1996 in British radio

• No events.

• 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.

• 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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080513102345/http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/inp31283.htm Independent Radio Group], UK Business Park(Page No Longer Available, Retrieved from the Internet Archive).

• 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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/oxford/hi/tv_and_radio/newsid_9071000/9071448.stm|title=The BBC Radio Oxford 40 year timeline|accessdate=2011-11-13|date=12 October 2010|work=BBC News}}

• 4 May – BBC Radio 3 commences 24-hour transmission.{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1996-05-04|title=Schedule – BBC Programme Index|website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=Mar 12, 2022}}
• 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/viva-sex-appeal-1353113.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/viva-sex-appeal-1353113.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription|title=Viva sex appeal|date=Nov 19, 1996|website=The Independent|accessdate=Mar 12, 2022}}{{cbignore}}

• June – Radio 1 starts live streaming on the internet.{{cite web|url=http://support.bbc.co.uk/support/history.html|title=BBC Internet Services – History|publisher=BBC|accessdate=26 January 2009}}
• June – Schools programmes are broadcast during the day for the final time. Schools programmes continued to be broadcast overnight until 2003.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 9 October – BBC Radio 1's London studios move from Egton House to Yalding House.{{cite web|title=History: Egton House|work=Radio Rewind|url=http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/egton_house_page.htm|access-date=2022-08-20}}
• October – Richard Skinner, who presented the first show on Virgin Radio, leaves.

• 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 Radio WM, is renamed BBC Asian Network.
• 14 November – London News relaunches its rolling news service as News Direct 97.3.

• 20 December – Steve Penk leaves Key 103 to move to Capital FM after 18 years at the Manchester station.

• 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.

• 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{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2022/03/nottingham-trents-student-radio-station-celebrates-25-years/|title=Nottingham Trent’s student radio station celebrates 25 years|date=Mar 11, 2022|accessdate=Mar 12, 2022}}{{cite web |title=A history of Fly Live and meet the committee |url=https://flylive.co.uk/a-history-of-fly-live-and-meet-the-committee/ |website=Fly Live |access-date=24 March 2022}}

• 31 March – Parkinson's Sunday Supplement on BBC Radio 2 (1996–2007)
• 17 April – Chambers on BBC Radio 4 (1996–1999)
• 5 July – Goodness Gracious Me on BBC Radio 4 (1996–1998)
• 26 July – Comedy Quiz on BBC Radio 4 (1996–1997)
• 4 August – Independence Day UK on BBC Radio 1 (1996){{cite web | url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/140816dac335454398a351c189d300a6 | title=BBC Programme Index | date=4 August 1996 }}{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/a-british-radio-play-is-the-better-sequel-to-independen-1783001563|title=A British Radio Play Is the Better Independence Day Sequel|work=Gizmodo|date=2 July 2016 }}
• 6 October – The David Jacobs Collection on BBC Radio 2 (1996–2013)

• 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)

• The Archers (1950–Present)
• The Today Programme (1957–Present)
• Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
• Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

• 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)

• 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)

• In Business (1983–Present)
• Sounds of the 60s (1983–Present)
• Loose Ends (1986–Present)

• 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)

• January – Change at Oglethorpe (1995–1996)
• September – The Mark Steel Solution (1992–1996)

• 9 April –
• BBC Radio Berkshire (1992–1996)
• BBC Radio Oxford (1970–1996)
• 1 September – Supergold (1988–1996)

• 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{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/joan-thirkettle-dies-aged-48-1347220.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/joan-thirkettle-dies-aged-48-1347220.html |archive-date=2022-05-01 |url-access=subscription|title=Joan Thirkettle dies aged 48|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|date=14 May 1996|accessdate=22 February 2012}}{{cbignore}}
• 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

{{reflist}}

Radio

British Radio, 1996 In

Category:Years in British radio