BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across the city on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media, Sky Digital and also on the Internet, it was previously known as London Live, GLR (Greater London Radio) and before that Radio London, not to be confused with the pirate radio station of the same name. Each incarnation represented different management and scheduling. Image File history File links BBC_London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Frequency (disambiguation). ... MegaHertz (MHz) is the name given to one million (106) Hertz, a measure of frequency. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ... A radio format or programming format describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... BBC Local Radio is the BBCs regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. ... BBC London is the brand for the BBCs tri-media radio, television and online service for London and its immediate environs. ... The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), also known as Eureka 147, is a technology for broadcasting of audio using digital radio transmission. ... Virgin Media Inc. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ... The term Pirate Radio usually refers to illegal or unregulated radio transmission. ... Wonderful Radio Londons transmitter ship, the MV Galaxy Don Pierson in 1964 Wonderful Radio London also known as Big L, was a top 40 (in Londons case, the Fab 40) offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in...

History

The earliest ever regular local radio broadcast dates as far back as the 1920s, with the launch of 2LO in 1922. The station, based at Marconi House on the Strand, Central London was opened by Guglielmo Marconi became the British Broadcasting Company's first radio station. The first-ever news bulletin was read by Arthur Burrows. "2LO Calling" was its call-sign and preceded all programmes on the air. In 1923 2LO moved to bigger premises with studios adjacent to the Savoy Hotel in London. Its transmission tower was located on the roof of department store Selfridges in the West End. In 1930 2LO evolved into two programming networks - the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme, 2LO being integrated into the latter. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Look up Strand in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For the inventor of radio,and macoroni see the competing claims in history of radio and the invention of radio. ... The British Broadcasting Company Ltd was a British commercial company formed on October 18, 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom. ... // In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a callsign or call letters, or abbreviated as a call) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Selfridges in Birmingham. ... The interior of Covent Garden Market in the West End The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the citys major tourist attractions, businesses, and administrative headquarters. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The BBC National Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II. // Foundation When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist - transmitter powers were generally in the... The BBC Regional Programme was a BBC radio station from the 1920s until the outbreak of World War II. // Foundation When the BBC first began transmissions on 14 November 1922, the technology for both national coverage and joint programming between transmitters did not exist. ...

See main article: 2LO 2LO was the second HP radio station to regularly broadcast in the United Kingdom (the first was 2MT). ...

BBC Radio London (1970 - 1988)

Local radio was to arrive in London as part of a pilot project headed by Frank Gilliard, who on arrival to the United States discovered local radio stations of varying formats and was to bring this concept to Britain.

Test transmissions for the new local radio station were carried out from Wrotham, Kent on 95.3 MHz in FM mono, relaying BBC Radio 1 on medium wave, with several announcements informing listeners of the new service. On 6 October 1970 BBC Radio London was launched, three years before commercial radio for London in the guise of LBC. An additional medium wave frequency was allocated on 1458 kHz (206 metres) from Brookman's Park. 95.3 soon changed to 94.9. Wrotham (pronounced ) is a village situated on the Pilgrims Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs. ... For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... A megahertz (MHz) is one million (106) hertz, a measure of frequency. ... The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... BBC Radio 1 (commonly referred to as just Radio 1) is a British national radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in popular music and speech and is aimed primarily at the 14-29[1] age group. ... is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 ([[Rf 1970 == January 1 - The Unix epoch begins at 00:00:00 UTC January 2 - The last studio performance of The Beatles oman numerals|MCMLXX]]) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Radio London was the local station for the capital however in the early days it relied heavily on news reports from other stations in the BBC network and often shared programming with Radio 2. It took on a fairly lively sound and featured (and still does to this day) extensive traffic reports, phone-in programmes - where it pioneered the daily phone-in in the UK - and lots of contemporary and middle-of-the-road music. A phone-in programme, Sounding Brass, was pioneered, devised and first presented by Owen Spencer-Thomas in 1977. Listeners were invited to choose a Christmas carol or hymn while a Salvation Army brass band stood by in the studio to play their request live. It later moved to BBC Radio 2 and was presented by Gloria Hunniford.^[1] Middle of the Road was a Scottish pop group who enjoyed great success across Europe in the early 1970s. ... Sounding Brass was a pioneer phone-in programme presented by Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2. ... Owen Spencer-Thomas was born on 3 March 1940 in Braughing, Hertfordshire, England. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organisation. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is by far the most popular station in the UK, reaching some 27% of the available audience in 2006[1]. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in... Gloria Hunniford was a presenter on BBC radio and television. ...

As soon as Independent Local Radio stations LBC and Capital Radio went on-air public attention to Radio London declined with the station attempting to copy both. Its to be noted that the name Radio London is not to be confused with Wonderful Radio London, an off-shore commercial pop music station which was silenced before the launch of BBC Radio 1. Logo used by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for promoting Independent Local Radio services. ... LBC Radio (originally the London Broadcasting Company) operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. ... This article is about the British radio station. ... Wonderful Radio Londons transmitter ship, the MV Galaxy Don Pierson in 1964 Wonderful Radio London also known as Big L, was a top 40 (in Londons case, the Fab 40) offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in... BBC Radio 1 (commonly referred to as just Radio 1) is a British national radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in popular music and speech and is aimed primarily at the 14-29[1] age group. ...

BBC Radio London started regular broadcasts from Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus later moving to Marylebone High Street - the former Radio Times warehouse, famously without windows and providing an enormous sub-basement studio. Hanover Square, is a square in Queensbury,Bradford, BD1, England Hanover Square, Herne Bay, Canterbury, CT6, England Hanover Square, Macworth, Derby, DE22, England Hanover Square, Kingston upon Hull, HU1, England Hanover Square, Leeds, LS3, England Hanover Square, London, Marylebone, London,W1, England Hanover Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1, Engand Hanover... Oxford Circus, looking westward Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street. ... Marylebone (sometimes written St. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ...

Tests for FM stereo began in 1981 with Music on the Move a programme featuring non-stop music prior to full launch on 11 February. The FM transmitter was shortly moved to Crystal Palace. This coincided with the planned relaunch in 1981 which saw the station take on a style which was softer than BBC Radio 2 - a station predominantly playing Easy Listening music, music ranged from softer contemporary pop, like The Carpenters, to light classical music. This was a move which was unpopular with employed staff, who thought it very un-hip, and politicians who would question the need for a local radio station to sound like the two music-based BBC national networks. However the relaunch lead to improved audience figures and a string of awards and accolades. is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Crystal Palace Transmitter is a telecommunications tower in the Crystal Palace area in the London Borough of Bromley, England (grid reference TQ339712). ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is by far the most popular station in the UK, reaching some 27% of the available audience in 2006[1]. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Carpenter (disambiguation). ...

The 1981 on-air schedule looked like this:

• 06:30 Rush Hour with Susie Barnes and John Waite
• 09:00 Morning Star
• 10:00 The Robbie Vincent Telephone Programme
• 12:30 Lunchtime News
• 12:40 Total Music Show with Tony Fish
• 14:30 Tony Blackburn
• 17:00 Evening News
• 17:15 Music on the Move
• 18:30 Speech programmes
• 19:00 Black Londoners
• 20:00 Parliamentary Question Time

One of its most influential programmes on the schedule was Black Londoners devised by Ray Criushank, a community relations officer for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and presented by Alex Pascall. The programme has helped to develop on-air talent from London's Afro-Caribbean community, namely Juliet Alexander, Syd Burke and Mike Phillips and was the pioneering programme on television or radio to regularly speak to Black Londoners. The programme changed title to 'Black London' shortly before Radio London closed (see below). It was recently revived for a short time in 2003 with Pascall returning as presenter. The forerunner to the BBC Asian Network was a hugely popular Asian programme, London Sounds Eastern presented by Vernon Corea who was appointed the BBC's Ethnic Minorities Adviser in the 1970s. Pandit Ravi Shankar, Indian pop star Usha Uthup, were among those interviewed for ' London Sounds Eastern' launched on BBC Radio London in 1976 and produced by Keith Yeomans. The programme introduced the Bollywood music of Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar to new London audiences. Robbie Vincent is an English radio broadcaster and DJ whose catch phrase for many years was If it moves, Funk it He started life as a journalist although Robbie Vincents broadcasting career began as one of the pioneers on BBC Radio London in 1973 during the miners strike... Tony Blackburn (born 29 January 1943 in Guildford, Surrey) is an award winning English disc jockey, who broadcast on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first presenter to appear on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. ... The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London and forms part of Inner London. ... Asian Network logo BBC Asian Network studio at The Mailbox shopping centre, Birmingham. ... Vernon Corea; radio broadcaster Corea was a pioneer broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asias oldest radio station, in 1957 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. ... Ravi Shankar (Bengali: Robi Shôngkor, Hindi: ) (born April 7, 1920, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India) is an Indian composer best known for his virtuosity on the sitar. ... Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop singer. ... London Sounds Eastern was one of the most popular ethnic minority radio programs on the BBC. It was presented by Vernon Corea and produced by Keith Yeomans. ... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. ... Asha Bhosle[1] (Marathi: ) (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. ... Lata Mangeshkar (Marathi/Hindi:लता मंगेशकर) (born September 28, 1929) is an Indian singer. ...

A programming relaunch in 1984 saw Radio London adopt the tagline "The Heart and Soul of London" with more soul music being played during the day. Tony Blackburn from BBC Radio 1 moved up the schedule to host a morning show for housewives playing classic soul of the 1970s and presenting a show laced with cheeky jokes and double entendres, once daring to 'get out his 12-incher' - referring to an LP record. He was sacked in 1988 crossing the line of taste and decency, conveniently in time for the station's first relaunch. Regular Soul Night Outs were held initially in Kilburn but later in other venues, like Ilford. This was where Dave Pearce, later of Radio 1 fame made his first regular appearances as a BBC DJ. Two of the station's producers Guy Hornsby (Tony Blackburn) and Mike Gray (Robbie Vincent Telephone Programme) later went on to create the ground-breaking commercial dance stations Kiss 102 and Kiss 105 which recaptured the somewhat anarchic spirit of BBC Radio London in its mid-1980's heyday to great audience and commercial success. Tony Blackburn (born 29 January 1943 in Guildford, Surrey) is an award winning English disc jockey, who broadcast on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first presenter to appear on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. ... BBC Radio 1 (commonly referred to as just Radio 1) is a British national radio station operated by the BBC, specialising in popular music and speech and is aimed primarily at the 14-29[1] age group. ... A double entendre or innuendo is a figure of speech similar to the pun, in which a spoken phrase can be understood in either of two ways. ... Kiss 102 was a Music radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester on 102. ...

BBC Radio London closed on 7 October 1988, much to the dismay of regular listeners. The final programme, just before its 18th birthday, was presented by Mike Sparrow and Susie Barnes. Shortly after closedown test transmissions aired for several days, preparing for a new radio station for London. is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

Greater London Radio (GLR) (1988 - 2000)

Launch

Test transmissions for the new Greater London Radio began as soon as Radio London closed. Its pre-launch announcements stated in no uncertain terms that GLR was to be radically different in style promising the fastest news, traffic and travel news every 20 minutes and the best music mix. GLR was to be the newest radio in London for 15 years.

This was the irreverent announcement aired four days before launch:

"This is Greater London Radio and as I'm sure you will have noticed by now we the BBC have been paying you the public to patronise [you]...

...sorry to say that this all changes at 6am Tuesday 25 October. Interruptions to the music will then be performed by a host of celebrities and stars...and also appearing will be Nick "who, he?" Abbot, Emma "Oh my God!" Freud, Tim "who him?" Walker, Timbo the Bimbo [Tim LLoyd] and Tommy "No seriously!" Vance. Sorry this is the best we could come up with, with the budget available and at least thank God you wont be forced to look at them!..."

"GLR: as heard but not seen in London starting 6am, Tuesday 25 October"

Heading the new station was Station Director Matthew Bannister. GLR, the radio station with a difference was aimed at people who hate pop but love music, hate prattle (excessive on-air talk) but wants to know what's what where in the world. The station was aimed at 25-45 year olds, who perhaps grew up with Radio 1, but now want to be intelligently informed about the city in which they live, and the world in general. The on-air presenters would gel both music and speech elements with personality radio. The music mix was best described as Adult album alternative, a format programmed by Trevor Dann. It has been said this Triple-A format inspired the launch of BBC 6 Music years later. Adult Album Alternative (also Triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format broadcast mostly on FM. A spin off of the Album-oriented rock format, its roots may have been established sometime during the 60s from what was called underground music and later progressive. ... Trevor Dann is a British writer and broadcaster who has been associated with some of the influential UK radio and television pop music programmes and events of the last 30 years. ... BBC 6 Music is one of the BBCs newest radio stations, launched on March 11, 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It is only available via digital media - DAB radio, the Internet and the various forms of digital television. ...

The daytime launch line-up looked like this:

• 6.30am - Nick Abbot & Fiona Foster - Breakfast
• 10am - Emma Freud - Controversial debate
• 12pm - Johnnie Walker - Music and news
• 3pm - Timbo's Out!
• 4pm - Tommy Vance - Drivetime
• 7pm - Dave Pearce with Sonia Fraser
• 10pm - Dave Barrett

Chris Evans took on a variety of roles on GLR, often presenting a weekend show, ending in 1993 as his media career took off. Danny Baker has had a long association with the station, presenting Weekend Breakfast from 1989-1990 & then returned to present a Sunday morning show from 1996-1998. Janice Long presented the Breakfast show on the station from 1989 - 1991 & Kevin Greening started as a producer in 1989, before becoming a presenter of the Breakfast show in 1991. Nick Abbot is a British radio presenter, born 22 August 1960. ... Emma Vallencey Freud (born January 25, 1962) is a British broadcaster and cultural commentator. ... Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced in Kilmarnock, Scotland. ... Tommy Vance, born Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston (July 11, 1941 – March 6, 2005) was a British pop radio broadcaster, born in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. ... Dave Pearce is a British dance DJ and record producer, playing gigs across the UK and the world, although he is perhaps best known for his work in radio. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Danny Baker (Christened Danny and born June 22, 1957, Deptford, South London) is an English comedy writer, radio presenter and occasional television presenter. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Janice Long (born April 5, 1955) is a Liverpudlian radio broadcaster in the UK, the sister of TV personality Keith Chegwin. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Born in 1964, Kevin Greening is a British radio presenter, who has worked on several BBC Radio stations, and currently presents for 102. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

Specialist speech programmes in the evening featured community programmes aimed at London's ethnic communities – Asian, Afro-Caribbean, Jewish and Irish. Black London was replaced with Margaret Jones aka The Ranking Miss P', who was dropped by Radio 1. Weekends featured extensive sports coverage, centreing on football and London's numerous clubs such as Arsenal F.C., Spurs and West Ham United F.C.. Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Afro-Caribbean may refer to: the British Afro-Caribbean community other members of the African diaspora in or from the Carribean This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in Holloway, north London. ... Tottenham Hotspur F.C. is a North London association football team, also known by the nickname Spurs. ... West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in West Ham, London Borough of Newham, East London, and have played their home matches at the 35,146 capacity Boleyn Ground stadium since 1904. ...

In 1989 GLR set up a youth-based radio training facility at Vauxhall College, SW8, which was followed with a second course based at White City, W12. This was allocated funds from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the British Parliament. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London and forms part of Inner London. ...

Travel News

One unique aspect of GLR was the ability to access directly Scotland Yard's network of traffic cameras across London's busiest streets. This enabled its reporters, most commonly "Bob at the Yard", to give unparalleled accurate traffic and travel news to its listeners. The reports were known as 20/20 Travel, named because its travel reports were read out every 20 minutes during peak times. No other radio station had this access for a while — even managing to out-do Capital Radio's traffic plane, known as the Flying Eye. This article is about the British radio station. ...

Controversy and closure

However only three years into the newly relaunched station the station was given an additional three years to prove itself to its audience by senior BBC management or close for good: this threat was also applied to its other metropolitan BBC Local Radio stations BBC WM in Birmingham and Manchester's BBC GMR. The threat was lifted after the BBC deemed it sufficiently patronised to remain on-air, however criticism of the station grew from its Radio London days, causing then Minister for Broadcasting David Mellor to remark "the BBC must think hard whether it is occupying [radio] frequencies without making much use of them". This claim was rejected by senior management. BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands and South Staffordshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. ... This article is about the British city. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... This article is about the Manchester radio station. ... The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is a UK cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

GLR continued to exist as a radio station with a small listener base, but its music policy gained a cult following, particularly among its younger adult listeners. One of its noted DJs on-air at the time was Gary Crowley, who had a weekend show which regularly showcased new and unsigned bands, often not getting much airplay on commercial radio stations, and to a lesser extent, Radio 1. Other DJs, notably Bob Mills ("Millsie") had a loyal following of cab drivers and cockney phone-ins. With the launch of new specialist commercial stations Kiss 100, Jazz FM and XFM GLR remained distinct. Speech rather than music formed a higher percentage of airtime than most commercial stations. Bob Mills (born 1957) is a British comedian, notable for his appearances in cult TV series such as In Bed With Medinner, and The Show, an attempt to do a British Larry Sanders Show with one difference: it wasnt fictional. ... Kiss 100 is a radio station broadcasting to London on 100. ... The Jazz FM logo in use until 2002. ... Xfm logo Xfm is a brand of commercial radio stations focused on current and unsigned alternative music and owned by GCap Media in the United Kingdom. ...

In 1992 GLR was forced to relinquish its 1458 kHz medium wave frequency, for a new commercial radio station which was eventually won by Sunrise Radio. Previously it had been simulcasting with 94.9 MHz FM with a few programmes which occasionally opted from FM. Sunrise Radio is the United Kingdoms first radio station catering specifically for the Asian community. ...

In 1999, following a consultation exercise on local broadcasting in the South East, the BBC decided to rebrand GLR and substantially change the programming. A campaign to "Save GLR" was organised and a petition delivered to the BBC ^[2]. The argument became acrimonious. In particular those opposed to the changes argued that the BBC never organised a public meeting in London as part of the consultation exercise and, when one was organised by supporters of the station, no one involved in the consultation exercise attended^[3]. Although the campaign was unsuccessful in saving GLR, and the rebranding went ahead the next year, it demonstrated the existence of a loyal audience for its format. GLR's music format, and several of its presenters, returned to the BBC with the launch of the national digital station BBC 6 Music in 2002. BBC 6 Music is one of the BBCs newest radio stations, launched on March 11, 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It is only available via digital media - DAB radio, the Internet and the various forms of digital television. ...

BBC London Live (2000 - 2001)

Facing even more public criticism over GLR's position in the London radio market and its very low listening reach, the station was relaunched on the 25 March 2000 as BBC London Live 94.9 in a blaze of publicity. Promising even more speech and less music, London Live - originally the title for GLR's lunch-time news show (presented by Charles Carroll, now on BBC Radio 2) was launched with new on-air personalities and new shows, including a speech-heavy breakfast show and a mid-morning phone-in and debate. Only drivetime and the specialist shows would remain, albeit refreshed. The re-launch at the time was promoted by huge billboards and television spots on BBC Newsroom South East depicting London's famous landmarks as radio paraphernalia (a woman seen raising Big Ben as a radio aerial for example). It cost the BBC in excess of £20 million - an amount seen by vocal critics, led by private media as 'obscene amount of money' and added to repeated calls for the licence fee (which also funds radio) to be scrapped. is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Charles Carroll is the name of several notable men: Charles Carroll, Barrister (1723-1783), Continental Congress from Maryland Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832), signed U.S. Declaration of Independence for Maryland Charles H. Carroll (1794-1865), U..S. Congressman for New York There is also: Charles Carroll Sawyer, 19th... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is by far the most popular station in the UK, reaching some 27% of the available audience in 2006[1]. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in... A television licence is an official licence required in some countries for all owners of a television receiver. ...

Leading the relaunch was Station Director David Robey, who hired such personalities as Lisa I'Anson, Vanessa Feltz, Tom Watt and various Black presenters such as Eddie Nestor and Dotun Adebayo. Most notably another presenter, Henry Bonsu was controversially sacked, then re-hired in a baffling manner, BBC chiefs cited questionable reasons for his departure with critics believing it was racially motivated.[5] Lisa IAnson (born 31 May 1965) is a British DJ and presenter. ... Vanessa Feltz (born February 21, 1962) is an English journalist and broadcaster. ... This article is about British sports pundit and actor Tom Watt. ... Actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds. ... Dotun Adebayo is best known as a presenter of Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live, as well as the obituary programme Brief Lives. ...

BBC LDN / BBC London 94.9 (2001 - present)

October 2001 saw another name change to BBC LDN, this time as part of a tri-media pilot project which would see radio and regional television news and online presence housed in its newly-refurbished studio at Marylebone High Street. The pilot project was to brand all aspects of it operations as BBC London. This included BBC London News, the daily regional news bulletin on BBC One television. Newly updated jingles were added with its new slogan "On TV, on radio, online", voiced by London News host Emily Maitlis. Marylebone (sometimes written St. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... Emily Maitlis presents on BBC News 24 (above) as well as Newsnight. ...

New recruits to BBC London 94.9 included award-winning presenter Jon Gaunt from BBC Three Counties Radio, Danny Baker and Sean Rowley. Danny Baker would host a different style of breakfast show, with his alternative and quirky take on London life, which was co-hosted with American comedienne Amy Lamé. Jon Gaunt would then host the mid-morning phone-in show, voicing his strong opinions on an unsuspecting public. Longtime GLR stalwart Robert Elms was kept at lunchtime, discovering London's deepest darkest secrets and revealing stories behind London's long and rich history. Vanessa Feltz would take over Lisa I'Anson's afternoon slot with a lively and fun phone-in. Drivetime with Eddie Nestor and Kath Melandri would guide Londoners home with news updates, sport, travel and debates with the public. Specialist programmes for the Black community would emerge at the weekends along with extensive sports coverage and alternative music shows in the evening. (See full schedule here). BBC London would also see the return of Tony Blackburn on Saturdays, over 20 years since he first appeared on the station. His show was as before, playing classic soul music and chat. The Sony Radio Academy Awards (the Sonys), started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. ... Jon Gaunt is a morning talk show presenter. ... It has been suggested that BBC Radio Bedfordshire be merged into this article or section. ... Danny Baker (Christened Danny and born June 22, 1957, Deptford, South London) is an English comedy writer, radio presenter and occasional television presenter. ... Sean Rowley is a DJ on BBC London radio. ... Amy Lamé is an American comedian and Radio DJ who currently lives and works in Britain. ... Robert Elms is an English writer, broadcaster and D.J. for BBC London 94. ... Lisa IAnson (born 31 May 1965) is a British DJ and presenter. ... Actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds. ... Tony Blackburn (born 29 January 1943 in Guildford, Surrey) is an award winning English disc jockey, who broadcast on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first presenter to appear on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. ...

Extra sport matches featuring football clubs such as Fulham F.C. and have received additional coverage on BBC London, through its DAB Digital Radio platform, on Sky Digital channel 0152 and on 765 kHz medium wave (for coverage of West Ham United F.C., normally BBC Essex's frequency). Fulham Football Club are an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), also known as Eureka 147, is a technology for broadcasting of audio using digital radio transmission. ... West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in West Ham, London Borough of Newham, East London, and have played their home matches at the 35,146 capacity Boleyn Ground stadium since 1904. ... BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. ...

BBC London 94.9 was the first BBC Local Radio to air a 24-hour live stream online, which coincided with the 2001 re-launch. It also aired on DAB Digital Radio in July 2000 and on Sky Digital (channel 0152) in 2005 in the London area but it can be accessed within the UK and Ireland by manual tuning. BBC Local Radio is the BBCs regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. ... Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), also known as Eureka 147, is a technology for broadcasting of audio using digital radio transmission. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ...

BBC London identifies itself at the top of the hour as

BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio London on digital ^{[citation needed]}.

This had led to slight confusion as to the reference to its previous name of Radio London as there is very little difference in either output analogue or digital except football and special events and the Radio London name hasn't been mentioned in any other context.

Historic Slogans

• 1970s - London's Greater Radio
• 1980s - The Heart and Soul of London
• 1990 - Greater London Radio - In The News
• 1995 - GLR - Rock 'n' Rolling News
• 1996 - GLR on 94.9 FM, The BBC station for London
• 2000 - BBC London Live- London's Newest Station
• 2001-present On TV- On Radio- Online London's Radio Station

Current programmes

The station's current output is broadly similar to other BBC local radio stations and aims at a general mainstream audience. Previous incarnations of the station had offered a much more diverse range with many specialist programmes for London's various ethnic, religious, social and cultural communities. What specialist programming remains is mostly broadcast on weekend evenings.

Most programmes contain a lot of speech (including interviews, studio guests, banter between presenters and phone ins) but many also feature music to a greater or lesser degree. The music is mostly mainstream pop and is the key element which differentiates BBC London 94.9 from London's other speech based radio station, LBC. In broadcasting, a phone in is where viewers or listeners air comments on-air via telephone, often regarding a specific topic of discussion for that day. ... LBC Radio (originally the London Broadcasting Company) operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. ...

News and Weather

News and weather are broadcast every hour. News and weather bulletins are produced by BBC London.

Sport

Sport is a very major part of the schedule, with a 3 hour sports based programme each weeknight evening and 4 hour sport specials on Saturdays and Sundays. This is considerably more than most other BBC local radio stations and reflects London's large number of sporting teams and events.

Travel News

Travel updates are broadcast every half-hour during the day and every quarter hour during the weekday rush hours. The current crop of presenters include Jules Lang, Steve Phillips, Billy Reeves, Kate Allen, Pippa Sparkes, Fiona McKinnon and Lewis Gillingham. . For other uses, see Rush hour (disambiguation). ... Billy Reeves is a songwriter and producer who prior to founding the London-based indie-band theaudience in 1996, (featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor on vocals) started out with cult Egham-based punkpathetique band T.B.A.G. in 1979. ...

Occasionally the traffic cameras can also be seen on BBC London News, read by the radio station's travel reporters such as Jules Lang, Kate Allen and Steve Phillips.

The "JamCams" are also available 24-hours a day online here.

Presenters and Programmes

Key mainstream programmes/presenters include:

• The Breakfast Show presented by JoAnne Good.
• Vanessa Feltz - Phone in show.
• Robert Elms - Interviews with studio guests and a more diverse range of music. Maxwell Hutchinson presents a weekly section called Your Manor exploring London's history and places of interest. One of the few programmes retained from GLR.
• Danny Baker - Sony DJ of the Year.
• Eddie Nestor and Kath Melandri - Talk show.
• The Late Show - Arts and entertainment show presented by Jumoke Fashola
• Tony Blackburn - Weekly soul music show.

Specialist programmes/presenters include: Vanessa Feltz (born February 21, 1962) is an English journalist and broadcaster. ... Robert Elms is an English writer, broadcaster and D.J. for BBC London 94. ... Maxwell Hutchinson (born 1949) is an English architect and broadcaster. ... Danny Baker (Christened Danny and born June 22, 1957, Deptford, South London) is an English comedy writer, radio presenter and occasional television presenter. ... Actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds. ... Tony Blackburn (born 29 January 1943 in Guildford, Surrey) is an award winning English disc jockey, who broadcast on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first presenter to appear on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. ...

• Gary Crowley - Alternative music programme with new London based bands.
• Dotun Adebayo - Presents a black music programme and a current affairs programme for London's black community.
• Inspirit - Jumoké Fashola presents topical multi faith & ethics issues with a review of the weeks religious news, music & guests.
• Guilty Pleasures - Listeners confess their guilty pleasures to Sean Rowley and choose embarrassingly uncool records.
• Norman Jay - 70s and contemporary dance music.

African American music (also called black music, formerly known as race music) is an umbrella term given to a range of musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of United States. ... You could say that Norman Jay MBE comes from a similar camp, musically as Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge and former Kiss 100 FM dj Bob Jones. ...

Ratings

Audience listening figures suggest BBC London 94.9 is more popular than Greater London Radio ever was, but still remains one of London's least-listened to major radio stations with an average audience share of around 2% ^[4], which is considerably less than that any other BBC local radio station (or of LBC which is London's other main speech based radio station). Its audience reach has improved to 5%, however the average listener still listens for a relatively short period of time. This could be explained by a significant number of listeners tuning in specifically for the local news, weather and travel bulletins. LBC Radio (originally the London Broadcasting Company) operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. ... In the application of statistics to advertising and media analysis, reach is defined as the size of the audience who listen to, read, view or otherwise access a particular work in a given time period. ...

References

• Aircheck UK [6]
• The Radio Companion by Paul Donovan, (ISBN 0-586-09012-6)

External links

• BBC London Radio
• Information from Media UK
• BBC Radio London - unofficial site