1996 in British radio
Introduction This is a list of events in British radio during 1996.
Events ===January===*No events.===February===*4 February – Trevor Nelson joins BBC Radio 1 to present the UK's first national R&B show ''Rhythm Nation''. *5 February – Radio Wyvern becomes the last commercial radio station in England to end simulcasting on FM and AM.===March===*15 March – Alan Freeman joins Virgin Radio to present a new Friday night rock show. *18 March – Mike Read replaces Nick Bailey as host of Classic FM’s breakfast show. *30 March – Steve Wright joins BBC Radio 2. *31 March – Michael Parkinson begins presenting ''Parkinson's Sunday Supplement'' on Radio 2. *March**Jim Moir replaces Frances Line as controller of BBC Radio 2 and begins repositioning the station to attract a wider audience of over 35s, many of whom have moved to commercial radio following the repositioning of BBC Radio 1 three years earlier. He introduces a daytime playlist consisting of AOR/contemporary music with specialist programmes airing during the evening and at the weekend. Nostalgic/easy listening music is restricted to Sundays only. **BBC Dorset FM closes and is replaced by a rebroadcast of BBC Radio Solent with localised news bulletins. ** Allied Radio plc is taken over by Independent Radio Group plc.===April===*1 April – Network News closes. *3 April – After 18 years, the name BBC Radio Manchester returns to the airwaves. Since 1988 the station had been called BBC GMR. Shortly after the namechange, the station opens a relay on 104.6 FM to give areas of the Upper Tame Valley, including Saddleworth, Tameside and down to Hyde, improved coverage. *5–8 April – Classic FM broadcasts its first Hall of Fame over the Easter weekend. *9 April – BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire are merged to form BBC Thames Valley FM.===May===*4 May – BBC Radio 3 commences 24-hour transmission. * May – Viva 963 is sold to Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods and chairman of Fulham Football Club, who renames the station as Liberty Radio.===June===*June – Radio 1 starts live streaming on the internet. *June – Schools programmes are broadcast during the day for the final time. Schools programmes continued to be  broadcast overnight until 2003.===July===*1 July – The LBC name returns to London's airwaves following a rebrand of London News Radio's MW station News Talk 1152. *9 July – The Radio Authority receives 25 bids for the final FM citywide London licence. In November the Authority announces that XFM has been awarded the licence which will broadcast on 104.9.===August===*Hallam FM switches off its transmitter covering Rotherham as part of its licence agreement. *Minster FM extends northwards when it switches on a transmitter covering Thirsk and Northallerton.===September===*9 September – Following a change in ownership, Manchester station Fortune 1458 is relaunched as Lite AM. *27 September – Paul Gambaccini leaves BBC Radio 3 after less than a year with the station. *30 September – Belfast Community Radio closes and is replaced by CityBeat. *September**Scottish Radio Holdings purchases Northern Ireland stations Downtown Radio and Cool FM. **The Radio Authority awards a full-time commercial licence to a student radio station for the first time when it awards the Oxford licence to Oxygen FM.===October===*9 October – BBC Radio 1's London studios move from Egton House to Yalding House. *October – Richard Skinner, who presented the first show on Virgin Radio, leaves.===November===*4 November – The Asian Network expands into a full-time station when it increases the number of hours on air from 80 hours a week to 126 hours a week (18 hours a day). The station, which broadcasts on the MW frequencies of BBC Radio Leicester and BBC WM, is renamed BBC Asian Network. *14 November – London News relaunches its rolling news service as ''News Direct 97.3''.===December===*20 December – Steve Penk leaves Key 103 to move to Capital FM after 18 years at the Manchester station.===Unknown===*Matthew Bannister becomes Director of BBC Radio. *Following its purchase of Bedford station Chiltern 96.9, new owners GWR Group rebrand the station as ''B97 FM''.
Station debuts *5 February – Wyvern FM and Wyvern AM*Spring – Burn FM*4 April – 96.4 The Eagle*9 April – BBC Thames Valley FM*21 April – Spirit FM*24 May – FM102 The Bear*3 June – Asian Sound Radio*15 July – Oban FM*29 September – The Beach*23 November – Valleys Radio*Unknown date – Fly Live
Closing this year *9 April – **BBC Radio Berkshire (1992–1996)**BBC Radio Oxford (1970–1996)*1 September – Supergold (1988–1996)
Programme debuts * 17 April – ''Chambers'' on BBC Radio 4 (1996–1999)* July – ''Comedy Quiz'' on BBC Radio 4 (1996–1997)* 6 October – ''The David Jacobs Collection'' on BBC Radio 2 (1996–2013)* Unknown – ''Parkinson's Sunday Supplement'' (1996–2007)
Continuing radio programmes ===1940s===* ''Sunday Half Hour'' (1940–2018)* ''Desert Island Discs'' (1942–Present)* ''Letter from America'' (1946–2004)* ''Woman's Hour'' (1946–Present)* ''A Book at Bedtime'' (1949–Present)===1950s===* ''The Archers'' (1950–Present)* ''The Today Programme'' (1957–Present)* ''Sing Something Simple'' (1959–2001)* ''Your Hundred Best Tunes'' (1959–2007)===1960s===* ''Farming Today'' (1960–Present)* ''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)* ''The Organist Entertains'' (1969–2018)===1970s===* ''PM'' (1970–Present)* ''Start the Week'' (1970–Present)* ''Week Ending'' (1970–1998)* ''You and Yours'' (1970–Present)* ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'' (1972–Present)* ''Good Morning Scotland'' (1973–Present)* ''Kaleidoscope'' (1973–1998)* ''Newsbeat'' (1973–Present)* ''The News Huddlines'' (1975–2001)* ''File on 4'' (1977–Present)* ''Money Box'' (1977–Present)* ''The News Quiz'' (1977–Present)* ''Breakaway'' (1979–1998)* ''Feedback'' (1979–Present)* ''The Food Programme'' (1979–Present)* ''Science in Action'' (1979–Present)===1980s===* ''In Business'' (1983–Present)* ''Sounds of the 60s'' (1983–Present)* ''Loose Ends'' (1986–Present)===1990s===* ''The Moral Maze'' (1990–Present)* ''Essential Selection'' (1991–Present)* ''No Commitments'' (1992–2007)* ''Harry Hill's Fruit Corner'' (1993–1997)* ''The Pepsi Chart'' (1993–2002)* ''Wake Up to Wogan'' (1993–2009)* ''Essential Mix'' (1993–Present)* ''Up All Night'' (1994–Present)* ''Wake Up to Money'' (1994–Present)* ''Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade'' (1994–1997)* ''Julie Enfield Investigates'' (1994–1999)* ''Private Passions'' (1995–Present)
Ending this year * January – ''Change at Oglethorpe'' (1995–1996)* September – ''The Mark Steel Solution'' (1992–1996)
Deaths *26 March – John Snagge, 91, newsreader*6 April – Gordon Clough, 61, radio journalist*29 April – David Davis, 87, radio executive and broadcaster*11 May – Joan Thirkettle, 48, television journalist and radio personality*7 June – Percy Edwards, 88, animal impersonator*19 June – Vivian Ellis, 92, theme tune composer (''My Word'', ''Paul Temple'')*11 December – Willie Rushton, 59, comic performer, broadcast personality and cartoonist*14 December – Norman Hackforth, 87, musical accompanist and radio "mystery voice"==See also== * 1996 in British music* 1996 in British television* 1996 in the United Kingdom* List of British films of 1996
References