1974 in British radio

Events

January

• No events.

February

• 19 February – BRMB begins broadcasting to the Birmingham area.

March

• 17 March – Solid Gold Sixty is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 for the final time. It is replaced the following week by a one-hour programme which just features the top 20.

April

• 1 April – BBC Radio Teesside is renamed BBC Radio Cleveland.
• 2 April – Piccadilly Radio begins broadcasting to the Manchester area.

May

• No events.

June

• No events.

July

• 15 July – Metro Radio begins broadcasting to the Newcastle upon Tyne area.

August

• 30/31 August – Radio North Sea International ceases broadcasting to the UK at midnight.

September

• American-born music presenter Paul Gambaccini makes his first broadcasts on British radio, initially on BBC Radio 1.
• 30 September – Swansea Sound, the first Independent Local Radio station in Wales, begins broadcasting to the Swansea area.

October

• 1 October – Radio Hallam begins broadcasting to the Sheffield area.
• 21 October – Radio City begins broadcasting to the Liverpool area.

November

• 22 November – The first regular programme in the UK for the black community, Black Londoners, launches on BBC Radio London, presented by Alex Pascall. The programme is initially launched as a trial run of six programmes before becoming a weekly, and from 1978, a weeknight, fixture in the schedules.

December

• No events.

Unknown

• BBC Radio Leicester launches a weekly programme for the Asian community.

Station debuts

• 19 February – BRMB
• 2 April – Piccadilly Radio
• 17 April – Hospital Radio Lynn
• 15 July – Metro Radio
• 30 September – Swansea Sound
• 1 October – Radio Hallam
• 21 October – Radio City

Programme debuts

• 20 April – The Betty Witherspoon Show on BBC Radio 2 (1974)
• 22 November – Black Londoners on BBC Radio London (1974–1988)

Continuing radio programmes

1940s

• Sunday Half Hour (1940–2018)
• Desert Island Discs (1942–Present)
• Down Your Way (1946–1992)
• 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)
• The Navy Lark (1959–1977)
• Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
• Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

• Farming Today (1960–Present)
• In Touch (1961–Present)
• The Men from the Ministry (1962–1977)
• Petticoat Line (1965–1979)
• 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)
• Hello Cheeky (1973–1979)
• Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
• Newsbeat (1973–Present)

Births

• 15 January – Edith Bowman, Scottish music critic, radio disc jockey and television presenter
• 22 February – Chris Moyles, disc jockey
• 28 March – Scott Mills, disc jockey
• 24 April
  • Jon Holmes, writer, comedian and broadcaster
  • David Vitty (Comedy Dave), radio presenter
• 26 April – Adil Ray, broadcaster and comic actor
• 28 April – Vernon Kay, broadcast presenter
• 21 June – Natasha Desborough, radio presenter
• 24 June – Rob da Bank, disc jockey
• 2 July – Dan Tetsell, comedy writer-performer
• 14 July – David Mitchell, comedy writer-performer
• 24 July – Lisa Francesca Nand, journalist and broadcaster
• 2 August – Phil Williams, radio news presenter
• 6 October – Andy Zaltzman, satirical and cricket broadcaster
• 24 November – Stephen Merchant, comedy writer-performer and radio presenter
• 13 December – Sara Cox, disc jockey
• Ros Atkins, broadcast journalist
• Natalie Haynes, broadcaster, classicist, comedian and writer

Deaths

• 23 February – Raymond Glendenning, radio sports commentator (born 1907)
• 4 May – Ludwig Koch, German-born British natural sound recordist (born 1881)

References

References

1. [http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/reference/ilrdates.php Radiomusications: Radio Reference: Independent Local Radio Stations (TBS Editors)] {{webarchive. link. (2010-11-14 ; accessed 18 February 2010)
2. Young, Graham. (21 February 2014). "How BRMB bravely took to the airwaves".
3. "The Radio Northsea Story".
4. {{usurped
5. Parry, AUTHOR: Simon. "Asian Sound".
6. Martin, Roy. (22 October 2024). "Hospital Radio Lynn celebrates 50 years of service in King’s Lynn". Radio Today.
7. "The Betty Witherspoon Show". The British Comedy & Drama Website.
8. Scafe, Suzanne. (2002). "Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture". Routledge.
9. Sellens, Nicolas. (2005). "Commentating Greats: From Alliss to Wolstenholme". West Ridge.