began for the next 17 days, preparing for a new radio station for London.
This was the irreverent announcement aired four days before launch:
"This is Greater London Radio and as I'm sure you will have noticed by now we the BBC have been paying you the public to patronise [you]...
...sorry to say that this all changes at 6am Tuesday 25 October. Interruptions to the music will then be performed by a host of celebrities and stars...and also appearing will be Nick "who, he?" Abbot, Emma "Oh my God!" Freud, Johnnie "who him?" Walker, Timbo the Bimbo [Tim Lloyd] and Tommy "No seriously!" Vance. Sorry this is the best we could come up with, with the budget available and at least thank God you won't be forced to look at them!..."
"GLR: as heard but not seen in London starting 6am, Tuesday 25 October"
Heading the new station were Managing Editor Matthew Bannister
and Programme Organiser Trevor Dann. Bannister, from Capital Radio
, favoured a young, racy, news and speech format, miles away from the typically stuffy BBC Local Radio sound. Dann came from Radio 1, via BBC TV's Whistle Test
, and developed an album-oriented music policy. GLR was aimed at people who hate pop but love music, hate prattle (excessive on-air talk) but want to know what's what where in the world. The station was aimed at 25-45 year olds, who perhaps grew up with Radio 1, but now wanted to be intelligently informed about the city in which they live, and the world in general. Early promotions used the phrase "rock 'n' rolling news". The music mix was best described as Adult album alternative
, a format programmed by Trevor Dann
. It has been said this Triple-A format inspired the launch of BBC 6 Music
years later.
The launch line-up looked like this:
Chris Evans took on a variety of roles on GLR, often presenting a weekend show, ending in 1993 as his media career took off. Danny Baker
has had a long association with the station, presenting Weekend Breakfast from 1989–1990 & then returned to present a Sunday morning show from 1996–1998. Janice Long
presented the Breakfast show on the station from 1989–1991 & Kevin Greening
started as a producer in 1989, before becoming a presenter of the Breakfast show with Jeremy Nicholas
in 1991. Bob Harris
also presented shows for the station from 1994 - 1998 after leaving Radio 1
.
Specialist speech programmes in the evening were aimed at London's communities: Asian
, Afro-Caribbean
, Jewish, Gay
and Irish. Black London was replaced with Margaret Jones aka Ranking Miss P
, who was dropped by Radio 1
. "Lavender Lounge", the programme for the Gay community, was presented by comedienne Amy Lamé
. The Weekends featured extensive sports coverage, centreing on football and London's numerous clubs such as Arsenal
, Tottenham and West Ham United
.
In 1989 GLR set up a youth-based radio training facility at Vauxhall College, SW8, which was followed with a second course based at White City
, W12. This was allocated funds from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
and the British Parliament.
One unique aspect of GLR was the ability to access directly Scotland Yard's network of traffic cameras across London's busiest streets. This enabled its reporters, most commonly "Bob at the Yard", to give unparalleled accurate traffic and travel news to its listeners. The reports were known as 20/20 Travel, named because its travel reports were read out every 20 minutes during peak times. No other radio station had this access for a while, even managing to out-do Capital Radio
's traffic plane, known as the Flying Eye.
in Birmingham
and Manchester
's BBC GMR. The threat was lifted after the BBC deemed it sufficiently patronised to remain on-air, however criticism of the station grew from its Radio London days, causing then Minister for Broadcasting
David Mellor to remark "the BBC
must think hard whether it is occupying radio frequencies without making much use of them". This claim was rejected by senior management.
In 1991, Matthew Bannister left to spearhead the BBC's charter-renewal strategy called Extending Choice. He was replaced as Managing Editor by Trevor Dann. Kate Marsh was appointed News Editor. In 1992 GLR was forced to relinquish its 1458 kHz medium wave frequency, for a new commercial radio station which was eventually won by Sunrise Radio
. Previously it had been simulcasting with 94.9 MHz FM with a few programmes which occasionally opted from FM. In 1993, Nigel Chapman, Head of BBC South & East, drove through a policy of "speech shoulders", forcing GLR to drop its music/speech mix at breakfast and drive times. Dann resigned in protest and left the BBC.
Steve Panton, formerly Managing Editor of BBC Radio Solent, took over and GLR limped on with a small listener base, but its music policy gained a cult following, particularly among its younger adult listeners. One of its noted DJs on-air at the time was Gary Crowley, who had a weekend show which regularly showcased new and unsigned bands, often not getting much airplay on commercial radio stations, and to a lesser extent, Radio 1. Other DJs, notably Bob Mills
("Millsie") had a loyal following of cab drivers and cockney phone-ins. With the launch of new specialist commercial stations Kiss 100
, Jazz FM
and XFM
GLR remained distinct. Speech rather than music formed a higher percentage of airtime than most commercial stations.
In 1999, following a consultation exercise on local broadcasting in the South East, the BBC decided to rebrand GLR and substantially change the programming. A campaign to "Save GLR" was organised and a petition delivered to the BBC. The argument became acrimonious. In particular those opposed to the changes argued that the BBC never organised a public meeting in London as part of the consultation exercise and, when one was organised by supporters of the station, no one involved in the consultation exercise attended. Although the campaign was unsuccessful in saving GLR, and the rebranding went ahead the next year, it demonstrated the existence of a loyal audience for its format. GLR's music format, and several of its presenters, returned to the BBC with the launch of the national digital station BBC 6 Music
in 2002.
, now on BBC Radio 2)—was launched with new on-air personalities and new shows, including a speech-heavy breakfast show and a mid-morning phone-in and debate. Only drivetime and the specialist shows would remain, albeit refreshed. The re-launch at the time was promoted by huge billboards and television spots on BBC Newsroom South East depicting London's famous landmarks as radio paraphernalia (a woman seen raising Big Ben as a radio aerial for example). It cost the BBC in excess of £20 million, an amount seen by vocal critics, led by private media as 'obscene amount of money' and added to repeated calls for the licence fee (which also funds radio) to be scrapped.
Leading the relaunch was Station Director David Robey, who hired such personalities as Lisa I'Anson
, Vanessa Feltz
, Tom Watt
and various black presenters such as Eddie Nestor
and Dotun Adebayo
. Most notably another presenter, Henry Bonsu was controversially sacked, then re-hired in a baffling manner.
High Street. The pilot project was to brand all aspects of it operations as BBC London. This included BBC London News, the daily regional news service on BBC One
television. Newly updated jingles were added with its new slogan "On TV, On Radio, Online", voiced by BBC London News host Emily Maitlis
.
New recruits to BBC London 94.9 included award-winning presenter Jon Gaunt
from BBC Three Counties Radio
, former GLR presenter Danny Baker
, and Sean Rowley
. Danny Baker hosted a different style of breakfast show, with his alternative and quirky take on London life, which was co-hosted with American comedienne Amy Lamé
. Jon Gaunt then hosted the mid-morning phone-in show, voicing his strong opinions on an unsuspecting public. Longtime GLR stalwart Robert Elms
was kept at lunchtime, discovering London's deepest darkest secrets and revealing stories behind London's long and rich history. Vanessa Feltz took over Lisa I'Anson
's afternoon slot with a lively and fun phone-in. Drivetime with Eddie Nestor
and Kath Melandri guide Londoners home with news updates, sport, travel and debates with the public. Specialist programmes for the Black community emerged at the weekends along with extensive sports coverage and alternative music shows in the evening. BBC London also saw the return of Tony Blackburn
on Saturdays, over 20 years since he first appeared on the station. His show was as before, playing classic soul music and chat.
Extra sport matches featuring football clubs such as Fulham
and have received additional coverage on BBC London, through its DAB
Digital Radio platform, on Sky channel 0152 and on 765 kHz medium wave (for coverage of West Ham United
, normally BBC Essex
's frequency).
BBC London 94.9 was the first BBC Local Radio
to air a 24-hour live stream online, which coincided with the 2001 re-launch. It also aired on DAB
Digital Radio in July 2000 and on Sky (channel 0152) in 2005 in the London area but it can be accessed within the UK and Ireland by manual tuning.
For a period, BBC London identified itself at the top of the hour as BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio London on digital, in spite of the fact that the station was labelled as "BBC London" on DAB receivers. Since the station is carried in gifted space on a commercial DAB multiplex, rather than a BBC-controlled multiplex, the situation had come about due to a combination of legislation, internal politics, and difficulty in actually changing the name on the DAB transmissions.
This had led to slight confusion as to the reference to its previous name of Radio London as there is very little difference in either output analogue or digital except football and special events and the Radio London name has not been mentioned in any other context. The situation was eventually resolved, and now the station is referred to exclusively as BBC London 94.9. However, between April and August 2011 the station was labelled as "BBC Radio London" on DAB receivers.
BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
station, and part of BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
, Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 (in London area only) and also online. BBC London 94.9's Managing Editor is David Robey.
Although the station is only on the Sky Digital EPG in London, it is still available on Sky, via manual tuning, to the rest of the UK in this format.
The station's output is broadly similar to other BBC local radio stations and aims at a general mainstream audience. Previous incarnations of the station had offered a more diverse range of programmes for London's various ethnic, religious, social and cultural communities. Some specialist programming remains and is mostly broadcast at the weekend.
Most programmes contain a lot of speech (including interviews, studio guests, banter between presenters and phone in
Phone in
In broadcasting, a phone-in or call-in is a programme format in which viewers or listeners are invited to air their live comments by telephone, usually in respect of a specific topic selected for discussion on the day of the broadcast. On radio , it is common for an entire programme to be dedicated...
s) but many also feature music to a greater or lesser degree. The varied styles of music played on the station is the key element which differentiates BBC London 94.9 from London's other major speech based radio station, LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
.
Presenters and programmes
Weekdays:- Nikki BediNikki BediNikki Bedi is a television and radio presenter, born Nikki Moolgaoker in Aylesbury to an Indian father of Maharashtrian origin and an English mother. Famously married to Kabir Bedi from 1992 to 2005, retaining her married name after an amicable divorce, her first marriage was to food stylist...
(Mon-Thurs), Overnight w/Caroline FeradayCaroline FeradayRadio Broadcasting =She joined Capital FM at the age of 18, after studying journalism and earlier stints at BBC Radio Kent and Invicta FM, spent five years as the station's Flying Eye travel reporter on Foxy's Drivetime and Tarrant at Breakfast, and presented Capital's London Chart show. In 2001...
(Fridays): 2am–6am - The Breakfast Show with Gaby RoslinGaby RoslinGaby Roslin is an English television presenter and actress. She rose to fame while co-presenting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1996, and also presented the BBC's Children in Need charity appeal from 1994 to 2004....
and Paul RossPaul RossPaul Ross is an English television and radio presenter, journalist, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross.-Early life:...
: 6am–9am - Vanessa FeltzVanessa FeltzVanessa Jane Feltz is an English television personality, broadcaster and journalist. She currently presents an early morning radio show on BBC Radio 2, a mid morning phone-in show on BBC London 94.9. In 2011, she started hosting The Vanessa Show on Channel 5. The first series ended on June 24th...
, Phone In Show: 9am–12pm - Robert ElmsRobert ElmsRobert Elms is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s, and has a self-confessed love of clothes and fashion...
, Everything about London: 12pm–3pm - Danny BakerDanny BakerDanny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
with Amy LaméAmy LaméAmy Lamé is an American-born, British performer, writer, television and radio presenter and producer.-Biography:Lamé was born Amy Caddle and raised in Keyport, New Jersey. She attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and moved to London in 1992...
or Baylen LeonardBaylen LeonardBruce Alan "Baylen" Leonard is a radio presenter and DJ based in London, UK. At the age 18 he moved to New York to study, and was based there for several years working as an actor and dancer in the theatre...
: 3pm–5pm - Drivetime with Eddie NestorEddie NestorEddie Nestor is an English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, who is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds, as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting.He hosted...
: London's News and Views: 5pm–7pm - BBC London 94.9 Sports Show: 7pm–10pm (Friday 7-8pm)
- Back 2 Life with Jazzie BJazzie BTrevor Beresford Romeo OBE , better known by his stage name Jazzie B, is a British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur. He is a founding member of Soul II Soul.-Life and career:...
: 8pm–10pm (Friday only) - The Late Show with JoAnne GoodThe Late Show with Joanne GoodThe Late Show with Joanne Good is a live late-night program on BBC London 94.9 that has been broadcast since January 11, 2010, and is hosted by actress and radio presenter Joanne Good. The show currently airs Sunday through Thursday from 10pm - 2am...
(Mon-Thurs), Eddie NestorEddie NestorEddie Nestor is an English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, who is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds, as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting.He hosted...
's Rumshop (Fridays): 10pm–2am
Saturday:
- The Ray Khan Talk Show: 2am–6am
- Simon LedermanSimon LedermanSimon Lederman is a radio presenter on BBC London 94.9. He presents a Saturday morning breakfast show with JoAnne Good and is a regular presenter of the weekday breakfast show behind Paul Ross, weekday Drivetime behind Eddie Nestor, the weekday Vanessa Feltz phone-in and a frequent cover presenter...
: 6am–7am - Saturday Breakfast with JoAnne GoodJoAnne GoodJoAnne Dorothy Good is a British radio presenter, television presenter, broadcast journalist and actor.-Actor:As an actor, she is best known for her role as Carol Sands in the ITV soap Crossroads from 1982 to 1984. She played a schoolgirl in the 1978 cult British horror film Killer's Moon, and...
and Simon LedermanSimon LedermanSimon Lederman is a radio presenter on BBC London 94.9. He presents a Saturday morning breakfast show with JoAnne Good and is a regular presenter of the weekday breakfast show behind Paul Ross, weekday Drivetime behind Eddie Nestor, the weekday Vanessa Feltz phone-in and a frequent cover presenter...
: 7am–10am - Robert ElmsRobert ElmsRobert Elms is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s, and has a self-confessed love of clothes and fashion...
: 10am–12pm - Gary CrowleyGary CrowleyGary Crowley is an English broadcaster and DJ.When he was at school in the late Seventies Crowley started a punk fanzine titled The Modern World, interviewing some of the most important bands of the day including the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Jam.After leaving school he took up a junior...
, Soundtrack to your life, 70s and 80s music & memories: Noon–2pm - BBC London 94.9 Sports Show: 2pm–6.30pm
- Gary CrowleyGary CrowleyGary Crowley is an English broadcaster and DJ.When he was at school in the late Seventies Crowley started a punk fanzine titled The Modern World, interviewing some of the most important bands of the day including the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Jam.After leaving school he took up a junior...
, Alternative music programme with new London based bands: 6.30pm–8pm - Sunny and Shay, Talk about the rich diversity of life in London: 8pm–10pm
- Kath Melandri, Saturday Late Show: 10pm–2am
Sunday:
- The Ray Khan Talk Show: 2am–6am
- Inspirit with Jumoké Fashola, topical multi faith & ethics issues with religious news, music & guests: 6am–9am
- Jeni BarnettJeni BarnettJeni Barnett is an English actress and TV presenter who grew up in Borehamwood. She is married to Yorkshire-born actor Jim Bywater and has one daughter, Bethany.-Acting career:...
: 9am–12pm - Tony BlackburnTony BlackburnTony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
, Soul and Motown music: 12pm–2pm - BBC London 94.9 Sports Show: 2pm–6pm
- Best Of BBC london 94.9: 6pm–8pm
- Dotun AdebayoDotun AdebayoOludotun Adebayo MBE is a Nigerian-born, British-based radio presenter, writer and publisher. He is best known for his work on Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live, as well as the obituary programme Brief Lives.- Early life :...
, black music and current affairs programme for London's black community: 8pm–10pm - The Late Show with JoAnne GoodThe Late Show with Joanne GoodThe Late Show with Joanne Good is a live late-night program on BBC London 94.9 that has been broadcast since January 11, 2010, and is hosted by actress and radio presenter Joanne Good. The show currently airs Sunday through Thursday from 10pm - 2am...
, Sunday Night Sessions: 10pm–2am
News and Weather
News and weather are broadcast every fifteen minutes at Breakfast and Drivetime and every half an hour at all other times.Newsreaders
- Jason Rosam
- Matthew Schofield (Breakfast and Vanessa)
- Charlotte Franks
- Katy Dartford
- Valley Fontaine
- Paul Osbourne
- Anna Cookson
Reporters:
- Jason Rosam (Breakfast and Vanessa)
- Anna O Neil
- Louise Pepper
- Charlotte Franks
Weather presenters:
- Kate KinsellaKate KinsellaKate Kinsella is an American educator. She is a professor at San Francisco State University. She is a leading theorist in American pedagogy....
- Wendy HurrellWendy HurrellWendy Louise Hurrell is an English television presenter currently working as a weather presenter for BBC London.-Early life:Hurrell was born in Norfolk and grew up in Filby near Great Yarmouth...
- Peter CockroftPeter CockroftPeter Cockroft is a British weather forecaster. Cockroft joined the BBC in 1991 as one of the presenters of the national weather forecasts; in 2002, he became the main weather presenter on BBC London News....
Sport
Sport is a major part of the schedule, with a 3 hour sports-based programme each weeknight evening and 4 hour sport specials on Saturdays and Sundays. This is considerably more than most other BBC local radio stations and reflects London's large number of sporting teams and events.During the cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
season, BBC London 94.9 also supports Internet-only streamed commentary of all games featuring Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
(with Mark Church
Mark Church
Mark Church is a commentator for BBC London 94.9, reporting on all Surrey County Cricket Club's matches. He has been commentating on Surrey CCC matches since 2001...
as main commentator) and Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
(with Kevin Hand as main commentator). The commentators give brief updates on the games' progress on the main BBC London 94.9 broadcast throughout the day.
Presenters and commentators:
- Phil Parry
- Andy Rowley
- Ankur Desai
- Nick Godwin
- Emma Jones
- Emilia Papadopoulos
- Steve Bunce
- Mike Lawrence
- Simon Watts
- Kevin Hand
- Mark Church
- Pete Stevens
- Sara Orchard
- Will Shindler
- David CroftDavid Croft (broadcaster)David Croft is a BBC TV and Radio Broadcaster.-Early career:Croft spent three years working at BBC Three Counties Radio, first as a sports reporter then as Sports Editor...
Travel news
Travel updates are broadcast every half-hour during the day and every quarter hour during the weekday rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
s. The current crop of presenters include Jules Lang, Steve Phillips, Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves is a British songwriter, musician, record producer and broadcaster.In the early 1990s he formed the band Congregation , releasing one album, Egham, on the Fire Records label for whom Reeves has previously worked as a public relations manager. The group never achieved much success...
, Matt Jones, Pippa Sparkes, Paul Murphy, Fiona McKinnon, Louise Pepper, and Lewis Gillingham. The "JamCams" are also available 24 hours a day online.
The travel presenters also have a Twitter feed carrying the latest London traffic and travel information bbctravelalert
Ratings
Audience listening figures give BBC London 94.9 over half a million listeners in a very crowded radio market. Its audience reachReach (advertising)
In the application of statistics to advertising and media analysis, reach refers to the total number of different people or households exposed, at least once, to a medium during a given period of time. Reach should not be confused with the number of people who will actually be exposed to and...
current average in 2011 is 554,000.
History
The earliest ever regular local radio broadcast dates as far back as the 1920s, with the launch of 2LO in 1922. The station, based at Marconi House on the StrandStrand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, Central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was opened by Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
and became the British Broadcasting Company
British Broadcasting Company
The British Broadcasting Company Ltd was a British commercial company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom and licensed by the British General Post Office...
's first radio station. The first-ever news bulletin was read by Arthur Burrows. "2LO Calling" was its call-sign and preceded all programmes on the air. In 1923 2LO moved to bigger premises with studios adjacent to the Savoy Hotel in London. Its transmission tower was located on the roof of Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
department store in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
. In 1930 2LO evolved into two programming networks: the BBC National Programme
BBC National Programme
The BBC National Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II.-Foundation:When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist – transmitter powers were...
and the BBC Regional Programme
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a UK radio network which operated from the end of the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Foundation:...
, 2LO being integrated into the latter.
BBC Radio London (1970–1988)
Local radio arrived in Central LondonCentral London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
as part of the second wave of BBC local stations, following a successful pilot project headed by Frank Gilliard, who on visiting the United States discovered local radio stations of varying formats and was to bring this concept to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Test transmissions for the new local radio station were carried out from Wrotham
Wrotham
Wrotham is a village situated on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs. It is located one mile north of Borough Green and approximately five miles east of Sevenoaks. It is within the junction of the M20 and M26 motorways....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
on 95.3 MHz in FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
mono, relaying BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
(which was at the time only broadcast on medium wave), with several announcements informing listeners of the new service. On 6 October 1970 BBC Radio London was launched, three years before commercial radio for Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in the guise of LBC. An additional medium wave frequency was allocated on 1458 kHz (206 metres) from Brookman's Park. 95.3 soon changed to 94.9.
Radio London was the local station for the capital however in the early days it relied heavily on news reports from other stations in the BBC network and often shared programming with BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. It took on a fairly lively sound and featured (and still does to this day) extensive traffic reports, phone-in programmes—where it pioneered the daily phone-in in the UK—and lots of contemporary and middle-of-the-road music. For several months after lunch the station was not able to play commercial records as no agreement had been reached over so-called needle time
Needle time
Needle time was created in the United Kingdom by the Musicians' Union and Phonographic Performance Limited, in order to restrict the amount of recorded music that could be transmitted by British Broadcasting Corporation during the course of any 24-hour period. Until 1967 the BBC was allowed to...
, which led to London listeners becoming acquainted with broadcast library music from outside the UK (notably the Canadian Talent Library) and music from film soundtracks. A phone-in programme, Sounding Brass
Sounding Brass
Sounding Brass was a pioneer phone-in programme presented by Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army band, which included the famous Chalk Farm Band, stood by in the studio to play their requests live.The brass bands had a...
, was pioneered, devised and first presented by Owen Spencer-Thomas
Owen Spencer-Thomas
Owen Robert Spencer-Thomas MBE is perhaps best known as a television and radio news journalist over three decades, but he has also undertaken a wide range of philanthropric work as volunteer charity fundraiser, pioneer and campaigner for people with autism and other disabilities...
in 1977. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
brass band stood by in the studio to play their request live. It later moved to BBC Radio 2 and was presented by Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford is a Northern Irish TV and radio presenter, and formerly a singer.-Biography:...
.
As soon as Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
stations LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
and Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
went on-air public attention to Radio London declined with the station attempting to copy both. Its to be noted that the name Radio London is not to be confused with Wonderful Radio London
Wonderful Radio London
Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
, an off-shore commercial pop music station which was silenced before the launch of BBC Radio 1.
BBC Radio London started regular broadcasts from Harewood House, Hanover Square
Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London W1, England, situated to the south west of Oxford Circus, the major junction where Oxford Street meets Regent Street....
, near Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :...
later moving to 35 Marylebone High Street
Marylebone High Street
Marylebone High Street is a shopping street in London, running sub-parallel to Baker Street and terminating at its northern end at the junction with the Marylebone Road...
- the former Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
warehouse, famously without windows and providing an enormous sub-basement studio.
Tests for FM stereo began in 1981 with Music on the Move a programme featuring non-stop music prior to full launch on 11 February. The FM transmitter was shortly moved to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace Transmitter
The Crystal Palace transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site in the Crystal Palace area of the London Borough of Bromley, England .Its tower is the third-tallest structure in London...
. This coincided with the planned relaunch in 1981 which saw the station take on a style which was softer than BBC Radio 2 - a station predominantly playing 'easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
' music, music ranged from softer contemporary pop, like The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, to light classical music. This was a move which was unpopular with employed staff, who thought it very un-hip, and politicians who would question the need for a local radio station to sound like the two music-based BBC national networks. However the relaunch lead to improved audience figures and a string of awards and accolades.
The 1981 on-air schedule looked like this:
- 0630–0900: Rush Hour with Susie Barnes and John Waite
- 0900–1000: Morning Star
- 1000–1230: The Robbie VincentRobbie VincentRobbie Vincent is an English radio broadcaster and DJ whose catch phrase for many years was "If it moves, Funk it"He started life as a journalist although Robbie Vincent's broadcasting career began as one of the pioneers on BBC Radio London in early 1974 during the miners' strike and Three-day week...
Telephone Programme - 1230–1240: Lunchtime News
- 1240–1430: Total Music Show with Tony Fish
- 1430–1700: Tony BlackburnTony BlackburnTony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
- 1700–1715: Evening News
- 1715–1830: Music on the Move
- 1830–1900: Speech programmes
- 1900–2000: Black Londoners
- 2000–2030: Parliamentary Question Time
- 2030–0630: BBC Radio 2 simulcast
One of its most influential programmes on the schedule was Black Londoners devised by Ray Criushank, a community relations officer for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
and presented by Alex Pascall. The programme has helped to develop on-air talent from London's Afro-Caribbean community, namely Juliet Alexander, Syd Burke and Mike Phillips and was the pioneering programme on television or radio to regularly speak to Black Londoners. The programme changed title to 'Black London' shortly before Radio London closed (see below). It was recently revived for a short time in 2003 with Pascall returning as presenter. The forerunner to the BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
was a hugely popular Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
programme, London Sounds Eastern presented by Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
who was appointed the BBC's Ethnic Minorities Adviser in the 1970s. Pandit Ravi Shankar, Indian pop star Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...
, were among those interviewed for ' London Sounds Eastern
London Sounds Eastern
London Sounds Eastern was one of the most popular ethnic minority radio program's on the BBC. It was presented by Vernon Corea and produced by Keith Yeomans.-The Launching of London Sounds Eastern -BBC Radio London:...
' launched on BBC Radio London in 1976 and produced by Keith Yeomans. The programme introduced the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
music of Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
to new London audiences.
A programming relaunch in 1984 saw Radio London adopt the tagline "The Heart and Soul of London" with more soul music being played during the day. Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
from BBC Radio 1 moved up the schedule to host a morning show for housewives playing classic soul of the 1970s and presenting a show laced with cheeky jokes and double entendres, once daring to 'get out his 12-incher' - referring to an LP record. He was sacked in 1988 crossing the line of taste and decency, conveniently in time for the station's first relaunch. Regular Soul Night Outs were held initially in Kilburn but later in other venues, like Ilford. This was where Dave Pearce, later of BBC Radio 1 fame made his first regular appearances as a BBC DJ. Two of the station's producers Guy Hornsby (Tony Blackburn) and Mike Gray (Robbie Vincent Telephone Programme) later went on to create the ground-breaking commercial dance stations Kiss 102
Galaxy Manchester
Capital Manchester is a Manchester, England radio station owned by the Global Radio as part of the nine-station Capital network specialising in mainstream music...
and Kiss 105
Galaxy Yorkshire
Capital Yorkshire is an Independent Local Radio station owned by Global Radio as part of the nine-station Capital radio network which specialises in mainstream music...
which recaptured the somewhat anarchic spirit of BBC Radio London in its mid-1980s heyday to great audience and commercial success.
BBC Radio London closed on 7 October 1988, much to the dismay of regular listeners. The final programme, just before its 18th birthday, was presented by Mike Sparrow and Susie Barnes. Immediately after closedown at 7pm, test transmissions began for the next 17 days, preparing for a new radio station for London.
Launch
Test transmissions for the new Greater London Radio began as soon as Radio London closed. Its pre-launch announcements stated in no uncertain terms that GLR was to be radically different in style promising the fastest news, traffic and travel news every 20 minutes and the best music mix. GLR was to be the first new radio station in London for 15 years.This was the irreverent announcement aired four days before launch:
"This is Greater London Radio and as I'm sure you will have noticed by now we the BBC have been paying you the public to patronise [you]...
...sorry to say that this all changes at 6am Tuesday 25 October. Interruptions to the music will then be performed by a host of celebrities and stars...and also appearing will be Nick "who, he?" Abbot, Emma "Oh my God!" Freud, Johnnie "who him?" Walker, Timbo the Bimbo [Tim Lloyd] and Tommy "No seriously!" Vance. Sorry this is the best we could come up with, with the budget available and at least thank God you won't be forced to look at them!..."
"GLR: as heard but not seen in London starting 6am, Tuesday 25 October"
Heading the new station were Managing Editor Matthew Bannister
Matthew Bannister
Richard Matthew Bannister is a British media executive and broadcaster. After attending King Edward VII School , he graduated in law at the University of Nottingham in 1978, and joined BBC Radio Nottingham as a trainee reporter and subsequently the presenter of its speech-based breakfast show,...
and Programme Organiser Trevor Dann. Bannister, from Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
, favoured a young, racy, news and speech format, miles away from the typically stuffy BBC Local Radio sound. Dann came from Radio 1, via BBC TV's Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
, and developed an album-oriented music policy. GLR was aimed at people who hate pop but love music, hate prattle (excessive on-air talk) but want to know what's what where in the world. The station was aimed at 25-45 year olds, who perhaps grew up with Radio 1, but now wanted to be intelligently informed about the city in which they live, and the world in general. Early promotions used the phrase "rock 'n' rolling news". The music mix was best described as Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
, a format programmed by Trevor Dann
Trevor Dann
Trevor Dann is a British writer and broadcaster who has been associated with some of the most influential radio and television pop music programmes and events of the last 30 years.-Early career:...
. It has been said this Triple-A format inspired the launch of BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
years later.
The launch line-up looked like this:
- 0630–1000: Breakfast with Nick AbbotNick AbbotNick Abbot is a British radio presenter, who has presented on numarious radio station in the uk for past 20 years.-History:Nick Abbot was born 22 August 1960, and was educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh and Brunel University in Uxbridge where he gained a degree in psychology. Abbot's...
& Fiona FosterFiona FosterFiona Foster is a British television presenter and journalist with a lively high note voice, who has also spent several years working in the United States. She is currently a presenter on the BBC World travel programme Fast Track.... - 1000–1200: Emma FreudEmma FreudEmma Vallencey Freud OBE is an English broadcaster and cultural commentator.-Early life:Emma Freud was born on 25 January 1962 and is the daughter of politician and broadcaster Sir Clement Freud and June Flewett. She is the great-granddaughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud...
- 1200–1500: Johnnie WalkerJohnnie Walker (DJ)Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
- 1500–1600: Timbo's Out!
- 1600–1900: Drivetime with Tommy VanceTommy VanceTommy Vance was a British pop radio broadcaster, born in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. He was one of the few music broadcasters in the United Kingdom to champion hard rock and heavy metal in the early 1980s, providing the only national radio forum for both bands and fans...
- 1900–2200: Dave PearceDave PearceDave Pearce is a British dance DJ and record producer, who has played gigs across the UK and the world, although he is perhaps best known for his work in radio. He currently works for the BBC 6 Music...
with Sonia Fraser - 2200–0100: Dave Barrett
Chris Evans took on a variety of roles on GLR, often presenting a weekend show, ending in 1993 as his media career took off. Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
has had a long association with the station, presenting Weekend Breakfast from 1989–1990 & then returned to present a Sunday morning show from 1996–1998. Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
presented the Breakfast show on the station from 1989–1991 & Kevin Greening
Kevin Greening
Kevin Greening was a British radio presenter, who co-hosted the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show with Zoe Ball from 1997 to 1998.-Early career:...
started as a producer in 1989, before becoming a presenter of the Breakfast show with Jeremy Nicholas
Jeremy Nicholas (broadcaster)
Jeremy Nicholas is a Sony award-winning TV and radio broadcaster.-Radio:He has presented The World Today on the BBC World Service, as well as many shows on BBC Radio Five Live, talkSPORT, and Greater London Radio, on which his morning show with Claire McDonnell won a Sony Award for Best Breakfast...
in 1991. Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
also presented shows for the station from 1994 - 1998 after leaving Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Specialist speech programmes in the evening were aimed at London's communities: Asian
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Afro-Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
, Jewish, Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and Irish. Black London was replaced with Margaret Jones aka Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P is a British radio presenter, born in London to Jamaican parents.After leaving school, Miss P was studying to become a teacher, but instead was persuaded by her brother DJ Lepke to start broadcasting on his community radio station, Dread Broadcasting Corporation , the first black...
, who was dropped by Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. "Lavender Lounge", the programme for the Gay community, was presented by comedienne Amy Lamé
Amy Lamé
Amy Lamé is an American-born, British performer, writer, television and radio presenter and producer.-Biography:Lamé was born Amy Caddle and raised in Keyport, New Jersey. She attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and moved to London in 1992...
. The Weekends featured extensive sports coverage, centreing on football and London's numerous clubs such as Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Tottenham and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
In 1989 GLR set up a youth-based radio training facility at Vauxhall College, SW8, which was followed with a second course based at White City
White City, London
White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
, W12. This was allocated funds from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
and the British Parliament.
One unique aspect of GLR was the ability to access directly Scotland Yard's network of traffic cameras across London's busiest streets. This enabled its reporters, most commonly "Bob at the Yard", to give unparalleled accurate traffic and travel news to its listeners. The reports were known as 20/20 Travel, named because its travel reports were read out every 20 minutes during peak times. No other radio station had this access for a while, even managing to out-do Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
's traffic plane, known as the Flying Eye.
Controversy and closure
However only three years into the newly relaunched station the station was given an additional three years to prove itself to its audience by senior BBC management or close for good: this threat was also applied to its other metropolitan BBC Local Radio stations BBC WMBBC WM
BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on 9 November 1970 as BBC Radio Birmingham, it broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
's BBC GMR. The threat was lifted after the BBC deemed it sufficiently patronised to remain on-air, however criticism of the station grew from its Radio London days, causing then Minister for Broadcasting
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
David Mellor to remark "the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
must think hard whether it is occupying radio frequencies without making much use of them". This claim was rejected by senior management.
In 1991, Matthew Bannister left to spearhead the BBC's charter-renewal strategy called Extending Choice. He was replaced as Managing Editor by Trevor Dann. Kate Marsh was appointed News Editor. In 1992 GLR was forced to relinquish its 1458 kHz medium wave frequency, for a new commercial radio station which was eventually won by Sunrise Radio
Sunrise Radio
Sunrise Radio is the United Kingdom's first Independent Local Radio station to cater specifically for the Asian community. Dr Avtar Lit is the chairman and chief executive of this media group which also operates kismat radio,buzz asia,punjabi radio as well as sunrise tv-Transmission:It initially...
. Previously it had been simulcasting with 94.9 MHz FM with a few programmes which occasionally opted from FM. In 1993, Nigel Chapman, Head of BBC South & East, drove through a policy of "speech shoulders", forcing GLR to drop its music/speech mix at breakfast and drive times. Dann resigned in protest and left the BBC.
Steve Panton, formerly Managing Editor of BBC Radio Solent, took over and GLR limped on with a small listener base, but its music policy gained a cult following, particularly among its younger adult listeners. One of its noted DJs on-air at the time was Gary Crowley, who had a weekend show which regularly showcased new and unsigned bands, often not getting much airplay on commercial radio stations, and to a lesser extent, Radio 1. Other DJs, notably Bob Mills
Bob Mills (comedian)
Robert Edward "Bob" Mills is a British comedian, notable for his appearances in cult TV series such as In Bed with Medinner and The Show, the latter an attempt to do a non-fictional British version of The Larry Sanders Show.Born in Chester, after a very short spell training for the Merchant Navy,...
("Millsie") had a loyal following of cab drivers and cockney phone-ins. With the launch of new specialist commercial stations Kiss 100
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
, Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM was a local jazz and soul music station for London run by GMG Radio. The station was based and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London to around 15.5 million people within the broadcasting area...
and XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
GLR remained distinct. Speech rather than music formed a higher percentage of airtime than most commercial stations.
In 1999, following a consultation exercise on local broadcasting in the South East, the BBC decided to rebrand GLR and substantially change the programming. A campaign to "Save GLR" was organised and a petition delivered to the BBC. The argument became acrimonious. In particular those opposed to the changes argued that the BBC never organised a public meeting in London as part of the consultation exercise and, when one was organised by supporters of the station, no one involved in the consultation exercise attended. Although the campaign was unsuccessful in saving GLR, and the rebranding went ahead the next year, it demonstrated the existence of a loyal audience for its format. GLR's music format, and several of its presenters, returned to the BBC with the launch of the national digital station BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
in 2002.
BBC London Live (2000–2001)
Facing even more public criticism over GLR's position in the London radio market and its very low listening reach, the station was relaunched on the 25 March 2000 as BBC London Live 94.9 in a blaze of publicity. Promising even more speech and less music, London Live—originally the title for GLR's lunch-time news show (presented by Charles CarrollCharles Carroll
Charles Carroll may refer to:*Charles Carroll , Continental Congressman from Maryland*Charles H. Carroll , U.S...
, now on BBC Radio 2)—was launched with new on-air personalities and new shows, including a speech-heavy breakfast show and a mid-morning phone-in and debate. Only drivetime and the specialist shows would remain, albeit refreshed. The re-launch at the time was promoted by huge billboards and television spots on BBC Newsroom South East depicting London's famous landmarks as radio paraphernalia (a woman seen raising Big Ben as a radio aerial for example). It cost the BBC in excess of £20 million, an amount seen by vocal critics, led by private media as 'obscene amount of money' and added to repeated calls for the licence fee (which also funds radio) to be scrapped.
Leading the relaunch was Station Director David Robey, who hired such personalities as Lisa I'Anson
Lisa I'Anson
Lisa I'Anson is an English broadcaster and VJ. Her unusual surname is believed to be of Scandinavian origin.-Radio Broadcaster:...
, Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Jane Feltz is an English television personality, broadcaster and journalist. She currently presents an early morning radio show on BBC Radio 2, a mid morning phone-in show on BBC London 94.9. In 2011, she started hosting The Vanessa Show on Channel 5. The first series ended on June 24th...
, Tom Watt
Tom Watt (actor)
Thomas Erickson "Tom" Watt is an English radio presenter, journalist and actor, who is best known for playing the role of Lofty Holloway in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Acting career:...
and various black presenters such as Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor is an English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, who is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds, as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting.He hosted...
and Dotun Adebayo
Dotun Adebayo
Oludotun Adebayo MBE is a Nigerian-born, British-based radio presenter, writer and publisher. He is best known for his work on Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live, as well as the obituary programme Brief Lives.- Early life :...
. Most notably another presenter, Henry Bonsu was controversially sacked, then re-hired in a baffling manner.
BBC LDN / BBC London 94.9 (2001 - present)
October 2001 saw another name change to BBC LDN, this time as part of a tri-media pilot project which would see radio and regional television news and online presence housed in its newly-refurbished studio at MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
High Street. The pilot project was to brand all aspects of it operations as BBC London. This included BBC London News, the daily regional news service on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
television. Newly updated jingles were added with its new slogan "On TV, On Radio, Online", voiced by BBC London News host Emily Maitlis
Emily Maitlis
Emily Maitlis is a Canadian-born British journalist and newsreader, currently employed by the BBC.-Career:Raised in Sheffield, she was educated at the local King Edward VII School...
.
New recruits to BBC London 94.9 included award-winning presenter Jon Gaunt
Jon Gaunt
Jonathan Charles Gaunt , is an English radio talk show presenter, TV Personality, newspaper columnist, social commentator and spokesman....
from BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
, former GLR presenter Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
, and Sean Rowley
Sean Rowley
Not to be confused with the late Sean Rowley from the band, Cause And Effect.Sean Rowley is a disc jockey on BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio Kent....
. Danny Baker hosted a different style of breakfast show, with his alternative and quirky take on London life, which was co-hosted with American comedienne Amy Lamé
Amy Lamé
Amy Lamé is an American-born, British performer, writer, television and radio presenter and producer.-Biography:Lamé was born Amy Caddle and raised in Keyport, New Jersey. She attended Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and moved to London in 1992...
. Jon Gaunt then hosted the mid-morning phone-in show, voicing his strong opinions on an unsuspecting public. Longtime GLR stalwart Robert Elms
Robert Elms
Robert Elms is an English writer and broadcaster. Elms was a writer for The Face magazine in the 1980s, and has a self-confessed love of clothes and fashion...
was kept at lunchtime, discovering London's deepest darkest secrets and revealing stories behind London's long and rich history. Vanessa Feltz took over Lisa I'Anson
Lisa I'Anson
Lisa I'Anson is an English broadcaster and VJ. Her unusual surname is believed to be of Scandinavian origin.-Radio Broadcaster:...
's afternoon slot with a lively and fun phone-in. Drivetime with Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor is an English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, who is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds, as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting.He hosted...
and Kath Melandri guide Londoners home with news updates, sport, travel and debates with the public. Specialist programmes for the Black community emerged at the weekends along with extensive sports coverage and alternative music shows in the evening. BBC London also saw the return of Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
on Saturdays, over 20 years since he first appeared on the station. His show was as before, playing classic soul music and chat.
Extra sport matches featuring football clubs such as Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
and have received additional coverage on BBC London, through its DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
Digital Radio platform, on Sky channel 0152 and on 765 kHz medium wave (for coverage of West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, normally BBC Essex
BBC Essex
BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 and 95.3 FM, and on 729 , 765 , and 1530 AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.-History:BBC Essex launched on 5...
's frequency).
BBC London 94.9 was the first BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
to air a 24-hour live stream online, which coincided with the 2001 re-launch. It also aired on DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
Digital Radio in July 2000 and on Sky (channel 0152) in 2005 in the London area but it can be accessed within the UK and Ireland by manual tuning.
For a period, BBC London identified itself at the top of the hour as BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio London on digital, in spite of the fact that the station was labelled as "BBC London" on DAB receivers. Since the station is carried in gifted space on a commercial DAB multiplex, rather than a BBC-controlled multiplex, the situation had come about due to a combination of legislation, internal politics, and difficulty in actually changing the name on the DAB transmissions.
This had led to slight confusion as to the reference to its previous name of Radio London as there is very little difference in either output analogue or digital except football and special events and the Radio London name has not been mentioned in any other context. The situation was eventually resolved, and now the station is referred to exclusively as BBC London 94.9. However, between April and August 2011 the station was labelled as "BBC Radio London" on DAB receivers.
Historic slogans
- 1970s: "London's Greater Radio"
- 1980s: "The Heart and Soul of London"
- 1990: "Greater London Radio– In The News"
- 1995: "GLR– Rock 'n' Rolling News"
- 1996: "GLR on 94.9 FM, The BBC station for London"
- 2000: "BBC London Live– London's Newest Station"
- 2001–2007: " On TV– On Radio– Online"
- 2007–2010: "London's Radio Station"
- Present: "London's News– London's Stories" and "Be Part of It"
Further reading
- Aircheck UK
- The Radio Companion by Paul Donovan, (ISBN 0-586-09012-6)