1999 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 1999.

Events

• BBC Radio Wales begins to appear on FM in the major conurbations for the first time. Previously, apart from in Gwent, the station had only been available on MW with the allocated block of FM frequencies for local broadcasting in Wales, which was only available in parts of the country, used by BBC Radio Cymru as BBC management had concluded that BBC Radio Cymru would not have enough listeners to merit nationwide coverage on a medium wave frequency.

January

• 3 January – On BBC Radio 2, David Jacobs introduces Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, a one-hour television concert recorded in the 1960s.^[1]
• 22 January – Church leaders condemn Birmingham-based station BRMB's "Two Strangers and a Wedding" competition in which contestants enter a competition to marry a complete stranger.^[2] The winners, Greg Cordell and Carla Germaine are married at a Registry Office in the city, but the couple separates three months later.^[3] Germaine later meets and marries BRMB disc jockey Jeremy Kyle.^[4]
• January –
  • Choice FM Birmingham
    Galaxy 102.2.
  • London's dance/urban station
    EMAP Radio
    with a new logo. The station introduces a more mainstream pop-orientated playlist which leads to criticism from some DJs and listeners.

February

• No events.

March

• No events.

April

• 9 April – Roger Bolton presents his first edition of Feedback on BBC Radio 4. He would continue to host it until 2022.^[5]
• 26 April – Radio 2 presenter
  exposé over his cocaine problem.^[6] Richard Allinson presents the drivetime show during Walker's absence, while Tom Robinson
  stands in on his Saturday afternoon show.
• April – Radio Regen is launched in Manchester to provide training in community radio. It broadcasts a two-month-long temporary radio station called City Centre Life 87.7.

May

• 24 May –
  Pause For Thought slot as "an old prune". The episode attracted a number of concerned calls to the BBC, while Kennedy blames the incident on a lack of sleep the previous night and apologises to listeners. She had been due to stand in for Wogan the following week, but takes time off instead.^[7]

• June – Launch of
  Talk Radio
  .
• 18 June – Des Lynam presents his last Friday evening show on Radio 2.^[8]

July

• 2 July – Ed Stewart presents his final weekday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 as he moves to weekends.^[9]
• 3 July – Jonathan Ross joins BBC Radio 2 to present a Saturday morning show.^[10]
• 5 July – Steve Wright in the Afternoon returns to radio after a break of six years as Steve Wright replaces Ed Stewart as Radio 2's weekday afternoon presenter.^[11]

August

• 2 August – It is announced that ITV has signed BBC sports presenter Des Lynam on a four-year contract to become the company's main football presenter.^[12] Consequently, he will no longer present his Friday drivetime show on Radio 2.
• 19 August – BBC Radio 1 broadcasts its first split programming when it introduces weekly national new music shows for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. New presenters include Huw Stephens and Bethan Elfyn.^[13]

September

• 11 September – BBC Radio 3's breakfast programme On Air is renamed Morning on 3.^[14]
• 13 September – Late Junction is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 for the first time.^[15]
• 19 September –
  • The first edition of a new Sunday evening advice programme called The Surgery is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and Sara Cox joins.^[16]
  • Thirteen years after
    Victory FM starts broadcasting to the Portsmouth area on a permanent basis, after six 28-day RSL FM broadcasts which took place between 1994 and 1998. Within weeks, the station is acquired by TLRC
    .

• 14 October – Managers at BBC Radio 2 reinstate Johnnie Walker after he is fined £2,000 by magistrates for admitting possession of cocaine; he will return to the airwaves on 6 December.^[17]

November

• 15 November – Britain's first national commercial
  GWR Group
  .

December

• 5 December – Despite having been banned by many radio stations, and panned by critics,
  number one in the UK charts
  .
• 6 December – Johnnie Walker returns to BBC Radio 2 after his suspension.^[18]
• 17 December – Britain's first million
  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
  , which at the time has not had a million pound winner).

Unknown

• BBC Radio 1 establishes its Live Lounge as part of the mid-morning show.
• Bedford station B97 is rebranded back to its original name of Chiltern FM.

Station debuts

• 1 February –
  Mansfield 103.2^[19]
• 8 February – FLR 107.3
• 20 March – Tower FM
• 3 May – Telford FM
• 18 June – Sky News Radio
• 26 June –
  Fire 107.6
• 24 July –
  106.8 Lite FM
• 30 August –
  • Wave 102
  • The Revolution
• 5 September –
  SouthCity FM
• 19 September –
  Victory FM
• 3 October –
  • Fen Radio 107.5
  • Ridings FM
  • Win 107.2
• 7 November – Yorkshire Coast Radio Bridlington
• 15 November –
  • Core Radio
  • Planet Rock
  • Bath FM
• 19 November –
  • Beat 106
  • 107 The Edge
• 1 December –
  South Hams Radio

Closing this year

• 22 May –
  • Goldbeat (1995–1999)
  • Heartbeat 1521 (1996–1999)

Programme debuts

• 11 February – It's Been a Bad Week on BBC Radio 2 (1999–2006)
• 27 February – Heated Rollers on BBC Radio 2 (1999)
• 8 April – The Country Show with Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 (1999–present)^[20]
• 3 July –
  Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2
  (1999–2010)
• 13 September – Late Junction on BBC Radio 3 (1999–present)
• 12 November – The Attractive Young Rabbi on BBC Radio 4 (1999–2002)

Changes of network affiliation

Returning this year after a break of one year or longer

• 5 July – Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio 2 (1981–1993, 1999–2022)

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)
• You and Yours (1970–Present)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–Present)
• Good Morning Scotland (1973–Present)
• Newsbeat (1973–Present)
• The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
• File on 4 (1977–Present)
• Money Box
  (1977–Present)
• The News Quiz (1977–Present)
• 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)
• 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)
• Private Passions (1995–Present)
• Parkinson's Sunday Supplement (1996–2007)
• The David Jacobs Collection (1996–2013)
• Westway
  (1997–2005)
• The 99p Challenge (1998–2004)
• Puzzle Panel (1998–2005)
• Drivetime with Johnnie Walker
  (1998–2006)
• Sunday Night at 10 (1998–2013)
• In Our Time (1998–Present)
• Material World (1998–Present)
• Scott Mills (1998–2022)
• The Now Show (1998–Present)

Ending this year

• 28 January – World of Pub (1998–1999)
• 25 February – Blue Jam (1997–1999)
• 30 March – Chambers (1996–1999)
• 25 May – Julie Enfield Investigates (1994–1999)
• 18 June – Des Lynam (1998–1999)
• 2 July – The Ed Stewart Weekday Afternoon Show on BBC Radio 2 (1991–1999)

Deaths

• 10 March – Adrian Love, 54, radio presenter^[21]
• 13 March – Olive Shapley, 88, radio documentary producer and broadcaster
• 3 June –
  ventriloquist
  [sic.]
• 7 October – Deryck Guyler, 85, actor
• 22 November – Ian Messiter, 79, panel game creator
• 15 December – George Elrick, 95, Scottish bandleader and DJ

See also

• 1999 in British music
• 1999 in British television
• 1999 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1999

References