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Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Broadcasting House. Programmes are also relayed on DAB, Sky Television, Cable TV, Freeview and the Internet.
The station started at 5.30am on September 30, 1967, and succeeded the Light Programme, with some of the Light's music shows transferring to the newly-launched Radio 1. Until the mid-1990s it was mainly known for playing middle of the road music, but under controller James Moir, more contemporary records were added to the playlist and the old easy listening style was phased out. Today Radio 2 is the most listened to radio station in the UK, with its schedule filled with top name presenters like Terry Wogan, Steve Wright, Jonathan Ross, Mark Lamarr and Michael Parkinson. It has a demographic of adult listeners and tends to play music from the 1980s and 1990s as well as contemporary chart and indie music.
On Sundays it reverts for much of the day to something decidedly closer to its old style, with presenters like Richard Baker and David Jacobs and long-standing programmes like "Sunday Half Hour" and "Your Hundred Best Tunes".
Whilst being adult orientated, it does not broadcast complete works of classical music, the domain of Radio 3, or offer in depth discussion, or drama, the job of Radio 4. It does however carry some half-hour comedy shows. The station does offer many musical documentaries and celebrity interviews and, up until the advent of Radio Five Live, was the BBC's main radio outlet for sports coverage (before becoming Five Live, Radio 5 was originally created by splitting off Radio 2's mediumwave frequencies, leaving Radio 2 on FM only).
Being a BBC station, it is funded by the television licence fee, and does not broadcast commercials.
BBC Radio 2's last closedown was at 0202 GMT on 27 January, 1979. Sarah Kennedy (who, following the fading of her 1980s television career, has been a daily early morning presenter on Radio 2 since 1993) was at the Newsdesk after Brian Newman finished the "Round Midnight" programme. From 0200-0500 GMT the following night onwards, late night listeners could listen to "You and the Night and the Music". Radio 2 has therefore had the longest period of continuous broadcasting of any national radio station in the UK - more than twenty-five years to date.
On this station, the BBC Pips are only broadcast at 6:00 transposed over the Radio 2 news jingle. However, they are also played at 8:00 on weekdays between gaps in Terry Wogan's self-styled banter. When Jonathan Ross sat in for Wogan in 2004, he failed to cut his own banter and consequently spoke over the pips.
Current roster
Regular schedule as of January 2005:
Monday to Friday
0:00 Janice Long
3.00 Alex Lester
6.00 Sarah Kennedy: The Dawn Patrol
7.30 Terry Wogan: Wake Up To Wogan
9:30 Ken Bruce
12:00 Jeremy Vine
14:00 Steve Wright
17:00 Johnnie Walker
19:00 Specialist shows
22:30 Mark Radcliffe (except Friday)
Saturday
0:00 Bob Harris
3:00 Janey Lee Grace
6:00 Mo Dutta
8:00 Brian Matthew: Sounds of the 60s
10:00 Jonathan Ross
13:00 Comedy
14:00 Dermot O'Leary: Saturday Club
16:00 Richard Allinson
18:00 Paul Gambaccini: America's Greatest Hits
19:30 Mark Lamarr: Alternative 60s
20:30 Stuart Maconie: The Critical List
21:30 Features (often concert recordings)
22:30 Bob Harris
Sunday
0:00 Helen Mayhew
4:00 Mo Dutta
7:00 Don Mclean: Good Morning Sunday
9:00 Steve Wright's Love Songs
11:00 Michael Parkinson
13:00 Elaine Paige
14:30 Russell Davies
15:30 Lulu
17:00 Ed Stewart
19:00 Sheridan Morley
20:30 Roger Royle: Sunday Half Hour
21:00 Richard Baker: Your Hundred Best Tunes
22:00 Malcolm Laycock
23:00 David Jacobs
See also: List of BBC radio stations
Newsreaders
- Fenella Fudge (formerly Fenella Haddingham)
- Colin Berry
- Fran Godfrey
- John Marsh
- Ricky Salmon
- Andrew Peach
- Andrea Simmons
External links
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