2025 in British radio

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This is a list of events taking place in 2025 relating to radio in the United Kingdom.

January

February

  • 3 February –
  • 4 February – Talksport is announced as the official partner of the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.[34]
  • 6 February – RAJAR listening figures for the final quarter of 2024 indicate a 23% increase in the number of listeners to Times Radio compared to the same period in 2023, with 604,000 average weekly listeners, while GB News Radio, the simulcast of the television channel, saw a 23% decline over the same period, with 468,000 weekly listeners. Talk Radio saw a 13% decline to 504,000.[35]
  • 7 February – Dan Draper, Alice Hopkins and Cloe Lee are confirmed as the next three presenters to present Radio 1's Friday Early Breakfast on a monthly basis, with Draper fronting the show in February, Hopkins in March and Lee in April.[36]
  • 8 February – Jermaine Jenas returns to radio as a football commentator for Talksport; it is his first radio appearance since he was sacked by the BBC over complaints about his workplace conduct.[37]
  • 10 February –
    • BBC Local Radio's The Late Show begins a week of live broadcasts from pubs around the UK named The Queen Victoria.[38]
    • The national Hits Radio breakfast show airs on stations in the north east while the local breakfast presenters take a week's break.[39]
  • 11 February –
  • 12 February – Bauer Media announces it is selling its stake in media platform Octave to News UK, ending the two companies' year-long joint venture.[42]
  • 14 February – DH One rebrands as 100% Whatever Westcountry.[43]
  • 15 February –
    • Kay Wright is appointed Head of BBC Midlands, overseeing radio, television and online content in the East and West Midlands areas.[44]
    • Anne Marie McAleese presents her final edition of BBC Radio Ulster's Your Place And Mine, which she has presented since 1991.[45]
  • 17 February –
  • 18 February –
    • BBC Radio 2 announces a new spring schedule, which includes a new Saturday afternoon show for Zoe Ball from May and moving Pick of the Pops from Saturday afternoons to early Sunday evenings, also in May. Rob Beckett will also leave his Sunday afternoon show in April, while Richie Anderson will present a new Sunday overnight show from April.[49]
    • Erewash Sound has improved its signal output after securing a £5,500 grant for new transmitting equipment.[50]
  • 19 February – Absolute Radio Country hires Nashville radio presenter Kelly Sutton to present The Nashville Show, airing from Sunday to Thursday evenings.[51]
  • 21 February – Heart and Capital stations in England broadcast local and regional programming for the final time.[52]
  • 23 February – Musician Darius Rucker joins Absolute Radio Country to present the first of four two-hour programmes in which he shares his favourite music, as well as stories from his career.[53]
  • 24 February –
    • Heart, Capital and Smooth go entirely national throughout England after losing their final regional programmes. JK and Kelly Brook present a national Heart Drive on weekdays, while Will Manning presents a national Capital Drive and Jenni Falconer presents a national Smooth Breakfast. The current level of local opt-outs will be retained. Scotland and Wales will retain their non-networked programming.[54]
    • Smooth Radio makes a few schedule changes, which includes Darren Parks presenting The Smooth Sanctuary on weekday evenings.[55]
    • XS Manchester relaunches as Radio X 90s.[56]
    • Rob Ellis joins Radio X 90s to present weekday mid mornings.[57]
    • Capital and Capital Dance launch their spring schedules for 2025.[58]
    • Stephanie Hirst joins Greatest Hits Radio 60s to present a weekday lunchtime show.[59]
    • BBC Local Radio launches its 2025 Make a Difference Awards, with the awards covering the whole of the UK for the first time.[60]
  • 25 February –
  • 27 February – Charlotte Moore announces her departure as BBC Chief Content Officer; she will leave the post later in the year.[64]
  • 28 February – At 1pm, Global completes its withdrawal from broadcasting on AM when it switches off its last remaining MW transmitter, in North Wales and Cheshire which had carried Smooth Radio North Wales and Cheshire.[65]

March

April

May

June

July

  • 1 July –
  • 2 July – Ofcom's final decision on extra BBC DAB services is released, with BBC Radio 1 Dance, BBC Radio 1 Anthems and BBC Radio 3 Unwind given the go-ahead, but proposals for a Radio 2 spin-off and extending the hours of BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra both rejected.[151]
  • 4 July –
  • 7 July –
  • 13 July –
  • 14 July – Ofcom fines the former operator of Salaam BCR £3,500 after ruling that two broadcasts on the station in October 2024 included antisemitic hate speech.[158]
  • 16 July – Former Radio Caroline presenter Steve Kent joins South Devon Radio to present weekday mid-mornings.[159]
  • 18 July – Talk broadcasts a conversation recorded by James Whale with Nigel Farage which was recorded at Whale's home the previous weekend. It airs at 10am on YouTube and 10pm on Talk.[160]
  • 21 July –
    • BBC Sounds will no longer be available to listeners based outside the UK, although it will still be available to UK citizens travelling overseas, who can access it for one month.[161] International listeners will also continue to be able to hear BBC national and local radio stations through direct links to the stations' websites.[162]
    • Global have acquired their first non-UK radio station after buying Monaco-based English language station Riviera Radio.[163]
    • Ruairidh Mac, Lomond Radio's youngest presenter, marks his 200th show with a special edition of the station's Kids Edition.[164]
  • 21–24 July – BBC Radio, television and online provides coverage of the 2025 Royal Welsh Show, with radio coverage provided by BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Wales.[165]
  • 22 July – CMAT's new single, "Euro-Country", receives its debut airplay on BBC Radio 1. The station faces allegations the song was edited after the first 45 seconds, featuring Irish language lyrics, are not broadcast. Radio 1 later says it did not edit the song.[166]
  • 29 July – Ofcom approves River Radio's request to take on the 107.9FM licence used by the former community station Bangor FM, enabling River Radio Bangor to launch a replacement service.[167]
  • 30 July – Publication of Ofcom's latest Media Nations report. It reports a fall in commercial radio revenue to £651 million in 2024, down from £667 million in 2023, and an 8% growth in podcast advertising to £90 million in 2024.[168]
  • 31 July –
    • RAJAR publishes its data for radio listening during the second quarter of 2025, indicating that commercial radio has reached its highest percentage of regular listeners. The figures show 55.7% of listeners (roughly 39.5 million) tuning in to commercial radio, compared to 42.1% (31.1 million) regularly tuning in to the BBC.[169]
    • Ofcom approves the BBC's request to reduce its news and current affairs quotas for BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Asian Network.[170]
    • Nation Broadcasting will surrenders its FM licence for Ceredigion following Ofcom requiring Nation to reintroduce local programming. Nation had been using the three frequencies in the licensing area to relay Nation Radio Wales.[171] Nation Radio continues to be available in the area via DAB.

August

September

October

  • 1 October –
    • Lincs Sound, which launched online on 30 June, becomes available on DAB to mark Lincolnshire Day.[215]
    • Christmas Radio returns to DAB in Portsmouth, as well as online.[216]
  • 3 October –
  • 6 October –
    • Ofcom finds Birmingham's BRMB in breach of its broadcasting licence for not airing enough content that reflects the ethnic communities in the Aston area. BRMB says its output reflects the diversity of the community it serves.[219]
    • Ofcom finds Belfast station Juice FM in breach of the Key Commitments part of its licence for failing to produce the require amount of LGBT-themed programming.[220]
  • 7 October –
  • 9 October – Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood is charged with four counts of rape, nine counts of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault, relating to alleged offences against seven women between 1983 and 2016. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 11 November.[223]
  • 10 October – Global Radio's 2025 Make Some Noise Campaign raises £4.8m for charity.[224]
  • 14 October –
  • 15 October –
    • The BBC asks Ofcom to remove the requirement to report how many hours of live commentary are provided for each sport on BBC Radio 5 Live.[227]
    • The BBC also asks Ofcom to change its quota for locally produced programming for BBC Local Radio.[228]
  • 16 October – Ofcom launches a consultation proposing new rules to guarantee access to UK radio via voice assistant platforms such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant.[229]
  • 17 October – Voiceover artist and performer Elisa Canas joins BBC Radio to present a Saturday Breakfast show on BBC Radio Jersey and BBC Radio Guernsey.[230]
  • 19 October – BBC Radio Scotland presenter Kaye Adams is taken off air following an internal complaint about her behaviour. Her morning programme will be presented by Connie McLaughlin when it returns on Monday 20 October.[231]
  • 20 October – Ofcom introduces new guidance for broadcasters on how politicians can appear as presenters in programmes that include news content.[232]
  • 21 October –
    • Heart 80s breakfast presenter Simon Beale reveals that he is recovering at home following a heart attack three weeks earlier.[233]
    • The Radio Today website reports that QVC has become the official sponsor of Mellow Magic in order to support midlife wellbeing.[234]
  • 22 October – Global Media & Entertainment launches dedicated video podcast and sports entertainment divisions.[235]
  • 29 October – Global Media & Entertainment is named Team GB's Official Audio and Outdoor Partner ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.[236]
  • 31 October –

November

  • 4 November – Global founder Ashley Tabor-King is presented with the 2025 Music Industry Trusts Award in recognition of his impact on British broadcasting and music.[239]
  • 5 November – Chloe Straw confirms she will stand down as chief executive officer of AudioUK at the end of the year.[240]
  • 5 and 8 November – Pet Classics returns to Classic FM to coincide with Bonfire Night, playing classical music to help calm pets and their owners. The 5 November edition is presented by Dan Walker and the 8 November edition by Charlotte Hawkins.[241]
  • 7 November – BCfm and Ujima Radio launch the Civil Unrest Broadcast and Response Protocol for Local and Community Radio, a new national guide to help community stations respond safely and responsibly during times of civil unrest.[242]
  • 8 November – Josie Gibson returns to Magic Radio to present a festive Saturday evening show in the run up to Christmas.[243]
  • 11 November – Small-scale DAB licences are awarded for Lancaster, North Somerset, Oban, Taunton, and West Oxfordshire.[244]
  • 12 November –
    • Talk Radio confirms that Mike Graham will not return to the station following an internal investigation into what it described as a "vile and abhorrent" Facebook post.[245]
    • The Radio Today website reports that north Wales's Drift Radio has launched on DAB+ to celebrate its fifth anniversary.[246]
  • 13 November – It is announced that Ezra Collective drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso will join BBC Radio 6 Music as a regular presenter from 2 January 2026.[247]
  • 14 November –
  • 17 November – Harrogate Hospital Radio is awarded £18,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund to help improve its broadcasting facilities.[250]
  • 18 November – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2026 will be held in Sunderland from 22 to 24 May, it is announced.[251]
  • 19 November – Dorset community station Air107.2 announces it will close at the end of November due to funding issues.[252]
  • 21 November – Jo Lloyd, formerly of Smooth Radio and Century Radio, joins Dune Radio to present a new Saturday programme.[253]
  • 24 November –
  • 25 November – Lyca Radio expands its DAB coverage to parts of the Midlands, with the station now available in Coventry, Derbyshire, Wolverhampton and Shropshire.[256]
  • 26 November – Madness play an exclusive Radio 2 in Concert gig at the BBC Radio Theatre in London for broadcast on Radio 2 on 11 December.[257]
  • 27 November –
    • Air107.2, scheduled to close on 30 November, is saved from going off air with the return of founder Carl Greenham as its managing director.[258]
    • BBC Radio 2 announces the launch of a new programme, Tony Blackburn's Sounds of Soul, which will air on Saturday lunchtimes from January 2026.[259]
  • 28 November – Richard Maddock is appointed as Head of BBC Radio 5 Live.[260]
  • 29 November – BBC Radio Scotland sports broadcaster Kenny Macintyre announces that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer during an edition of the station's Off the Ball programme.[261]

December

  • 1 December – Radio Scotland Breakfast is taken off-air for two hours following a fire at BBC Scotland's headquarters. Music, then a simulcast of BBC Radio 5 Live, airs from 6.30am to 8.35am.[262]
  • 2 December – Virgin Radio releases its Christmas schedule, with programmes including a three-hour show presented by Alan Carr on 20 December, and Tony Mortimer presenting on Christmas Day. Evening shows on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be presented by John Power, Richard Ashcroft and Pete Doherty respectively.[263]
  • 3 December – BBC Radio 4 announces that Misha Glenny will succeed Melvyn Bragg as presenter of In Our Time when the series returns in January 2026.[264]
  • 4 December – Fix Radio announces that Daryl Robinson will join the station to present a Saturday morning programme from 17 January 2026.[265]
  • 5 December –
  • 6 December – Alan Brazil joins Virgin Radio to present a four-hour Saturday evening show in which tells stories from his careers in broadcasting and sport, and plays some of his favourite music.[267]
  • 6 and 7 December – Capital's Jingle Bell Ball is held at The O2 Arena in London, with headlining acts including Ed Sheeran on 6 December and Kylie Minogue on 7 December.[268]
  • 8 December – STV Radio announces that its breakfast show will be sponsored by CR Smith when it launches in early 2026.[269]
  • 9 December –
    • KISS announces that Tyler West and Chloe Burrows will take over the KISS Breakfast Show in early 2026.[270]
    • Plans are announced for the launch of Magna Radio and Magna Mix, two local stations for Lincolnshire, on DAB in 2026.[271]
  • 10 December –
    • Ofcom awards four more small-scale DAB multiplex licences for Ely and March, Market Harborough, Wakefield and Castleford, and Wellingborough.[272]
    • Happy Radio UK is confirmed as the official radio partner for the new Greater Manchester Wellbeing Series.[273]
  • 11 December –
    • Global unveils the winners of its inaugural Global Player Awards, recognising the artists and podcasters most listened to across its radio network and on Global Player.[274]
    • Affinity Radio North East officially opens new broadcast studios in Pelaw.[275]
  • 13 December – Zoe Ball announces she is leaving her Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 and will present her final edition on 20 December. The show will then be presented by Emma Willis.[276]
  • 15 December –
    • BBC Radio Cymru confirms that author Manon Steffan Ros will present its weekly arts programme on Sunday afternoons from the end of January.[277]
    • Milton Keynes-based Horizon Radio is resolved of a breach of broadcasting by Ofcom over a 26-minute interruption of its pre-recorded evening show on 9 October during which the F-word was played on repeat. The incident is found to have been out of their control as it involved a third-party streaming service with which Horizon was involved in a dispute. Horizon made multiple attempts to contact the service during the incident, and have since moved their streaming services in house.[278]
  • 16 December – PRS for Music has paid out a record £274.9m in royalties during 2025, including £13.5m generated from radio play, shared between 51,500 members.[279]
  • 17 December – Comedian Josh James joins Fix Radio as drivetime presenter, and will begin presenting the show from 12 January 2026. Present hosts Rich and Trev will move to Saturdays as part of changes to the weekend schedule.[280]
  • 18 December – STV Radio confirms it will launch on Wednesday 7 January 2026, with Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey presenting the weekday breakfast show.[281]
  • 22 December –
  • 23 December – BBC1Xtra presenter Nick Bright announces he is leaving the station after 15 years.[284]
  • 24 December – BBC Sounds has recorded more than 2.5 billion plays of radio, music and podcasts during 2025.[285]
  • 25 December –
  • 30 December – 2026 New Year Honours: Among those in the world of broadcasting to be recognised in the New Year Honours are John Pickford, who receives an MBE for his services to radio and local news, Charlotte Moore and Gabby Logan, who both receive OBEs for their services to radio and television.[290]
  • 31 December – Former Prime Minister Theresa May guest edits an edition of Radio 4's Today programme, which includes an appearance by Queen Camilla for a discussion about violence against women.[291]

Station debuts

Terrestrial

Online

  • 13 February – Bridget Jones Radio, a pop-up station launched by Bauer to coincide with the release of the film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, on Rayo.[303]
  • 17 February – PRIDE FM, an online station supporting the UK's LGBTQ+ community.[304]
  • March – CRFM West[305]
  • 19 May – Laser Hot Hits[306]
  • 30 June – Lincs Sound[307]
  • 11 August – Zen Essentials 1, an audio streaming service playing meditation music by day and pure white noise overnight, on Amazon Alexa.[308]
  • 7 September – Barnsley Essentials.[309]
  • 31 October – Soundtrack Radio, a station dedicated to soundtracks from Atlantic Screen Group.[310]
  • 1 November – Calming Pet Sounds, a week-long pop-up station from Magic Classical aimed at calming pets during the week of Bonfire Night.[311]
  • 15 November – Derby ONE.[312]
  • 3 December – Pulse Mix Radio.[313]
  • 26 December – Corby Retro Rewind.[314]

Small-scale multiplex switch-ons

  • 25 February – South Hertfordshire[315]
  • 28 March – Poole, Purbeck and Wimborne[316]

Closing this year

Date Channel Launched
14 January Halton Community Radio 2008[317]
4 March Tone FM 2013[318]
1 August Time 107.5 1998[172]
30 November Coast Radio[319] 2024

Programme debuts

Podcast debuts

Continuing radio programmes

These programmes are still running as of 2025. They are listed by the year they were first broadcast.

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

  • Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast (started 2020)
  • Newscast (started 2020)
  • Sounds of the 90s (started 2020)
  • Life Changes (started 2021)
  • Romesh Ranganathan: For The Love of Hip Hop (started 2021)
  • The News Agents (started 2022)
  • Ten to the Top (started 2023)
  • Love Songs with Michael Ball (started 2024)
  • Radio 2's The Week-est Link (started 2024)

Ending this year

  • 2 January – Trevor Nelson's Rhythm Nation (2019–2025)
  • 15 February – Your Place And Mine (1991–2025)[45]

Deaths

See also

References

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