1974 in British radio explained

This is a list of events in British radio during 1974.

Events

January

• No events.

February

• 19 February – BRMB begins broadcasting to the Birmingham area.^{[1] [2]}

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.^[1]

May

• No events.

June

• No events.

July

• 15 July – Metro Radio begins broadcasting to the Newcastle upon Tyne area.^[1]

August

• 30/31 August – Radio North Sea International ceases broadcasting to the UK at midnight.^[3]

September

• American-born music presenter Paul Gambaccini 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.^[1]

October

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

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.^[4] 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.^[5]

Station debuts

• 19 February – BRMB
• 2 April – Piccadilly Radio
• 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)^[6]
• 22 November – Black Londoners on BBC Radio London (1974–1988)^[7]

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)^[8]
• 4 May – Ludwig Koch, German-born British natural sound recordist (born 1881)

See also

• 1974 in British music
• 1974 in British television
• 1974 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1974

Notes and References

1. http://www.transdiffusion.org/rmc/reference/ilrdates.php Radiomusications: Radio Reference: Independent Local Radio Stations (TBS Editors)
2. Web site: How BRMB bravely took to the airwaves. Graham. Young. 21 February 2014. Business Live. 19 August 2023.
3. Web site: The Radio Northsea Story. 2023-04-17. 2015-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20150521070051/http://www.cwgsy.net/private%2Foffshorepirateradio/rniradio.html. dead.
4. http://blackinbritain.com/AlexPascal.htm "Alex Pascal MBE – Writer, broadcaster and musician"
5. https://www.transdiffusion.org/2001/08/15/asian Asian Sound.
6. Web site: The Betty Witherspoon Show. The British Comedy & Drama Website. 2021-03-24.
7. Book: Scafe, Suzanne. https://books.google.com/books?id=VfdpdZ9DwH0C&dq=alex+pascall+black+londoners&pg=PA46. Black Londoners. Alison Donnell. Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. 2002. 46. 9781134700257 .
8. Book: Sellens, Nicolas. Commentating Greats: From Alliss to Wolstenholme. 2005. West Ridge. 978-0-9540733-1-2. 92.