2023 In British Radio
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This is a list of events taking place in 2023 relating to radio in the United Kingdom.


Events


January

* 1 January – **
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
dedicates five hours of New Year's Day programming to Take That, including a two-hour countdown of their top hits. ** Damian Lewis presents a two hour programme, ''A Blues and Swing Special'', on Jazz FM. ** Charlie Higson returns to Scala Radio for a second series of ''Charlie Higson and Friends''. * 2 January – ** Former ''
Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
'' presenter
Lindsey Russell Lindsey Russell (born 25 September 1990) is a British television presenter. She is best known for being the thirty-sixth presenter of the long running British BBC television programme '' Blue Peter'', which she co-hosted from 2013 to 2021 with Ba ...
takes over as presenter of the weekday Early Breakfast show at Heart. **
Adil Ray Adil Ray ( ur, عادل رے, born 26 April 1974) is a British actor, comedian and radio/television presenter. Ray stars in the BBC One comedy '' Citizen Khan'', which he created and co-writes, as well as presenting on various BBC radio station ...
presents a one-off show for Jazz FM on New Year Bank Holiday Monday. ** The Community Media Association undergoes a rebrand for its 40th anniversary. * 3 January – ** CassKidd joins
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
to present a Tuesday evening show previously hosted by Jamz Supernova. **
Sonny Jay Sonny Jay Muharrem (born 30 June 1993) is an English radio presenter and singer. In 2021, he won the Dancing on Ice (series 13), thirteenth series of ''Dancing on Ice''. From January 3, 2023, he will host "The Capital Late Show" on Capital (radio ...
begins presenting the weekday late night show on
Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
. ** Former Jack FM presenter Trevor Marshall joins Get Radio Oxfordshire to present weekday drivetime. ** The ''
Radio Today Radio Today is a 24 hours radio station in Bangladesh that started airing in May 2006. It is currently available in Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Bogra, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Kushtia, Comilla Comilla (; bn, কুমি ...
'' website reports that during V2 Radio's six-week toy appeal leading up to Christmas 2022, listeners donated more than 2,400 toys for local charities and organisations in West Sussex. * 4 January – ** Bauer Radio confirms all of
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
's mediumwave transmitters will be switched off by the end of January, making it exclusively a digital station. The switch-off is expected to take place on 23 January. ** The Asian Network Takeover returns for a new series, with a new presenter each month. * 5 January – Figures released by
BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a Closed platform, walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile pho ...
show there were 57.7 million listens to its content between 20 December and 2 January. * 6 January – **
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
begins awarding the fourth tranche of its
small-scale DAB In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital ...
licences, beginning with those for Glenrothes and
Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...
, Ludlow, and
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
and Chepstow. ** Shaun Keaveny begins a four-week presenting stint on '' The Radio 2 Rock Show'', standing in for regular presenter Johnnie Walker. **
Radio News Hub Radio News Hub is a provider of news bulletins for radio stations based in the United Kingdom. The company, which has its head office in Leeds, West Yorkshire, provides 60 second and 120 second bulletins for English speaking radio stations both in ...
have been acquired by Markettiers4DC, a broadcasting
PR agency Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
. * 7 January – ** Former
Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
presenter Rob Howard begins presenting weekend Early Breakfast at Heart. ** Trevor Marshall and Rich Smith begin presenting weekend breakfast for Get Radio Oxfordshire. * 8 January – Andrew Marr joins Classic FM to present a Sunday morning programme in which he selects some of his favourite pieces of classical music alongside newer releases. * 9 January – ** Phil Williams and
OJ Borg Oliver James Borg D'Anastasi (), known as OJ Borg (born 4 April 1979), is a British radio and television presenter employed by the BBC. Career Radio Borg is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 2's weekday overnight programme. He has previously ...
confirm Williams is taking over Borg's Sunday night into Monday morning show on Radio 2, with Borg continuing to present four nights a week. ** Five folk songs about modern folk heroes by artists such as Chris Difford and
Thea Gilmore Thea Eve Gilmore (born 25 November 1979), also known as Afterlight, is an English singer-songwriter. She has released more than twenty albums since her 1998 debut '' Burning Dorothy''. She has had three Top 40 entries on the UK Albums Chart and ...
have been created as part of Radio 2's 21st Century Folk project. ** BBC Asian Network confirms that
Nikita Kanda Nikita Kanda (born 29 July 1995) is an English radio presenter and broadcaster. After joining the BBC Asian Network in 2021, she became the presenter of the ''Asian Network Breakfast'' in July 2022. In 2023, she competed in the twenty-first se ...
will be its new regular breakfast show presenter, Kanda having presented the programme for the past six months. ** Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs joins Virgin Radio to present the weekday drivetime show. **
Sam Thompson Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1898 and with a brief comeback in 1906. At , the Indiana native was one of the larger players of his day and was known ...
begins presenting
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR. Overv ...
's weekday evening show, ''Hits UK''. **
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR. Overv ...
presenter
Jordon Lee Jordon is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Darren Jordon (born 1960), British journalist *Mark Jordon (born 1965), English actor *Phil Jordon (1933–1965), American basketball player *Ray Jordon (19 ...
takes over weekday early breakfast on Kiss, but continues with his breakfast show on Hits Radio Pride and afternoons on Heat radio. **
Gaydio Gaydio is a radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) people in the United Kingdom, broadcast on 88.4 FM in Greater Manchester, on DAB digital radio in Greater London, parts of the Home Counties, Manchester, Brighton, ...
becomes available on DAB in a further seven UK cities – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Sheffield. ** Rock FM is found to be in breach of
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
regulations following the broadcast of a pre-recorded voice note from a listener on the 19 October 2022 edition of its breakfast show in which the word "
cunt ''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United Stat ...
" was heard at the end of the recording. The piece had not been vetted before broadcast. * 10 January – ** It is confirmed that Bob Shennan, the former Controller of
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
,
BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...
,
BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
and the BBC Asian Network is to leave the broadcaster after 36 years. ** Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland, presenters of the podcast ''
You, Me and the Big C ''You, Me and the Big C'' is a British podcast about life with, treatment of and other topics relating to the disease cancer. The podcast was originally hosted by three former or current cancer patients; Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Rachael ...
'', have said they are ready to step down from their roles, but hope that the podcast will continue without them. ** Victoria Quinn leaves Q Radio to become breakfast show presenter at
Downtown Country ''Downtown Country'' is the sixth studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in January 1967 by RCA Victor. ''Downtown Country'' was the second of Smith's albums to include string instrumentation to help create a pop-inf ...
. * 11 January – **
Bauer Media Audio UK Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group. History In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
have appointed Lucie Cave to the newly created role of Chief Creative Officer for Podcasts and Commercial Content. ** Ofcom is reported to be considering a request by community station Cross Counties Radio for it to be allowed to change the number of hours of original content it must provide from 161 hours per week to 70. ** Sports journalist
Martin Samuel Martin Samuel (born 25 July 1964) is an English sports columnist for ''News UK'' and a sports columnist for ''GQ Magazine'' since 2012. He has previously worked for ''The Daily Mail'', ''The Times'', ''News of the World'', '' Jewish Chronicle'' ...
joins talkSPORT as a contributor to the breakfast show, and to co-present a weekly programme on Thursday evenings. * 13 January – ** Sam Jackson is appointed as Controller of
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
, effective from April 2023. ** Ofcom revokes the
small-scale DAB In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital ...
licence it awarded to Like DAB Limited for the Scilly Isles after the Like DAB said it would not be able to launch the service by the deadline given to it by Ofcom. ** BBC Sports broadcaster
Jennie Gow Jennie Gow (; born 20 May 1977) is an English radio and television presenter and journalist. She was the presenter on BBC Sport's coverage of MotoGP motorcycle racing for 2010. She is currently BBC News's F1 Correspondent and reports for BBC N ...
announces she has suffered a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
, affecting her speech. * 14 January – Emperor Rosko joins
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
to present a series of monthly breakfast shows. * 17 January – Ken Bruce announces on his Radio 2 show that he will be leaving the network at the end of March. Shortly afterwards, Greatest Hits Radio confirms he will join in April, replacing Mark Goodier on their mid-morning show, and taking the
PopMaster PopMaster (briefly known as Celebrity PopMaster from 2007–2008) is a popular music quiz on the ''Ken Bruce Show'' on BBC Radio 2 that has aired on weekday mornings since February 1998. It usually takes place at around 10:30 every weekday. The qu ...
quiz with him. * 18 January – ** Following feedback, the BBC have made some changes to their proposals for BBC Local Radio, including those relating to the networking of shows and the pairing of stations. But plans to cut the number of local '' BBC Introducing'' programmes from 32 to 11 are met with concern from musicians and those from the music industry who fear it could a negative effect on new acts trying to break through on to the scene. ** Regency Radio have hired Tommy Boyd to present a show on Sunday nights, with a start date to be confirmed. ** Fun Kids launches a subscription service titled Fun Kids Podcast+. * 19 January – Members of the National Union of Journalists are to hold a consultative ballot on whether to strike over the proposed changes announced for BBC Local Radio. * 20 January – ** At midnight
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
stops broadcasting on MW. Consequently, Absolute Radio is now a digital-only station. ** Jack FM teams up with comedian
Dom Joly Dominic John Romulus Joly (; born 15 November 1967) is an English comedian and writer. He is best known as the star of ''Trigger Happy TV'' (2000–2003), a hidden camera prank show that was broadcast in over 70 countries worldwide. Early life ...
for the last gig of his nationwide tour by sponsoring a show at Oxford’s New Theatre. ** Dance station Juice FM, launched in December 2022, announces plans to join DAB in North Wales and West Cheshire. * 23 January – ** Used car marketplace company cinch takes over as sponsor of ''
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' (currently referred to on-air due to sponsorship reasons as ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky'') is the name given to two versions of a radio programme hosted by broadcaster Chris Evans in the United K ...
'' on Virgin Radio, succeeding
Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...
as the programme's sponsors with a three year sponsorship deal. ** Former GB News reporter and presenter Rosie Wright joins Times Radio to present Weekday Early Breakfast. ** Shaun Tilley joins Liverpool Live to present the drivetime show from 4.00pm. ** The ''
Radio Today Radio Today is a 24 hours radio station in Bangladesh that started airing in May 2006. It is currently available in Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Bogra, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Kushtia, Comilla Comilla (; bn, কুমি ...
'' website reports that Josh Tate may have become the UK's youngest newsreader after joining
Radio Exe Radio Exe (formerly Exeter FM) is an Independent Local Radio station based in Exeter, Devon, England. As of March 2023, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 39,000, according to RAJAR. Presenters Presenters include Matt Rogers, Ne ...
at the age of 16. ** Steve McGoldrick has been appointed as the new Head of Marketing at Radiocentre. * 24 January – ** Bristol's
Ujima Radio Ujima Radio broadcasts on 98.0 FM across the City of Bristol within a 3 mile (5 Kilometre) radius of St Pauls St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mot ...
submits a request to Ofcom to change its Key Commitments by broadcasting less non-English output. ** Ofcom have found Leicester-based Radio2Funky and Takeover Radio, as well as Cumbernauld FM, in breach of their commitments after receiving complaints they were not producing enough original output. **
BFBS The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...
launches its second series of ''BFBS Esports Live'', presented by
OJ Borg Oliver James Borg D'Anastasi (), known as OJ Borg (born 4 April 1979), is a British radio and television presenter employed by the BBC. Career Radio Borg is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 2's weekday overnight programme. He has previously ...
. * 25 January – **
City University of London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
announces the launch of the UK's first MA degree in podcasting, along with a Centre of Podcasting Excellence, with the first students scheduled to begin their studies in September 2023. **
Smooth Radio Smooth Radio may refer to: * Smooth Radio (2010), the original national network in the UK * Smooth Radio (2014) See also * Smoothfm smoothfm is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by NOVA Entertainment. From original ...
undergoes a "brand refresh", with a new logo and strapline. "Your relaxing music mix" is replaced by "Always the best music". ** Made in Manchester announces a partnership with Workerbee to generate new content ideas for radio and television. ** 45 Radio announces that it has hired former
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
presenter Bruno Brookes to present ''Bruno's Mega Hits'' on Saturdays and Sundays from midday. ** Josh Tate, believed to be the UK's youngest newsreader, appears on
Matt Chorley Matt Chorley is a British journalist and broadcaster who hosts a live show on Times Radio. His early career was at the ''Taunton Times'' before covering politics for the ''Western Morning News'' and the Press Association. He was subsequently poli ...
's show on Times Radio, where he is invited to read the midday headlines. * 27 January – ** BBC Arabic radio service closes down. ** Ofcom initiates proceedings to revoke Bauer Radio's mediumwave licence following its decision to close the national AM feed of
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
, and consequently ending its licence eight years ahead of schedule. Ofcom also considers financial penalties against Bauer after it confirmed the decision the previous day. ** Frisk Radio have hired David Alley, a former presenter on Heart Bedford and Chiltern FM, to present their weekday drivetime show. * 30 January – ** BBC Radio 2 begins its 2023 Radio 2 Piano Room feature, which runs until 24 February, and sees different artists performing with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Maida Vale Studios. The performances are broadcast live on Ken Bruce's mid-morning show. ** The Radio Academy holds its inaugural "Last Mondays" event in Central London, a monthly gathering for members of the audio industry featuring guest speakers. ** Listeners to Greatest Hits Radio have voted "
Mr. Blue Sky "Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album '' Out of the Blue'' (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto fo ...
" the top Feel Good Anthem following a poll of songs that make listeners feel good. ** Technology company
Aiir ''AIIR'' is the eighth studio album from British funk music, funk band Sault (band), Sault, A sequel to their sixth album, ''Air (Sault album), AIR'', the album was one of five initially released for free via digital distribution on 1 Novemb ...
announce the launch of Aiir Scheduler, a cloud-based music scheduler for radio stations to create and manage playlists via a web browser. * 31 January – Members of the National Union of Journalists have voted to take industrial action over planned changes to BBC Local Radio. * January –
Signal 1 Signal 1 is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Staffordshire and South Cheshire. As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 172,000 listeners a ...
's Stafford and Congleton transmitters switch to broadcasting Greatest Hits Radio, with Signal 1 continuing to broadcast to Stoke-on-Trent.


February

* 1 February – ** BBC Radio Bristol presenter Laura Rawlings is appointed as presenter of The Radio Academy Podcast for the next six months, covering for regular presenter Roisin Hastie while she is on maternity leave. ** Dee Ford, Managing Director of Bauer Media Audio UK, announces plans to leave the role after 35 years with the company. * 2 February –
BBC WM BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 236,000 lis ...
announces that its new building in Digbeth, Birmingham, will be known as "The Tea Factory". It will also be home to BBC Radio 1's '' Newsbeat'', Radio 4's '' The Archers'' and BBC Asian Network News. * 3 February – ** The BBC confirms the latest plans to merge its BBC Music Introducing shows, with 20 shows spread across 39 BBC Local Radio stations, airing twice a week, and some shows merging with those of neighbouring stations. ** Former Secretary of State for Culture Nadine Dorries begins presenting a weekly Friday evening show, ''Friday Night with Nadine'', for Talkradio and TalkTV. Her first guest is the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. ** It is reported that Pierre Petrou has resigns as
London Greek Radio London Greek Radio (LGR) is an Independent Local Radio station for London's Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community. It broadcasts in both Greek and English on 103.3 FM in London and is also ava ...
's chief programming and content manager. ** The BBC confirms it has hired
Erewash Sound Erewash Sound is a community radio station broadcasting to the borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, including Ilkeston, West Hallam, Long Eaton, Borrowash and surrounding areas. Following a short-term RSL broadcast in the summer of 2005, the ...
Drive presenter Lewis Allsopp as a studio director for Radio 4 and the World Service at Broadcasting House. * 5 February – Radio 2 airs ''Happy Birthday Tony Blackburn: 80 Poptastic Years'' to celebrate
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
's 80th birthday on 29 January. * 6 February – ** Bauer Radio launches an ad-free subscription services for
Magic Radio Magic Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer. The station is available on 105.4 FM in London and across the UK on Digital Radio, on the Magic Radio app, television and online. It had previously been a part of a ...
and Greatest Hits Radio, enabling listeners to hear additional stations without commercials, and skip live content. ** Iain Lee announces he is leaving Jack FM, and that he is retiring from broadcasting. * 7 February – ** Lucy Frazer replaces Michelle Donelan as Culture Secretary following a
cabinet reshuffle A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the Head of State changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parlia ...
. ** Nielsen has reported a weekly audience of 211,000 tradespeople for
Fix Radio Fix Radio is a national digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, Facebook, YouTube and podcast channels. It has previously been the silver award winner of the 2023 UK Audio and Radio Industry Awards for best statio ...
. * 8 February – Ofcom awards a further five
small-scale DAB In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital ...
licences in Inverclyde, Newry, Northampton, Southampton and Wolverhampton. * 9 February – ** Perminder Khatkar and Victoria Easton-Riley are announced as having been elected to the Radio Academy Board of Trustees. ** Bauer announces the launch of its digital audio advertising network, audioXi, in Portugal. * 10 February – Rick Houghton joins
Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Chesterfiel ...
's online station, 1866 Sport, to present the weekday drivetime show. * 11 February – ** Emma Scott, formerly of Heart and Kerrang!, joins North Derbyshire Radio to present a weekend lunchtime show. ** ''Radio Today'' reports that Radio Essentials has launched on DAB in Sheffield, having been on air online since October 2022. * 13 February – ** Owain Wyn Evans begins presenting the ''Radio 2 Early Breakfast Show'' from Cardiff. ** A report published by Radiocentre indicates that commercial radio in the UK received a collective advertising revenue of £740m during 2022, an increase from £718.7m in 2021. **
Radio News Hub Radio News Hub is a provider of news bulletins for radio stations based in the United Kingdom. The company, which has its head office in Leeds, West Yorkshire, provides 60 second and 120 second bulletins for English speaking radio stations both in ...
becomes an official partner with the Radio Academy. ** The
Disasters Emergency Committee The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is an umbrella group of UK charities which coordinates and launches collective appeals to raise funds to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to people caught up in disasters and humanitarian crises aroun ...
launches a radio appeal following the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 Time in Turkey, TRT (01:17 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a  7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was west–northwest of Gaziantep. The ear ...
voiced by Michael Palin. ** Great British Radio extends its coverage to Edinburgh and Cardiff after launching on DAB+ in those cities. * 14 February – ** Ofcom revokes the mediumwave licence from Absolute Radio following Bauer's decision to cease broadcasting on its AM frequency. ** Capital London presenter Ant Payne apologises for comments he made on his drivetime show the previous day after suggesting it was the appropriate time to book a cheap flight to Turkey. * 15 February – '' Magic Breakfast'' launches an interactive holiday promotion with its sponsor, On the Beach. * 17 February – ** The LGBTQ-themed radio station,
Gaydio Gaydio is a radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) people in the United Kingdom, broadcast on 88.4 FM in Greater Manchester, on DAB digital radio in Greater London, parts of the Home Counties, Manchester, Brighton, ...
, broadcast a
minute's silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of r ...
at 11.00am in collaboration with other UK LGBTQ stations to remember 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, who was stabbed to death on 11 February. The silence is preceded by a feature introduced by transgender presenter Stephanie Hirst in which she reflects on the discrimination and violence often experienced by trans people, as well as paying tribute to Ghey. ** Ofcom launches a consultation process after talkSPORT submits a request to turn off four of its 22 AM transmitters, reducing its mediumwave output from 93% to 89.9% of the population. ** Kerrang! Radio fan Hope Lynes has been given her own show on the station, airing every Saturday from 2pm. ** Local Radio Support enters into its first agency partnership, with Manning Gottlieb OMD. * 19 February – ''She Scores'', a series focusing on female composers, returns to Scala Radio for a third series. * 20 February – ** Ofcom finds Bauer in breach of its regulations over its 2022 Make Me a Winner competition after a promotion on Kiss failed to mention all of the terms and conditions, notably that entrants to the competition on a particular day would still be valid for the rest of the time it was running. The Make Me a Winner competition took place between April and July 2022. ** ''
Creed III ''Creed III'' is an upcoming American sports drama film directed by Michael B. Jordan (in his feature directorial debut) with a screenplay by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin from a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler. The sequel to ''Creed II ...
'' actor, producer and director Michael B. Jordan teams up with KISS and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation for their #notboxed campaign, which is designed to help inspire young people. * 21 February –
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
announces that weekday afternoon presenter Reece Parkinson is to leave the network as part of a schedule shake-up. Saturday afternoon presenter Lady Leshurr is also being replaced. * 24 February – ** Radio 2 confirms Vernon Kay will present the mid-morning show, taking over in May.
Gary Davies Gary Davies (born 13 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. From 1982 to 1993 he was a BBC Radio 1 disc jockey and a regular presenter of ''Top of the Pops''. As of September 2022 Gary Davies can be heard on BBC Radio 2 presenting Saturd ...
will present the show on a temporary basis after Ken Bruce leaves in March. ** Steve Allen announces he has left LBC after 44 years in broadcasting. **
Carolyn Quinn Carolyn Quinn (born 22 July 1961 in Camberwell, London) is a British journalist best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as a political correspondent and for presenting the ''Today'' programme and '' PM''. Early life Quinn attended St Joseph's RC ...
, presenter of Radio 4's ''
Westminster Hour ''The Westminster Hour'' is a British political news review produced by BBC News, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each Sunday evening between 22:00 and 23:00 (starting with a national and international news bulletin). The programme began to be broadcas ...
'' and '' PM'' programmes, announces she is leaving the BBC after 36 years with the broadcaster. She has also presented her final regular edition of ''PM''. ** Dasha Zakarets, a Ukrainian refugee who came to England at the start of the war, reads the opening minutes of the 8am bulletin on
Greatest Hits Radio York and North Yorkshire Minster FM was a local radio station serving York and the surrounding areas such as Selby, Tadcaster, Thirsk, Northallerton and Goole. The station closed on 31 August 2020 and its frequency is now a relay of Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire York & ...
to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. * 26 February – ** Edward Adoo presents his final Sunday night show on BBC Three Counties Radio after seven and a half years, having decided a few weeks earlier to leave the station ahead of planned schedule changes. ** ''Radio Today'' reports that Ofcom's Community Radio Fund has made 17 awards to local community stations. * 27 February – ** Lomond Radio celebrates the 10th birthday of its youngest presenter, Ruairidh Mac, who presents Lomond Radio Kids Edition each Monday evening. ** Alton Andrews, a presenter on the original Red Rose Radio, is to join the newly-launched digital Red Rose Radio to present a Saturday morning show. * 28 February – ** Members of the National Union of Journalists working for the BBC regional service in England vote to take strike action over planned cuts to BBC Local Radio. A 24-hour strike is scheduled for 15 March to coincide with
Budget Day Budget Day is the day that a government presents its budget to a legislature for approval, in a ceremonial fashion. It only exists in some countries of the world. India The Union Budget of India, referred to as the Annual Financial Statement in ...
. **
Nation Broadcasting Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom. History Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
sells its share in Bailiwick Broadcasting, operator of the DAB multiplex covering the Channel Islands, to Tindle CI Broadcasting.


March

* 1 March – **
Nation Broadcasting Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom. History Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
launches Nation New on DAB in Tynemouth and South Shield, a radio station playing nothing but new music by new artists. ** Bauer announces plans to replace Kiss with Greatest Hits Radio on its FM frequencies in Cambridge, Peterborough and Suffolk, subject to Ofcom approval. * 2 March – ** Kenny Allstar is announced as the new presenter of the ''Radio 1 Rap Show'', replacing
Tiffany Calver Tiffany Calver (born 16 September 1994) is a British radio DJ and presenter. Early life Calver was born and bred in Telford, but moved to London at the age of 17 in order to attend college and be closer to the music scene in the city. Calver ...
, who is leaving the programme after four years. ** Small-scale DAB licenses are awarded to Higher Rhythm Limited in Doncaster, PlymDab in Plymouth, and Mid Yorkshire DAB Limited in Wakefield. ** Tindle Media Group acquires a 10% stake in Podcast Radio in order to help with its international expansion plans. * 3 March – Ken Bruce presents his final mid-morning show on Radio 2. * 4 March – ** Former BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Sam Walker, and Pete Price, previously of Radio City, join Happy Radio to present shows. Walker presents a weekend lunchtime show, while Price presents ''Guilty Pleasures'' on Saturday evenings. ** Student radio stations in the south of England get together for a 24-hour broadcast in aid of FareShare, the Journey of a Lifetime Trust,
Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
,
Stonewall Stonewall or Stone wall may refer to: * Stone wall, a kind of masonry construction * Stonewalling, engaging in uncooperative or delaying tactics * Stonewall riots, a 1969 turning point for the modern LGBTQ rights movement in Greenwich Village, Ne ...
, the Teenage Cancer Trust and
UNICEF UK UNICEF UK, also known as the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF, is one of 36 UNICEF national committees based in industrialised countries. The national committees raise funds for the organisation's worldwide emergency and development work. In 20 ...
. The broadcast raises £600 for the charities. ** Andrew Collins presents his final edition of ''Saturday Night at the Movies'' for Classic FM, having announced the previous day his intention to leave after seven years. * 5 March – Nominations for BBC Local Radio's Make a Difference Awards close, with over 11,000 nominations later confirmed as having been received. * 6 March – **
Gary Davies Gary Davies (born 13 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. From 1982 to 1993 he was a BBC Radio 1 disc jockey and a regular presenter of ''Top of the Pops''. As of September 2022 Gary Davies can be heard on BBC Radio 2 presenting Saturd ...
temporarily takes over the BBC Radio 2 mid-morning show. He also launches a replacement for the ''
PopMaster PopMaster (briefly known as Celebrity PopMaster from 2007–2008) is a popular music quiz on the ''Ken Bruce Show'' on BBC Radio 2 that has aired on weekday mornings since February 1998. It usually takes place at around 10:30 every weekday. The qu ...
'' quiz called ''Ten to the Top''. ** RB1 Radio is rebranded as Rotherham Radio. **
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
finds 15 community radio stations breached their broadcasting conditions in February 2023, with issues ranging from studio output to not meeting their key commitments. * 7 March –
Radio News Hub Radio News Hub is a provider of news bulletins for radio stations based in the United Kingdom. The company, which has its head office in Leeds, West Yorkshire, provides 60 second and 120 second bulletins for English speaking radio stations both in ...
announces it will make a free two-hour live programme available providing
budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...
coverage on Budget Day (15 March). The programme will include coverage of the budget speech, as well as analysis from a panel of experts. * 8 March – ** Pierre Petrou, the former Head of Programming at
London Greek Radio London Greek Radio (LGR) is an Independent Local Radio station for London's Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community. It broadcasts in both Greek and English on 103.3 FM in London and is also ava ...
, is appointed as Operations Manager for Radio Maria England. ** Ceri Hurford-Jones, the former Managing Director of
Spire FM Spire FM was a UK radio station based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was awarded the licence to broadcast to Salisbury and the surrounding areas by the Radio Authority, now Ofcom, in 1991. The station took its name from the spire of Salisbury Cath ...
, joins Salisbury Radio as their Creative Adventures Manager. * 9 March – ** Mae Muller is chosen to represent the UK at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with her song " I Wrote a Song". The announcement is made on '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' by presenter Zoe Ball. ** Presenter Pat Sharp is reported to have left Greatest Hits Radio "with immediate effect" after making an inappropriate remark about a woman's breasts while comparing an awards event. ** Virgin Radio 80s Plus announces the launch of a Saturday night guest slot presented by a star from the 1980s, beginning with
Clare Grogan Claire Patricia Grogan (born 17 March 1962), known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish actress and singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images, as well as ...
, who will present the slot for four weeks. She is followed by Matt Goss in April and
Carol Decker Carol Ann Decker (born 10 September 1957) is an English singer and musician. She is the lead vocalist of the band T'Pau, which had international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Decker is mainly associated with the group, she ...
in May. ** The National Union of Journalists announces plans to hold a strike ballot among staff at
BBC Radio Foyle BBC Radio Foyle ( ga, BBC Raidió Feabhail) is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based. T ...
following a management decision to implement schedule changes, which include replacing the two hour morning programme with a 30 minute version. * 11 March – ** '' 5 Live Sport'' and '' Fighting Talk'' are pulled from the day's schedule on
BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...
after presenters Mark Chapman and Dion Dublin (''5 Live Sport'') and Colin Murray (''Fighting Talk'') join other sports BBC sports presenters in refusing to appear on air after the BBC took Gary Lineker off '' Match of the Day'' over controversial comments he made about the UK government's
Illegal Migration Bill The Illegal Migration Act 2023 (c. 37) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Suella Braverman, in March 2023. The main focus of the bill is to reduce or end "small boat ...
. ** Emil Franchi begins presenting weekend early breakfast on Absolute Radio. **
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...
succeeds Andrew Collins as presenter of Classic FM's ''Saturday Night at the Movies''. * 12 March – At 8am,
Radio Winchcombe Radio Winchcombe is an English local community radio station which broadcasts to Winchcombe and the surrounding areas. In December 2011 it was announced on the station's Twitter and Facebook pages that it had received a full-time licence from O ...
becomes available in the
Bishops Cleeve Bishop's Cleeve is a large village and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham. The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds. Bishop's Cle ...
area on 106.9FM. * 13 March – ** Mark Chapman returns to Radio 5 Live for ''Monday Night Club'' after the Gary Lineker controversy is resolved. The BBC will initiate an independent review into social media guidance for its presenters. ** Matt Richardson succeeds Iain Lee as presenter of Jack FM breakfast. ** Emil Franchi begins presenting weekday afternoons on
Absolute Radio 00s Absolute Radio 00s is a semi-national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts locally on Bauer's Inverness DAB Multiplex. It broadcasts nationally via smart speaker streaming and ...
. * 15 March – ** At 11am, members of the National Union of Journalists begin a 24-hour strike on BBC Local Radio, requiring a syndicated programme to air in some areas. ** Tynemouth-based station
Frisk Radio Frisk may refer to: * Frisk (confectionery), a product line of breath mint candies * ''Frisk'' (novel), a 1991 novel by Dennis Cooper ** ''Frisk'' (film), a 1995 film based on the novel * Frisk (surname) * Frisk Asker Ishockey, a Norwegian ice ...
announces plans to join DAB in Middlesbrough and Redcar. **
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
announces schedule changes to come into effect from June, including a show presented by
Tiffany Calver Tiffany Calver (born 16 September 1994) is a British radio DJ and presenter. Early life Calver was born and bred in Telford, but moved to London at the age of 17 in order to attend college and be closer to the music scene in the city. Calver ...
on Friday nights. * 16 March – ** Ofcom gives Bristol-based Ujima Radio permission to change its key commitments to its audience, changing the station to one serving African and Caribbean listeners in the city's St Paul's area. ** Heart 00s announces that Rachel Stevens is joining the station on a temporary basis as a stand-in presenter, covering Ashley Roberts' Saturday afternoon show while Roberts is on holiday. **
Nation Broadcasting Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom. History Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
have signed Phil Hoyles of Greatest Hits Radio to present Drive on
Radio Pembrokeshire Radio Pembrokeshire is an Independent Local Radio station that broadcasts to Pembrokeshire. It is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting and broadcasts on 102.5 and 107.5 FM and DAB from studios near the St Hilary transmitting station, St ...
,
Radio Carmarthenshire Radio Carmarthenshire is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Carmarthenshire. It is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting and broadcasts on 97.1 and 97.5 FM from studios near the St Hilary transmitter in the Vale of Glamorga ...
and Bridge FM Radio. * 17 March – The nominations for the 12 categories in the 2023 Global Awards are announced. * 20 March – ** Bauer launches a regional Greatest Hits Radio service for Cambridge, Peterborough and Suffolk on DAB ahead of proposed changes to its FM frequencies in the area. ** Community station Heartland FM announces it is scaling back its operation because of falling revenue and increased operating costs. ** Former KL.FM 96.7 presenter Kelvin Scott joines KL1 Radio in Norfolk to present the breakfast show. * 21 March – ** BBC Radio 5 Live have hired
Gordon Smart Gordon Smart (born 31 March 1980 in Edinburgh and raised in Kinross) is a Scottish broadcaster and former journalist and editor of ''The Scottish Sun''. Journalism career Smart's career in journalism started at DC Thomson in Dundee where he was ...
to present a weekly news and current affairs programme on Sunday evenings from Glasgow. ** At 8pm, Times Radio airs a leadership debate from Edinburgh and featuring the three candidates in the Scottish National Party leadership election. * 22 March – ** Paul O'Grady announces that he is to join Boom Radio to present a weekly show. **
David Prever David Prever (born ca. 1967) is a four time Sony Award winning radio presenter, and thriller author. Early life David was born in London and grew up in Chigwell, Essex. He was educated at Bancroft's School in Woodford Green and attended the Sylvia ...
announces he is leaving his position as presenter of the breakfast show on BBC Radio Oxford to take up the role of Head of Programming at
Radio News Hub Radio News Hub is a provider of news bulletins for radio stations based in the United Kingdom. The company, which has its head office in Leeds, West Yorkshire, provides 60 second and 120 second bulletins for English speaking radio stations both in ...
. * 23 March – Ofcom sets out the conditions of the new BBC Operating Licence, which comes into effect from 1 April. In a letter to Clare Sumner, Director of Policy at the BBC, Ofcom also expresses its concerns about upcoming changes to BBC Local Radio, in particular plans for programme sharing, which it feels will struggle to remain relevant to listeners. * 24 March – ** Online LGBTQ+ station GlitterBeam launches on DAB in Blackpool. ** The annual BPG Awards are held in London, where the prestigious BPG Jury Prize is awarded to multiple winners, the first time this has happened. The prize is awarded to eight
BBC Local Radio BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of forty stations. History The popularity of pirate radio was to challenge a change within ...
presenters for questioning Liz Truss during her time as prime minister, something the organisation's chair, Grant Tucker, describes as "game-changing for Liz Truss and her doomed government". The winners are Rima Ahmed of
BBC Radio Leeds BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of West Yorkshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at St Peter's Square in Leeds. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audienc ...
, James Hanson of BBC Radio Bristol, Graham Liver of BBC Radio Lancashire, Anna Cookson of BBC Radio Kent, John Acres of
BBC Radio Stoke BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekl ...
, Chris Goreham of
BBC Radio Norfolk BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Norfolk. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Forum in Norwich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 1 ...
, Sarah Julian of BBC Radio Nottingham, and Amy Oakden of BBC Radio Tees. * 24–25 March – The
BBC Radio 6 Music Festival BBC Radio 6 Music is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the B ...
returns to Manchester for 2023, the venue of the very first event in 2014; Manchester will be the festival's permanent home. * 25 March – ** Rev. Richard Coles co-presents BBC Radio 4's '' Saturday Live'' for the last time after 12 years as a regular presenter, as a result of its production moving as from the following week from London to
BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House BBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House (), previously known as the BBC Cymru Wales Headquarters building, is the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. It operates many of its broadcasting services (radio and TV) from ther ...
in Cardiff; the programme will also be reduced from 90 to 60 minutes. ** The 2023 National Hospital Radio Awards are held in Bolton. ** The UK Community Radio Network holds a regional networking event at the University of Northampton. * 27 March – ** Radio 2 announces a partnership with BBC Children’s and Education to launch Let it Grow, a project inspired by the BBC One television series '' Wild Isles'' and that includes special programmes and playlists. ** Radioplayer announces a deal with Renault Europe to develop the Radioplayer for Renault streaming app. * 28 March – Paul Miller, who presents the BBC Local Radio Late Show in the south of England, confirms he plans to leave the BBC later in the year after 23 years with the broadcaster. * 29 March – The UK government publishes a draft Media Bill that gives local commercial radio greater power over changing its music output and broadcasting content from outside its area. The bill also requires an increase in local news output. * 31 March – ** Members of the National Union of Journalists working for
BBC Local Radio BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of forty stations. History The popularity of pirate radio was to challenge a change within ...
announce a second strike in protest at planned cuts to the service, to be staged on 4 May to coincide with the local elections. ** The winners of the 2023 Global Awards are announced. Winners include the company's own podcast, ''The News Agents'', which wins the award for Best Podcast.


April

* 2 April – ** Bronwen Lewis, a former contestant on '' The Voice UK'', joins BBC Radio Wales to present a weekly Sunday morning show. **
Magic Radio Magic Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer. The station is available on 105.4 FM in London and across the UK on Digital Radio, on the Magic Radio app, television and online. It had previously been a part of a ...
broadcasts the 2023 Olivier Awards, which includes a live acceptance speech from Richard Hawley containing nine expletives. The station subsequently apologises for broadcasting the speech. ** Local English language programming is broadcast on
Greatest Hits Radio South Wales Greatest Hits Radio South Wales (formerly Swansea Sound) is Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Radio as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. The station broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, East Carmarthenshire a ...
for the final time. Bauer management told the industry news website RadioToday that the separate content for South Wales was "no longer viable going forwards". The station retains its late-night Welsh-language programme, airing from Sunday to Thursday nights. * 3 April – ** Ken Bruce joins Greatest Hits Radio to present the mid-morning show from 10.00am to 1.00pm.
PopMaster PopMaster (briefly known as Celebrity PopMaster from 2007–2008) is a popular music quiz on the ''Ken Bruce Show'' on BBC Radio 2 that has aired on weekday mornings since February 1998. It usually takes place at around 10:30 every weekday. The qu ...
, the UK's most popular radio quiz, also moves to Greatest Hits Radio. To make way for Bruce's show, the morning edition of the ''Top Ten at 10'' is moved to 9am and renamed the ''Top Ten Till Ken''. The first track played on Bruce's new show is " Come Together" by The Beatles. ** Bauer Radio rebrands Clyde 2, Forth 2, MFR 2, Northsound 2, Tay 2, West Sound in Ayrshire, and West Sound in Dumfries & Galloway, and Radio Borders as Greatest Hits Radio, bringing its Scottish stations under the Greatest Hits banner alongside those in England and Wales. ** CFM and Radio Borders are rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio. ** Bauer replaces Lincs FM with
Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire Greatest may refer to: * ''Greatest!'', a 1959 album by Johnny Cash * ''Bee Gees Greatest'', a 1979 album by Bee Gees * ''Greatest'' (The Go-Go's album), 1990 * ''Greatest'' (Duran Duran album), 1998 * Greatest (song), a song by Eminem * "Greate ...
on 102.2FM, 96.7FM and 97.6FM, while Lincs FM continues to air on DAB. ** Schedule changes at
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
see Keylee Golding take over as presenter of the weekday afternoon show and Remi Bungz presenting weekday drivetime. Golding's afternoon show is the first on the network to move outside London and is presented from Birmingham. ** An edition of Radio 4's '' Front Row'' plays part of what is believed to be the earliest complete recording of a concert by The Beatles. The tape was recorded by a pupil at
Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...
on 4 April 1963. * 4 April – ** Ben Chapman is appointed CEO of
BFBS The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...
, replacing Simon Bucks. ** The charity MV Ross Revenge – Home of Radio Caroline launches a
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
appeal to raise £125,000 for essential repairs to the . * 5 April – Nielsen reports that Fix Radio has a weekly audience of 295,109 who listen for an average of 22.9 hours. * 6 April – ** More4 have commissioned a six-part television version of
PopMaster PopMaster (briefly known as Celebrity PopMaster from 2007–2008) is a popular music quiz on the ''Ken Bruce Show'' on BBC Radio 2 that has aired on weekday mornings since February 1998. It usually takes place at around 10:30 every weekday. The qu ...
which will be presented by Ken Bruce. ** Classic FM drivetime presenter
John Brunning John Brunning is an English radio presenter, musician and composer. On Classic FM he presents Classic FM Drive. Brunning was born in Essex and from 1970 broadcast pirate radio from his home in Colchester. He learned guitar and played for a time w ...
announces he is leaving the programme after ten years but will continue to present on the network. ** LBC political editor Theo Underwood announces he is stepping down from the role for personal reasons. * 7 April – **
Tim Smith Tim, Timothy or Timmy Smith may refer to: Musicians *T. V. Smith (born 1956), British singer and songwriter *Tim Smith (Cardiacs) (1961–2020), English singer-songwriter and frontman of Cardiacs *Timmy Trumpet (born 1982), Australian DJ and produ ...
presents the first of two Easter specials on Jazz FM; his second show airs on 10 April. ** BBC Radio Wales broadcasts a tribute to presenter
Nicola Heywood-Thomas Nicola Anne Heywood-Thomas (17 May 1955 – 6 April 2023) was a Welsh broadcaster and television news journalist, who worked both for BBC Radio Wales and HTV, where she spent 18 years as a news presenter. She was born in Cardigan but grew ...
, who died the previous day, as part of its ''Radio Wales Arts Show''. * 8 April – ** Mark Goodier begins presenting weekend mid-mornings on Greatest Hits Radio, replacing Pat Sharp. ** David Jensen returns to Jazz FM for a third series of ''David Jensen's Jazz''. * 9 April – As a tribute to Paul O'Grady, Boom Radio reruns the two-hour programme he presented for the station in December 2022, complete with festive elements. Prior to his death he had been scheduled to present an Easter special for Boom. * 10 April – **
Niall Horan Niall James Horan ( ; born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition ''The X Factor''. The group released five albums and went ...
presents a Make a Difference Awards special for
BBC Local Radio BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of forty stations. History The popularity of pirate radio was to challenge a change within ...
. ** Steve Wright presents ''Your Ultimate Queen Song'' on Radio 2, a countdown of listeners' favourite Queen tracks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of their first album. ** Podnews, a daily podcast newsletter run by James Cridland, has acquired Podcast Business Journal, also a daily podcast newsletter, from Streamline Publishing Inc. ** Classic FM listeners have voted
Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...
's " Piano Concerto No.2" their favourite piece of classical music following a Top 300 countdown of pieces of classical music over the Easter holiday. * 11 April – Geraint Lloyd joins MônFM Community Radio to present an evening show. * 12 April – ** The Isle of Man's Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority grants
Manx Radio Manx Radio (legally Radio Manx Ltd.) ( gv, Radio Vannin) is the national commercial radio station for the Isle of Man. It began broadcasting on 29 June 1964, almost ten years before commercial radio was licensed in the United Kingdom. The Isle of ...
a three year licence to test and trial DAB. ** It is reported that DJ and radio presenter Tim Westwood has been questioned twice under police caution over alleged sex offences. * 13 April – ** BBC Radio Devon presenter David Fitzgerald is taken ill half an hour into his show. The show is then presented by Michael Chequer, with Fitzgerald off air while he recovers from a heart issue. ** The ''Radio Today'' website reports on the launch of the talkSPORT Fan Network, whereby football podcasts will be brought under the umbrella of this title. * 14 April – BBC Radio Devon presenter David Sheppard announces his intention to leave his late night show after 20 years following the BBC's decision to merge its local radio content. * 15 April – Johnnie Walker sits in for
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
on ''
Sounds of the 60s ''Sounds of the 60s'' is a long-running Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 2 that features recordings of popular music made in the 1960s. It was first broadcast on 12 February 1983 and introduced by Keith Fordyce, who had been the first ...
'' after Blackburn is told to take a break by his doctor following the recurrence of a chest infection. * 16 April – Paul Gambaccini presents ''The Golden Hour (radio feature), Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour'' in Blackburn's absence. * 17 April – ** Schedule changes at Classic FM see Margherita Taylor replacing John Brunning as drivetime presenter, and Ritula Shah joining from Radio 4 to present ''Calm Classics'' on weekday nights from 10pm. ** Times Radio partners with
BFBS The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselve ...
to air Jane Garvey (broadcaster), Jane Garvey and Fi Glover's weekday afternoon programme on BFBS Radio 2. * 19 April – ** Radio 2 confirms that Rylan Clark and Scott Mills will present its coverage of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. ** Jazz FM is announced as the official media partner of Birmingham’s Birmingham Jazz, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival 2023, which takes place from 7–9 July. ** 10 Downing Street hosts a "Champions of local media" event featuring people from various UK radio stations. * 20 April – Gfm, a community radio station in Glastonbury, Wells and Street, is awarded £106,367 of National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lottery Funding to upgrade studios and to develop outreach and training programmes. * 21 April – ** Tony Blackburn announces that he will be unable to present his radio shows for "a few weeks" as his chest infection requires further treatment. The news comes on the same day that it is announced Blackburn will be honoured at the 2023 Audio and Radio Industry Awards with the Pioneer Award. ** Gaynor Martin, a music programmer for Global Radio, leaves the company after 25 years in the radio industry. * 22 April – Author and journalist Clare Foges joins LBC to present a show on Saturdays from 4–7pm. * 24 April – ** Radio 2 listeners have voted "Space Man (Sam Ryder song), Space Man" by Sam Ryder (singer), Sam Ryder their favourite Eurovision song. The countdown, presented by Steve Wright, is made available through
BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a Closed platform, walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile pho ...
and will air on Radio 2 on 13 May. ** Danielle Perry joins Jazz FM to present weekday mid mornings, replacing Deb Grant. ** Former Sky News presenter Colin Brazier joins LBC to present weeknights from 10pm–1am. ** Radio News Hub announces it will be providing free coverage of the Coronation of Charles III on 6 May, with Martin Kelner hired to present the coverage. ** David Burns announces he is leaving BBC Radio Humberside after 12 years after being told he is no longer needed. * 25 April – Members of the National Union of Journalists at
BBC Radio Foyle BBC Radio Foyle ( ga, BBC Raidió Feabhail) is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based. T ...
announce they have "withdrawn confidence" in BBC Northern Ireland management over recent changes in the service. * 26 April – ** Figures released by PRS for Music show it collected £964m in 2022, an increase of 22.9% (£179.4m) compared to 2021. ** BBC Radio 1 confirms plans to hold a programme of outreach activities focussed on mental health for young people across Dundee ahead of the Radio 1 Big Weekend in May. ** Tyler West begins a 24-hour KISSTORY Rave for Cash for Kids to raise money for charity. ** Yeovil station Radio Ninesprings has teamed up with Doctor James Main, a local songwriting dental surgeon, to record ''Our Charley'', a song to mark the Coronation of Charles III. The song is performed by Doc Montgomery. ** The Community Media Association announces it will campaign for community stations to be awarded longer licences after 80% of respondents to a community radio survey say longer 12-year licences would benefit the sector rather than the current five-year licence period. * 27 April – ** The BBC Local Radio strikes planned by members of the National Union of Journalists for 4 May are called off following talks between the NUJ and the BBC. NUJ members will now be balloted on a new pay offer. ** BBC Radio Nottingham daytime presenter Mark Dennison announces he is leaving the BBC after 13 years. * 28 April – ** Heart listener Margaret Coetzer wins £1m in the live final of a competition run by ''Heart Breakfast'' presenters Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston. The final is held at Global Radio's headquarters in London. ** Caroline Martin announces plans to leave her syndicated late night show on BBC Local Radio, citing the uncertainty over planned changes to the network.


May

* 1 May – ** Comedian Andrew Ryan joins Q Radio Breakfast to co-present with Declan Wilson and Amy McGuckin. ** Lucy Thomas joins Bauer Media as their new Chief Financial and Operating Officer. * 2 May – ** The BBC World Service launches an emergency radio service for Sudan on the BBC News Arabic service; it is broadcast from London and will contain news and information for those trapped in the 2023 Sudan conflict, Sudan conflict. ** Paul Quinn is named as BBC Radio Merseyside's alternative Scouse commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest. ** Chris Ward is appointed Operational Director at
Bauer Media Audio UK Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group. History In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
. ** Den Siegertsz confirms he is leaving
BBC Radio Stoke BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekl ...
after 27 years. ** At its annual meeting in Birmingham, Terry Lee is appointed as the new chair of the Community Media Association, succeeding Dom Chambers. * 3 May – The final on-air conversation between Deborah James (journalist), Dame Deborah James and BBC radio presenter Tony Livesey is voted the favourite radio moment of the year at the annual Audio and Radio Industry Awards. * 5 May – **
Nation Broadcasting Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom. History Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
and Star Radio have raised objections to Bauer's plans to rebrand KISS to Greatest Hits Radio in the East of England, expressing concerns that doing so will narrow the range of radio services available in the area. ** Nation Radio rebrands itself as CoroNation Radio for the duration of the coronation of Charles III, coronation weekend. * 8 May – Marie Lennon presents her final show on BBC Radio Wiltshire, having decided to leave the BBC because of the changes taking place in BBC Local Radio. * 9 May – ** Ofcom finds Lyca Media to be in breach of its obligations after it failed to broadcast any local news on Time 105.7 during the period in which the station's content was monitored by the regulator. ** Lymm Radio is rebranded as Cheshire’s MIX 56 to reflect the station's larger broadcast area along the A56 road, A56 and M56 motorway, M56 corridor. ** Pure (company), Pure discontinues its Flow (software), Flow software. **
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
confirms he will return to Radio 2 from Saturday 13 May. * 11 May – ** Jonathan Cowap presents his final programme for BBC Radio York after 34 years with the BBC, his departure prompted by planned changes in BBC Local Radio. **
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
presenter Scott Mills makes a cameo appearance in Channel 4's ''Hollyoaks''. ** BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore (TV executive), Charlotte Moore confirms a raft of new programmes for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, including a new podcast presented by Kirsty Young. * 12 May – ** Radio 2's ''Zoe Ball Breakfast Show'' is broadcast from Liverpool ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, with 100 listeners invited to join Ball and her team. ** Rylan Clark makes a guest appearance in a Eurovision special of '' The Archers'' in which he stops at the village of Ambridge to judge a Eurovision Variety Show. * 13 May – ** BBC Radio 2 airs ''Ultimate UK Eurovision Song'', a countdown of UK entries in the Eurovision Song Contest, and presented by Steve Wright. ** Hits Radio Pride briefly rebrands as Radio EuroPride for the Eurovision Song Contest. * 14 May – ** "Magic at the Musicals" returns to the Royal Albert Hall with Jason Manford and Ruthie Henshall presenting. ** Mark Goodier presents a countdown of the top 20 most popular ABBA hits for Greatest Hits Radio. * 15 May – ** Vernon Kay joins Radio 2 as mid-morning presenter, replacing Ken Bruce. His first track is U2's "Beautiful Day (U2 song), Beautiful Day". ** Further departures are announced from BBC Local Radio. BBC Radio Lincolnshire afternoon presenter Melvyn Prior announces he is leaving the station after 32 years, while BBC Radio Gloucestershire daytime presenter Anna King announces her departure after 37 years at the BBC. ** Boots (company), Boots have signed a sponsorship deal with Heart to sponsor ''Heart Breakfast'' until 2025. ** Churnet Sound, launched online in 2021, begins broadcasting on DAB in Staffordshire. * 17 May – BBC Radio Tees breakfast presenter Neil Green leaves the BBC after 21 years amid the changes happening to BBC Local Radio. The programme is presented by Amy Oakden the following day. * 18 May – ** RAJAR listening figures for the first quarter of 2023 are released. Among the highlights are Boom Radio, which has doubled its year-on-year audience to 635,000. ** Global Radio have signed a deal with ITV plc, ITV to show highlights of the Capital Summertime Ball and Capital Jingle Bell Ball. * 19 May – ** Members of the National Union of Journalists at
BBC Radio Foyle BBC Radio Foyle ( ga, BBC Raidió Feabhail) is a BBC Northern Ireland local radio station, serving County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is named after the River Foyle which flows through Derry, the city where the station is based. T ...
are scheduled to begin a 24-hour strike over planned changes to the service. **
Fix Radio Fix Radio is a national digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, Facebook, YouTube and podcast channels. It has previously been the silver award winner of the 2023 UK Audio and Radio Industry Awards for best statio ...
have signed a deal with TradePoint to sponsor the station's breakfast show, ''The Bold Builders Breakfast Show''. * 21 May – Sam Thompson succeeds Sarah-Jane Crawford as presenter of The Hits Chart on
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR. Overv ...
. * 22 May – ** Scala Radio launches a new schedule, which includes Penny Smith moving to mornings, and new shows from Ayanna Witter-Johnson and YolanDa Brown. ** BBC Radio Gloucestershire breakfast show presenter Mark Cummings becomes the latest long-standing presenter to announce their departure from BBC Local Radio as a result of planned changes to the network. ** Lyca Radio announces that its breakfast show will come live from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to coincide with the 2023 International Indian Film Academy Awards. * 23 May – Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones joins the campaign to keep BBC Local Radio local. * 24 May – ** Virgin Radio UK confirms that Nick Grimshaw will cover the breakfast show for Chris Evans (presenter), Chris Evans while Evans takes a break during the summer half-term week. ** An audio feed of Sky News is added to the TuneIn service. * 25 May – ** Tim Wheeler presents his final show for BBC Radio Northampton after 14 years with the station. ** Silk 106.9, Silk Radio celebrates its 25th anniversary by expanding its reach on DAB. * 26 May – ** The BBC secures exclusive UK audio rights to provide coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, starting on 8 September. ** Herdle White, the BBC's longest-serving Afro-Caribbean presenter, presents his final edition of ''The Reggae and Soca Show with Herdle White'' on BBC Radio Leicester, having decided to retire after more than 50 years on air. **
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR. Overv ...
's Hits Live returns to Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena. The event is presented by Fleur East and
Sam Thompson Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was an American professional baseball player from 1884 to 1898 and with a brief comeback in 1906. At , the Indiana native was one of the larger players of his day and was known ...
, with performances from artists including Tom Grennan, Ella Henderson and Mae Muller. * 26–28 May – Radio 1's Big Weekend 2023 takes place at Camperdown Park in Dundee. * 28 May – Steve Barker presents his final programme for BBC Radio Lancashire after 45 years with the broadcaster; his alternative music show, ''On the Wire'', has aired since September 1984. * 29 May – Details of the switch-off of BBC Radio 4 Longwave are announced, with its programming moving to other BBC platforms, and the complete close of the service expected to occur during the second quarter of 2024. * 30 May – Georgy Jamieson announces her departure from BBC Radio Suffolk after a decade with the broadcaster, with her final show scheduled to be at the end of July. * 31 May – George Smith presents his final programme for BBC Radio York; he also announces his departure from BBC Radio Lincolnshire and BBC Introducing.


June

* 1 June – ** Bauer Media is fined £25,000 by Ofcom for turning off Absolute Radio's mediumwave frequency. ** Ofcom tells some DAB licence holders they will no longer need to provide extra services in order to have their licences renewed. ** David Burns presents his final show on BBC Radio Humberside after 12 years of broadcasting. * 5 June – ** Schedule changes are made at BBC Radio 6 Music that see Gideon Coe and Marc Riley having their hours reduced to make way for new evening programming. Deb Grant also joins the network. ** ''Coronation Street'' actress Brooke Vincent begins co-presenting the weekday evening show on
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR. Overv ...
, covering for Gemma Atkinson while she is on maternity leave. * 6 June – A group of 26 MPs representing constituencies in Yorkshire write to the BBC Director-General, Tim Davie, to express their concerns about the proposed cuts to BBC Local Radio. * 7 June – ** Members of the National Union of Journalists at BBC Local Radio begin a 48-hour strike over proposed changes to the service. Journalists and musicians also stage a protest against the cuts, held outside Broadcasting House in London. ** An Ofcom investigation into Middlesbrough-based Community Voice FM finds it failed to meet its speech obligations for the second time in under a year. * 8 June – ** BBC Radio Wales announces a refresh of its schedule from late June, including a new breakfast show presented by Dot Davies and James Williams. ** At 10am, Ryan Millns begins a 24-hour broadcast of his breakfast show on Ashdown Radio in aid of St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne. * 9 June – ** Stuart Thomas, the BBC’s Head of the Midlands, announces his departure form the BBC after more than 14 years. ** Debut of ''The Tiffany Calver Show'' on BBC Radio 1Xtra, a two-hour show featuring party starter selections. * 10 June – Kisstory hosts one of its summer outdoor day parties at Norwich's Earlham Park. * 11 June – The 2023 Capital Summertime Ball is held at Wembley Stadium. The event includes a surprise appearance from Kylie Minogue. * 13 June – BBC Radio Solent have hired Fred Dinenage to present a Saturday afternoon programme throughout the summer. * 16 June – ** Retrocadia Limited is fined £400 by Ofcom after its community station, Shoreline FM, failed to meet its Key Commitments. ** Among those from the world of broadcasting to be recognised in the 2023 Birthday Honours is Ken Bruce, who becomes an Order of the British Empire, MBE. * 17 June – The second of Kisstory's summer outdoor day parties takes place in Bristol. * 20 June – ** Pat Sissons announces he is stepping down from his weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio Solent; he will be succeeded by Lou Hammond from 10 July. ** Sports presenter Roddy Forsyth announces his departure from
BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...
following a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. * 21 June – Adele Roberts announces her departure from Radio 1 after eight years, having already presented her final show in May. The departure of Gemma Bradley, presenter of BBC Radio 1 Introducing, is also announced. Sam & Danni are replacing Roberts, while Jess Iszatt is replacing Bradley. * 25 June – ** University Radio York switches off its AM frequency after 55 years on air, having made the decision to move to FM. ** Catherine Bott presents her final Sunday show on Classic FM after 10 years with the network, and following her announcement two days earlier that she intended to take a break from presenting. * 26 June – Aradhna Tayal Leach is appointed Managing Director of the Radio Academy, taking up the post with immediate effect. * 27 June – ** Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens takes up the role of Acting Chari of the BBC following the departure of Richard Sharp. ** Global Radio announce a deal with HSBC to make the bank the lead sponsor of its ''The News Agents'' podcast. * 29 June – ** Gareth Lewis, the drivetime presenter on BBC Radio Wales, is appointed Political Editor at BBC Cymru Wales. ** Arqiva appoints Nicola Phillips as their Chief Legal Officer, replacing Katrina Dick. * 30 June – ** Global Radio switches off more of its AM frequencies for the Gold (British radio network), Gold network, leaving the station as a digital only service apart from in London and Manchester.
Smooth Radio Smooth Radio may refer to: * Smooth Radio (2010), the original national network in the UK * Smooth Radio (2014) See also * Smoothfm smoothfm is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by NOVA Entertainment. From original ...
's AM frequencies in Dorset, Essex, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Plymouth are also switched off. ** British radio presenter Anita Anand (journalist), Anita Anand meets Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand during an edition of Radio 4's '' PM'' programme. The two discuss how they have often been mistaken for each other.


July

* 1 July – Simon Myciunka succeeds Dee Ford as CEO of
Bauer Media Audio UK Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group. History In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
. * 2 July – Former BBC News presenter Joanna Gosling joins Classic FM to present a Sunday afternoon show. * 3 July – ** BBC Radio 1 introduces a summer schedule that sees its flagship ''Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James'' start and finish 30 minutes later, from 7.30am to 11.00am. ** Sandgrounder Radio is rebranded as Dune Radio. ** Cheryl Baker launches a weekday show on Great British Radio. ** Ofcom rules that Inspiration FM failed to take care of the emotional welfare and dignity of those under the age of majority after a song containing an expletive was played during a Saturday morning children's programme. "Let Go (Central Cee song), Let Go" by Central Cee was played at 10.48am on 14 January 2023. * 5 July – ** Ofcom finds
London Greek Radio London Greek Radio (LGR) is an Independent Local Radio station for London's Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community. It broadcasts in both Greek and English on 103.3 FM in London and is also ava ...
in breach of its obligations on news broadcasting after it did not broadcast enough local news content during a week-long period in September 2022 when Ofcom was listening to the station following a listener complaint on the matter. **
Bauer Media Audio UK Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group. History In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
appoints Richard Burnham as its Events Director. ** Greatest Hits Radio has produced ''Back to the Start'', an hour-long programme presented by Ken Bruce in which he looks at hospital radio. The programme is released to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service, and is available free to hospital radio stations. * 6 July – ** Classic FM confirms it will switch from broadcasting on Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB to DAB+ in January 2024 in order to improve the sound quality of its output. ** Jeremy Sallis confirms he is leaving BBC Radio Cambridge after 21 years, citing the upcoming changes to BBC Local Radio as the reason for his departure. * 7 July – The 2023 Young Audio Awards are held, with Radio 1 presenter Jordan North and Kiss presenter Tyler West presenting. A pre-show livestream is presented by Radio 1's Emma-Louise. * 8 July – ** BBC Sport presenter
Jennie Gow Jennie Gow (; born 20 May 1977) is an English radio and television presenter and journalist. She was the presenter on BBC Sport's coverage of MotoGP motorcycle racing for 2010. She is currently BBC News's F1 Correspondent and reports for BBC N ...
returns to BBC Radio 5 Live's Formula 1 coverage for the first time since her stroke in December 2022, interviewing Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 British Grand Prix. ** Global Radio launches its "Play Capital" ad campaign on television, social media and outdoors, and featuring artists including Ed Sheeran, Tom Grennan, Dua Lipa and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. * 9 July –
Frisk Radio Frisk may refer to: * Frisk (confectionery), a product line of breath mint candies * ''Frisk'' (novel), a 1991 novel by Dennis Cooper ** ''Frisk'' (film), a 1995 film based on the novel * Frisk (surname) * Frisk Asker Ishockey, a Norwegian ice ...
have created their own cloud-based software system for use by its presenters and staff. * 11 July – Ofcom gives Bauer Media the go-ahead to change KISS Radio to Greatest Hits Radio on three of its four FM frequencies in the East of England. Kiss will continue on FM in Norwich. * 14 July – The Hold The Front Page website reports that Global Media & Entertainment, Global Media are planning a number of changes to their news operation, which includes the closure of regional hubs and the loss of 40 jobs. * 16 July –
Gordon Smart Gordon Smart (born 31 March 1980 in Edinburgh and raised in Kinross) is a Scottish broadcaster and former journalist and editor of ''The Scottish Sun''. Journalism career Smart's career in journalism started at DC Thomson in Dundee where he was ...
joins
BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...
to present a Sunday evening show. * 29 July – The third Kisstory summer outdoor day party of 2023 is held at Blackheath, London, Blackheath in London.


August


September

* 4 September – BBC Radio 1 reverts back to its usual weekday schedule. * September – The 2023 Make a Difference Awards are held at a series of events in conjunction with
BBC Local Radio BBC Local Radio (also referred to as Local BBC Radio) is the BBC's local and regional radio division for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of forty stations. History The popularity of pirate radio was to challenge a change within ...
.


Station debuts


Terrestrial

* 13 February – Capital Chill * 16 February – Radio X Classic Rock * 21 February – BASINGSTOKE NOW * 1 March – Nation New * 29 April – Base Radio * 8 May – Sunrise Smooth * 12 June – Cat Xtra * 26 June – Bro Radio


Online

* 19 January – Jonny Gould's Jewish State Podcast Radio * 10 February – Absolute Radio Kevin * 2 May – Eurosong Radio (a pop-up online station from Bauer) * June – Suffolk Sound


Small-scale multiplex switch-ons

* 19 March – Leicester * 11 April – Wolverhampton


Closing this year


Programme debuts

* ''Dance Britannia'', a six part series charting the history of British dance music presented by Sister Bliss on Kisstory. * January – ''Uplifting Classics with Dr Alex George'', a six week series on Classic FM * 22 January – ''Zhenya Shkil'' (Ukrainian language programme) on Radio Bath * 23 January – ''Buried'', a ten-part series investigating the secret dumping of a million tons of waste in Northern Ireland, on BBC Radio 4 * 3 February – ''Friday Night with Nadine'' on Talkradio * 13 February – ''The Radio 2 Early Breakfast Show with Owain Wyn Evans'' on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
* 21 February – ''The Fast and the Curious'' (Formula 1 podcast presented by Greg James, Betty Glover and Christian Hewgill) * 26 February – ** ''Jazz, Blues and Soul'' with Duncan Barkes on Regency Radio ** ''The Kanneh-Mason Family Takeover'', a six-part series presented by the Kanneh-Mason family on Classic FM * 6 March – ''10 to the Top'' on BBC Radio 2 * 28 March – ''The Listening Party with Tim Burgess'', a six-part weekly show on
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
* 28 April – ''Badger and the Blitz'' on Fun Kids * 31 May – ''Fukushima'', a seven-part drama about the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster on BBC World Service (available on
BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a Closed platform, walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile pho ...
from 15 May) * 3 June – ''Let's Do the Time warp Again: The Rocky Horror Story'', presented by Ore Oduba on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
. * 9 June – ''The Tiffany Calver Show'' on
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
* 18 June – ''The Nation Network Chart'' with Neil Fox (broadcaster), Dr Fox on
Nation Broadcasting Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom. History Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
stations * 20 June – ''The News Agents USA'', weekly podcast presented by Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis for Global Radio * 3 July – ''Overtime'' with Wes Stakes and Leanne Dundas on
Fix Radio Fix Radio is a national digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, Facebook, YouTube and podcast channels. It has previously been the silver award winner of the 2023 UK Audio and Radio Industry Awards for best statio ...


Changes of network affiliation


Continuing radio programmes


1940s

* ''Desert Island Discs'' (1942–Present) * ''Woman's Hour'' (1946–Present) * ''Book at Bedtime, A Book at Bedtime'' (1949–Present)


1950s

* '' The Archers'' (1950–Present) * ''Pick of the Pops'' (1955–Present) * ''Today (BBC Radio 4), The Today Programme'' (1957–Present)


1960s

* ''Farming Today'' (1960–Present) * ''In Touch (radio series), In Touch'' (1961–Present) * ''The World at One'' (1965–Present) * ''The Official Chart'' (1967–Present) * ''Just a Minute'' (1967–Present) * ''The Living World'' (1968–Present)


1970s

* '' PM'' (1970–Present) * ''Start the Week'' (1970–Present) * ''You and Yours'' (1970–Present) * ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' (1972–Present) * ''Good Morning Scotland'' (1973–Present) * '' Newsbeat'' (1973–Present) * ''File on 4'' (1977–Present) * ''Money Box'' (1977–Present) * ''The News Quiz'' (1977–Present) * ''Feedback (radio series), Feedback'' (1979–Present) * ''The Food Programme'' (1979–Present) * ''Science in Action (radio programme), Science in Action'' (1979–Present)


1980s

* ''In Business'' (1983–Present) * ''
Sounds of the 60s ''Sounds of the 60s'' is a long-running Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 2 that features recordings of popular music made in the 1960s. It was first broadcast on 12 February 1983 and introduced by Keith Fordyce, who had been the first ...
'' (1983–Present) * ''Loose Ends (radio), Loose Ends'' (1986–Present)


1990s

* ''The Moral Maze'' (1990–Present) * ''Essential Selection'' (1991–Present) * ''Essential Mix'' (1993–Present) * ''Up All Night (radio show), Up All Night'' (1994–Present) * ''Wake Up to Money'' (1994–Present) * ''Private Passions'' (1995–Present) * ''In Our Time (radio series), In Our Time'' (1998–Present) * ''Material World (radio programme), Material World'' (1998–Present) * ''Scott Mills (radio show), Scott Mills'' (1998–Present) * ''The Now Show'' (1998–Present)


2000s

* ''BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards'' (2000–Present) * ''Big John @ Breakfast'' (2000–Present) * ''Sounds of the Seventies, Sounds of the 70s'' (2000–2008, 2009–Present) * ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'' (2000–2007, 2014–Present) * ''Kermode and Mayo's Film Review'' (2001–2022) * ''A Kist o Wurds'' (2002–Present) * '' Fighting Talk'' (2003–Present) * ''Jeremy Vine (radio), Jeremy Vine'' (2003–Present) * ''The Chris Moyles Show'' (2004–2012, 2015–Present) * ''Annie Mac (radio show), Annie Mac'' (2004–Present) * ''Elaine Paige on Sunday'' (2004–Present) * ''The Bottom Line'' (2006–Present) * ''The Unbelievable Truth (radio show), The Unbelievable Truth'' (2006–Present) * ''Radcliffe & Maconie'' (2007–Present) * ''The Media Show'' (2008–Present) * ''Newsjack'' (2009–Present)


2010s

* ''The 3rd Degree (radio series), The Third Degree'' (2011–Present) * ''BBC Radio 1's Dance Anthems'' (2012–Present) * ''Sounds of the 80s'' (2013–Present) * ''Question Time Extra Time'' (2013–Present) * ''The Show What You Wrote'' (2013–Present) * ''Friday Sports Panel'' (2014–Present) * ''Stumped (radio), Stumped'' (2015–Present) * ''
You, Me and the Big C ''You, Me and the Big C'' is a British podcast about life with, treatment of and other topics relating to the disease cancer. The podcast was originally hosted by three former or current cancer patients; Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Rachael ...
'' (2018–present) * ''Radio 1's Dance Anthems#Radio 1's Party Anthems, Radio 1's Party Anthems'' (2019–present)


2020s

* ''Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast (2020–Present) * ''Newscast (podcast), Newscast'' (2020–Present) * ''Sounds of the 90s'' (2020–present) * ''The News Agents'' (2022–Present) * ''10 to the Top'' (2023–Present)


Ending this year


Deaths

* 4 January – Aled Glynne Davies, 65, broadcaster and former editor of BBC Radio Cymru (went missing on 31 December 2022, body found on date) * 24 January – Phil Dawson, 77, founder and director of Fantasy Radio, and breakfast show presenter (death reported on date) * 13 February – Denis McNeill, Q Radio Belfast presenter * February – Paul Easton, 69, radio programme producer (reported on 20 February) * 19 February – Dickie Davies, 94, inaugural sports commentator of Classic FM * 23 February – John Motson, 77, football commentator (BBC Sport) * 28 March ** Paul O'Grady, 67, radio DJ and entertainer (''Paul O'Grady on the Wireless'' on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
) ** Sophie Shardlow, 57, editor of BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio Leicester * 6 April –
Nicola Heywood-Thomas Nicola Anne Heywood-Thomas (17 May 1955 – 6 April 2023) was a Welsh broadcaster and television news journalist, who worked both for BBC Radio Wales and HTV, where she spent 18 years as a news presenter. She was born in Cardigan but grew ...
, 67, broadcaster ( BBC Radio Wales) * 7 April – Gareth Richards, 43, comedian and radio presenter (
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
) * 22 April – Len Goodman, 78, ballroom dancer and presenter ( Boom Radio) * 30 April – Elizabeth Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch (1954–2023), Elizabeth Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch (1954–2023), wife of Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch, and broadcaster ( BBC Radio 4 (''Kaleidoscope (British radio series), Kaleidoscope''), BBC Radio Solway) * 20 May – Mike Carey, 87, broadcaster (BBC Radio Derby) * June – Barry Bethell, 80, broadcaster ( BBC Radio Kent, KMFM (radio network), KMFM, Invicta Radio, Invicta) (reported on 20 June) * June – ** Avtar Singh Lit, 73, founder of Sunrise Radio (Reported on 27 June) ** Tim Blackmore, 78, radio executive * 14 July – Tony Butler (broadcaster), Tony Butler, 88, sports broadcaster (BRMB, BBC Radio WM, Gold (British radio network), Gold)


See also

* 2023 in the United Kingdom * 2023 in British music * 2023 in British television * List of British films of 2023


References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em 2023 in the United Kingdom, Radio 2023 in radio, British Radio, 2021 In Years in British radio