Timeline of BBC Radio 3

A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 3, a British national radio station which began broadcasting in September 1967.

1960s

  • 1968
    • No events.
  • 1969
    • No events.

1970s

  • 1970
    • April – BBC Radio’s sports coverage transfers from Radio 3 to BBC Radio 2 although Test Match Special continues to be broadcast on Radio 3's MW frequencies. Also transferring away from Radio 3 is other factual programming, moving mostly to BBC Radio 4. Consequently, the station now focuses on classical music and arts on a full-time basis.
  • 1971
    • No events.
  • 1972
    • Stephen Hearst replaces Howard Newby as Controller.
    • 21 July – The station extends its broadcasting hours by 25 minutes, closing down at midnight instead of 11.35pm.
  • 1973
    • No events.
  • 1974
    • No events.
  • 1975
    • No events.
  • 1976
    • No events.
  • 1977
    • No events.
  • 1978
    • 23 November – Radio 3 moves from 464m (647 kHz) to 247m (1215 kHz) medium wave as part of a plan to improve national AM reception, and to conform with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.[1]

1980s

  • 1980
    • 2 January – Radio 3 launches a new, extended teatime programme Mainly for Pleasure. The two-hour long programme replaces the much shorter Homeward Bound.[2]
    • 3 May – The station closes down 45 minutes earlier, at 11.15pm instead of midnight.
  • 1981
    • 24 September – John Lade presents Record Review for the final time. His last broadcast is the programme's 1,000th edition. [3] Paul Vaughan takes over the programme the following week.
  • 1982
    • No events.
  • 1983
    • No events.
  • 1984
    • 13 October – Radio 3’s broadcast hours are extended. The station regains the 45 minutes of late night broadcasting time that it lost in 1980, closing down at midnight instead of just after 11.15pm, and weekend broadcasts begin an hour earlier, at 6.55am rather than 7.55am. Consequently, the station is now on air from 6.55am until midnight seven days a week.
  • 1985
    • No events.
  • 1986
    • No events.
  • 1987
  • 1988
    • 15 January – The final World Service News bulletins are broadcast.
    • 18 January – This Week's Composer is renamed Composer of the Week.
  • 1989
    • No events.

1990s

  • 1990
    • 24 September – Radio 3’s Night School opens. It airs a repeat of the schools programmes broadcast the previous morning on BBC Radio 5. This allows schools to record an FM-quality transmission of the programmes which, following their transfer from Radio 4 to Radio 5, resulting in the morning broadcast now being heard on the inferior MW waveband. Night School is broadcast on FM only.
    • 1 October – Radio 3 stays on air for an extra 30 minutes on weeknights, ending broadcasting at 12.35am. The station continues to close at midnight at the weekend.
  • 1991
    • No events.
  • 1992
    • February – Nicholas Kenyon replaces John Drummond as Controller.
    • 29 February – Radio 3 stops broadcasting on MW. Its frequency is to be used by a new national commercial station.
    • 20 May – Ball-by-ball cricket commentary moves to Radio 3's FM frequencies for the summer following the switching-off of the station's MW frequency.
    • 13 July – In a bid to counter-act the forthcoming launch of Classic FM, Radio 3 makes major changes to its programmes, including the launch of new weekday breakfast and drivetime programmes. On Air replaces Morning Concert and In Tune replaces Mainly for Pleasure.
    • 17 July – A new three-hour Sunday morning show of popular classics launches, introduced by Brian Kay.
  • 1993
    • May – The broadcasting arrangements for Test Match Special are changed for the 1993 cricket season. The morning play is on BBC Radio 5, switching to BBC Radio 3 for the afternoon session.
    • 23 August – Cricket is broadcast on Radio 3 for the final time.
    • 26 September – Radio 3 launches a new Sunday breakfast programme Sacred and Profane, presented by Penny Gore.[4]
  • 1994
    • 19 September – BBC School Radio moves to Radio 3 and are transmitted for one hour at 14:00.
  • 1995
    • 15 April – Weekly discussion programme Private Passions is broadcast for the first time.
    • 27 September – The BBC begins regular Digital Audio Broadcasting, from the Crystal Palace transmitting station.
    • 9 October –
      • Radio 3 begins broadcasting an hour earlier on weekdays – at 6am – when breakfast show On Air is extended from two hours to three hours.[5]
      • Paul Gambaccini joins to present a new morning programme called Morning Collection. Consequently, This Week's Composer moves to the later time of 12noon.
  • 1996
    • 4 May – Radio 3 commences 24-hour transmission.[6]
    • June – Schools programmes are broadcast during the day for the final time although they continue to be broadcast overnight until 2003.
    • 27 September – Paul Gambaccini leaves. He is replaced as presenter of Morning Collection by Catriona Young.
    • 29 September – Open University programmes are broadcast on Radio 3 for the final time.
  • 1997
    • No events.
  • 1998
    • Roger Wright replaces Nicholas Kenyon as station Controller.
    • 29 March – Sunday breakfast programme Sacred and Profane is broadcast for the final time.[7]
    • 4 April – Breakfast programme On Air extends to weekends.[8]
    • 12 September – Record Review is renamed CD Review.[9]
  • 1999
    • 11 September – Breakfast programme On Air is renamed Morning on 3.[10]
    • 13 September – Late Junction is broadcast for the first time.[11]

2000s

  • 2001
    • No events.
  • 2002
    • No events.
  • 2003
    • No events.
  • 2004
    • No events.
  • 2005
    • 5–10 June – Radio 3 clears its airwaves for almost an entire week to broadcast the music of a single composer – Ludwig van Beethoven. [14] This is followed up at the end of the year with ten days of non-stop Johann Sebastian Bach which is broadcast in the run-up to Christmas.[15]
  • 2006
    • Radio 3 launches an annual Free Thinking Festival. Its aim is to create a platform for innovative thinking and debate on ideas relevant to contemporary society.
  • 2007
    • 17 February – Radio 3 makes major changes to its schedule. These include Rob Cowan replacing Penny Gore as breakfast presenter and an extended weekday afternoon show which will run from 2pm until the start of In Tune at 5pm. The programmes previously broadcast at 4pm will be axed with one of those – Choral Evensong – moving to Sunday afternoons. The changes also see a reduction in the number of live concerts with live broadcasts replaced by pre-recorded concerts.[16]
  • 2008
    • No events.
  • 2009
    • No events.

2010s

  • 2010
    • No events.
  • 2011
    • 3 May – Radio 3 resumes the broadcasting of regular live concerts. This overturns the much criticised 2007 decision to replace almost all of its live broadcasts with pre-recorded concerts.[17]
  • 2012
    • 16 May – Spending cuts approved by the BBC Trust will see Radio 3 have "25 per cent fewer live and specially recorded lunchtime concerts".[18]
  • 2013
    • 28 September – Radio 3 announces a raft of new weekend programmes. They include a new concert series Live in Concert, a new film music programme called Sound of Cinema, a chance to hear highlights of the weekday lunchtime concerts, consistent times for the station’s jazz programming and a new Monday night slot fo Opera on 3.[19]
    • 15 November – Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents Radio 3 Breakfast for the final time. She leaves the show to become presenter of Radio 3’s Wigmore Hall lunchtime concerts and to present Sunday afternoon programme The Choir. She is replaced on 2 December by weekend breakfast presenter Clemency Burton-Hall.[20]
  • 2014
    • No events.
  • 2015
    • January – Alan Davey replaces Roger Wright as Controller.[21]
    • 5 April – Controller Alan Davey announces plans to revive Pied Piper, the 1970s series that introduced young listeners to classical music.[22]
    • 12–15 November – Radio 3 joins with commercial station Jazz FM to operate a four-day pop-up station called BBC Music Jazz. [23] The station returned a year later, running from Thursday November 10, 2016 at 10 am until Monday November 14 at 10 am.[24]
  • 2016
    • 2 January – After 17 years as CD Review, the programme reverts to its original name of Record Review.
  • 2017
    • 2 October – Katie Derham joins the In Tune presenting team to replace Suzy Klein who moves to morning programme Essential Classics.[25]
  • 2018
    • January – Rob Cowan leaves for Classic FM after seventeen years at the station. He is replaced as presenter of Essential Classics by Ian Skelly.[26]
    • 24 March – Controller Alan Davey announces a raft of new programmes, including a new world music show called Music Planet which will replace World on 3 and a new weeknight late show called After Dark.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "History of Radio Transmission in the UK" (PDF). Frequency Finder.
  2. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 2 January 1980
  3. ↑ BBC Genome Project – BBC Radio 3 listings 24 September 1981
  4. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 26 September 1993
  5. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 9 October 1995
  6. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 4 May 1996
  7. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 29 March 1998
  8. ↑ BBC Genome Project – Radio 3 listings 4 April 1998
  9. ↑ "CD Review – BBC Radio 3 – 12 September 1998". BBC Genome. BBC/Radio Times. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  10. ↑ BBC Genome Project – BBC Radio 3 listings 11 September 1999
  11. ↑ BBC Genome Project – BBC Radio 3 listings 13 September 1999
  12. ↑ Radio 3 snaps up Kershaw
  13. ↑ BBC under fire for teen bias after DJ is axed
  14. ↑ Radio 3 clears the air for Beethoven.
  15. ↑ Christmas with Bach
  16. ↑ Radio 3 gets schedule shake-up
  17. ↑ Radio 3 rolls back the years with a return to broadcasting live concerts
  18. ↑ "Children's shows to leave BBC One". BBC News. BBC. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  19. ↑ Radio 3 launches new weekend schedule
  20. ↑ Radio 3 announces presenter changes
  21. ↑ Alan Davey named new Controller, Radio 3
  22. ↑ "Radio 3 boss to recreate Pied Piper series". BBC News. BBC. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  23. ↑ BBC Radio to launch temporary Jazz Pop-up digital radio station with Jazz FM and The EFG London Jazz Festival
  24. ↑ "BBC Music Jazz".
  25. ↑ Katie Derham to join Sean Rafferty as presenter of In Tune
  26. ↑ Ian Skelly to join Susan Klein on Essential Classics
  27. ↑ BBC Radio 3 announces new After Dark zone, refreshed weekend programmes and new presenter line-up
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