This is a list of events in British radio during 2004.

List of years in British radio (table)
In British television
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
In British music
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
+...

Events

edit

January

edit

February

edit
  • 10 February – Dave Lincoln, a well-known radio personality in Northwest England, and former Radio 1 presenter Andy Peebles will head the line-up when 100.4 Jazz FM is relaunched as 100.4 Smooth FM in March.[4]
  • 12 February – 100.7 Heart FM presenter Tushar Makwana dies in hospital following a hit-and-run incident during a botched robbery attempt at his home in Birmingham a few days earlier. Four teenagers are later convicted of his murder and given 10-year jail terms.[5]
  • 20 February – BBC Radio 4 airs the final Letter from America less than six weeks before the death of its presenter Alistair Cooke. The weekly 15-minute programme has run for 2,869 shows from 24 March 1946, making it the longest-running speech radio programme in history.

March

edit

April

edit
  • 2 April – Chris Tarrant presents his final Breakfast show on London's 95.8 Capital FM after 17 years in the chair. He is succeeded by Johnny Vaughan.[7]
  • 10–17 April – Pirate BBC Essex broadcasts for the first time. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the launch of Radio Caroline, it broadcasts on the MW frequencies of BBC Essex. This is repeated in 2007, 2009 and 2017.
  • May – Saga 105.7FM presenter Brendan Kearney is dismissed from the station for using an office computer to access pornography.[8] The incident had occurred at BBC Radio Cleveland where Kearney was the breakfast show presenter. Managers reprimanded him, and after he quit the station alerted Saga who initially suspended him while an investigation was conducted.[9]

June

edit

July

edit
  • No events.

August

edit

September

edit

October

edit

November

edit
  • No events.

December

edit
  • 31 December – Radio 4's Woman's Hour becomes Man's Hour for one day only, on which it is presented by Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow.[10]
  • December – Les Ross leaves Birmingham's Saga 105.7 FM following differences with station bosses. He claims the station management was guilty of sending "nannying" e-mails which were turning him into a "robo-jock".

Station debuts

edit

Programme debuts

edit

Continuing radio programmes

edit

1940s

edit

1950s

edit

1960s

edit

1970s

edit

1980s

edit

1990s

edit

2000s

edit

Ending this year

edit

Closing this year

edit

Deaths

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Martin, Roy (5 January 2024). "Nick Ferrari celebrates 20 years at Breakfast on LBC". Radio Today. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Barbara Sturgeon to leave Radio Kent". BBC Press Office. BBC. 6 January 2004. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  3. ^ Martin, Roy (19 January 2024). "Twenty years of RadioToday – happy birthday to us! Here's how it all started". Radio Today. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Impressive Line-Up for 100.4 Smooth FM". Radio Today. 10 February 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  5. ^ Cartledge, James (16 December 2004). "Tushar's 'remorseless' killers jailed". Birmingham Evening Mail. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  6. ^ "DJ Walker back after cancer fight". BBC News. 15 February 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  7. ^ Foster, Geoff (1 April 2004). "Capital Radio lament as Tarrant tunes out". Thisislondon. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Saga DJ sacked over computer porn". The Birmingham Post. Trinity Mirror. 17 May 2004. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  9. ^ Ward, Charlotte (2 May 2004). "DJ suspended in porn probe; Saga FM acts as he quits BBC over nude pictures on computer". The Sunday Mercury. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Man's Hour – BBC Radio 4 FM – 31 December 2004 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Radio legend Cooke dies aged 95". BBC News. 30 March 2000. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  12. ^ "Legendary radio DJ John Peel dies". BBC News. 25 October 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  13. ^ "Radio 2 DJ John Dunn dies". BBC News. 28 November 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2009.