Janice Long
Janice Long | |
---|---|
Born | Janice Chegwin 5 April 1955 Liverpool, England |
Died | 25 December 2021 | (aged 66)
Occupation | Radio presenter |
Years active | 1979–2021 |
Spouses |
|
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Keith Chegwin (brother) |
Janice Berry (née Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio.[1] The first female presenter to have a daily music show on BBC Radio 1, Long also appeared on other BBC Radio stations, such as BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio WM, and BBC Radio 6 Music, and was the first female regular presenter on the television chart show Top of the Pops, beginning in 1982.
Between 2005 and 2021, Long was the Presenter of Moseley Folk and Arts Festival.[2] At the end of her career, Long hosted four nights a week on BBC Radio Wales and Saturday afternoons on Greatest Hits Radio.
Early life
Janice Chegwin was born on 5 April 1955 in Liverpool, to Margaret (née Wells) and Colin Chegwin, who encouraged their three children to pursue an interest in stage performance.[1][3] Her younger brother, Keith Chegwin (1957–2017), likewise had a career in radio and television.[4]
Her early employment included two years at
Broadcasting
Early career
Long became a station assistant at BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool in 1979.[7]
Shortly afterwards she started presenting her own show Streetlife for the station on Sunday evenings, focusing on local bands in the thriving Liverpool music scene. Frankie Goes to Hollywood did their first radio session for her show.[8] After interviewing Paul Gambaccini for her new afternoon show, the latter recommended her to BBC Radio 1.[9]
BBC Radio 1 and television
Long joined BBC Radio 1 in 1982, making her debut on 4 December with her own Saturday evening show from 7:30 pm to 10 pm, after being presented as the 'newcomer' on
In 2021, Long was among a number of ex-Radio 1 DJs hired by Viacom International Studios[13][14] to countdown the Official Charts Company's retro hits of the year on Channel 5's Britain's Favourite Songs,[15][16][17][18][19] with Long first being heard on the 1982 episode which also featured Toyah Willcox, Paul Gambaccini and Clare Grogan.
BBC Radio London, Radio 5 and XFM
In 1989, she joined London station
Crash FM
In 1995, Long moved back up to Liverpool, where she set up a radio station called
Over the next few years, the station received support from Bob Geldof, Boy George and Primal Scream amongst others, and successfully bid for a permanent licence on 107.6FM.[30][31]
BBC Radio 2
In 1999, Long started appearing on BBC Radio 2, presenting a Saturday afternoon show from 3 pm to 6 pm. In April 2000, she began as a weekday presenter, hosting the show originally from Birmingham and then (from April 2008) from BBC Radio 2 studios in London.[10] Long promoted a number of acts through live music sessions on her show including Adele, The Zutons, Primal Scream, Kasabian, Amy Macdonald, Hard-Fi, Faithless, The Manic Street Preachers, Marillion, Josh Ritter, The Stranglers, Paul Weller, Moby, The Dandy Warhols, Stereophonics, Aslan and a significant number of new and unsigned bands such as Elle S'Appelle, Vijay Kishore, Damien Dempsey, Senses and Sam Isaac. Amy Winehouse performed her first radio session after Long was the first presenter to give her airtime.[32]
In January 2010, due to a reorganisation of the breakfast schedule on Radio 2, her show was cut to two hours, and ran from midnight to 2 am, Monday to Friday. At the time Long was earning £137,000 a year.[33]
With the announcement of the new After Midnight programme on Radio 2 from October 2014, the show was on Mondays to Thursdays, midnight to 3 am. Long left her regular BBC Radio 2 slot after further changes to its schedule.[34] Her final After Midnight show was on 26 January 2017.[35]
She returned to BBC Radio 2 standing in for Jo Whiley for a week commencing 10 April 2017,[36] and was given her own series called A Long Walk With...[37] which went out between 2017 and 2018.
A Long Walk With...
A Long Walk With... was an hour long series of interviews initially broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from 9 August 2017 at 10pm. Each week, Long walked through the streets of a different city with a popstar from the 1980s or 1990s as they remembered the key places, characters and music that shaped their pop career. The first series featured Holly Johnson's Liverpool,[38] Alison Moyet's Basildon,[39] Richard Hawley's Sheffield[40] and a walk through west London with Gary Numan.[41] The second series was broadcast on Thursdays at 9pm in 2018 with Jim Kerr,[42] Chris Difford,[43] James Dean Bradfield,[44] and Tracey Thorn[45] being the popstars featured.
BBC Radio 6 Music
From the station's founding and launch in 2002 to 2004 Long presented Dream Ticket[46] on BBC Radio 6 Music, which aired from 10 pm to midnight five days a week, with a Saturday and Sunday early morning follow-up from 6 am to 8 am.[47]
BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio Wales
As well as a daily show on BBC Radio 2, Long presented for a time on BBC Radio WM on Saturday mornings from 9 am to noon, but left in July 2010.[48] On 28 March 2017 the BBC announced that she would start presenting a new evening show on BBC Radio Wales from 22 May, airing Mondays to Thursdays from 7:00pm–10:00pm.[49]
She took time away from the programme from 11 December 2017 following the death of her younger brother, Keith Chegwin. Adam Walton stood in for Long during her absence.[50] She returned to the show on 18 December 2017.[51]
Long presented her final show on BBC Radio Wales on 9 December 2021 and Adam Walton presented a BBC Radio Wales's tribute show to Long on 27 December 2021.[citation needed]
Greatest Hits Radio
In January 2019,
Remembering Janice
The station's tribute show to Long (called Remembering Janice)
Other work
Long appeared on
Long won the DJ celebrity special of quiz show
Honours
In 2016, the
Long was a patron of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.[66]
Personal life and death
In 1977 Janice married Trevor Long in Liverpool; they divorced in 1982.[67] The couple appeared as winning contestants on the first edition of Yorkshire Television's game show 3-2-1 in 1978.[68]
In her early days at Radio 1 she entered a relationship with fellow DJ Peter Powell which lasted from October 1984 to July 1985. From 1987 until her death, she was in a relationship with Paul Berry; they married in September 2017 and had two children.[69][70]
Long died at home from pneumonia on 25 December 2021, at the age of 66, surrounded by her family.[10][71]
Many musicians and fellow broadcasters paid tribute to Long. BBC Radio DJ Greg James said, "She picked the greats and got them in session before other DJs had even heard of them", while his colleague Adele Roberts said Long had forged a path for women; television presenter Carol Vorderman wrote on Twitter, "Rest In Music lovely vibrant trailblazer Janice Long”. Peter Hook of the band New Order said she was "always a great friend", while Tim Burgess, frontman of The Charlatans, praised Long for her support of fledgling bands.[72]
References
- ^ a b Mason, Peter (27 December 2021). "Janice Long obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Janice Long". Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "BFI biodata". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ McCoid, Sophie; Corner, Natalie (16 September 2019). "Keith Chegwin's sister Janice Long speaks out about star's final days". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ISBN 0-437-17600-2.
- from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "BBC radio presenter Janice Long dies aged 66". guardian.com. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Tributes paid to BBC DJ Janice Long, who has died". NME. 26 December 2021.
- ^ Tennant, Neil (17 January 1985). "The Janice Long Story". Smash Hits. 7 (2): 32,33.
- ^ a b c Jackson, Marie (26 December 2021). "Janice Long: BBC DJ and broadcaster dies at 66". BBC News.
- ^ "Top of the Pops – The Story of 1985". BBCFour. 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Curtain falls on Top of the Pops". BBC News. 26 July 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Viacom International Studios UK". Viacomstudiosuk.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Viacom International Studios UK". Viacomstudiosuk.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "My5". Channel5.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Viacom International Studios UK". Viacomstudiosuk.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "My5". Channel5.com. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "TV listings guide". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Britain's Favourite 80s Songs Season 1". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Kohler, Renate (September 1989). "The Long Road to Radio". Radio Times. No. 3434 Saturday 30 September – Friday 6 October 1989. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Trevor Dann". Chris Country.
- ^ "Radio Rewind - BBC Radio 1 People - Axeman Matthew Bannister". Radiorewind.co.uk.
- ^ "Janice Long". 6th vision. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Smith, Daniel; Wright, Benjamin (26 December 2021). "BBC radio presenter Janice Long dies aged 66". WalesOnline.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "University honour for Janice Long". Good News Liverpool. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Lost Liverpool #17: Crash FM - the rise and fall of radio's alternative voice". 22 February 2017.
- ^ "Tributes pour in for trailblazing DJ Janice Long after her death on Christmas Day". 27 December 2021 – via themanc.com.
- ^ "Clint Boon: My Life In Media". The Independent. 15 April 2007.
- ^ "Radio X's Clint Boon joins BBC Radio Manchester". 4 January 2016.
- ^ Connor, Bernie (22 February 2017). "Lost Liverpool #17: Crash FM – the rise and fall of radio's alternative voice". Getintothis. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Broadcaster Janice Long celebrates receiving Honorary Doctorate from Edge Hill University". Edge Hill University. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 – After Midnight, With Janice Long, Amy Winehouse Interview & Session from 2003". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Top 'talent' pocket £54 million a year from licence-fee payers, BBC reveals". scotsman.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 cuts live overnight presenters". radiotoday.co.uk. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ "Janice Long says a teary goodbye on Radio 2". radiotoday.co.uk. 26 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "JANICE LONG TO JOIN BBC RADIO WALES FOR SUMMER NIGHTS". 6thvision.com. 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With... - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Series 1, Holly Johnson". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Alison Moyet". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Richard Hawley". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Gary Numan". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Series 2, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Series 2, Chris Difford of Squeeze". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Series 2, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - A Long Walk With..., Series 2, Tracey Thorn". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Dream Ticket web page from BBC 6 Music in 2003". 4 December 2003. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "BBC 6 Music schedule from 2002". 6 August 2002. Archived from the original on 6 August 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "BBC Birmingham profile of Janice Long". Archived from the original on 6 October 2008.
- ^ "New show for Janice Long on BBC Radio Wales". radiotoday.co.uk. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
- ^ "BBC Radio Wales – Janice Long, Adam Walton sits in". Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "BBC Radio Wales – Janice Long, Including exclusive live tracks from al Lewis in concert". Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Remembering Janice Long, 1955 – 2021". Greatest Hits Radio. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Alex Lester joins Greatest Hits Radio for overnights". RadioToday. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Jackie Brambles joins Greatest Hits Radio to host evenings". Radiotoday.co.uk. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Greatest Hits Radio - Latest Show Schedule". Planetradio.co.uk.
- ^ "Remembering Janice on Greatest Hits Radio". Planetradio.co.uk.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - Janice Long: A Life In Music". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 - Schedules, Sunday 23 January 2022". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Radio Rewind profile of Janice Long". Archived from the original on 11 February 2009.
- ^ Luck-Baker, Andrew (October 2020). "Much-loved radio producer in World Service Science Unit" (PDF). PROSPERO. p. 9. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "BBC One – Weakest Link, Radio DJs Special". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Life at LIPA, The Big Performance – Life at LIPA in pictures". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "BASCA Gold Badge Award winners revealed". Musicweek.com. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Gold Badge Awards 2016: Recipients". The Ivors Academy. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Janice Long obituary". The Guardian. 27 December 2021.
- ^ "England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916–2005". Search.ancestry.co.uk.
- ^ "Yes it was me on 321". Archived from the original on 15 February 2018.
- ^ "The long and winding road". Liverpool Echo. 14 September 2003. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Dimery, Paul (11 December 2017). "Heartbroken Maggie Philbin shares emotional tribute to her ex-husband Keith Chegwin". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Top of Pops presenter Janice Long dies at 66". The Times. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
External links
- Janice Long receives Honorary Doctorate from Edge Hill University on YouTube
- Janice Long discography at Discogs
- Janice Long at IMDb