This is a list of events in British radio during 1976.
Events
January to February No events.
March 8 March – Radio 210 begins broadcasting to the Reading area.Radiomusications: Radio Reference: Independent Local Radio Stations (TBS Editors) ; accessed 18 February 2010 16 March – Independent Local Radio begins in Northern Ireland when Downtown Radio, begins broadcasting to the Belfast area. 29 March – Former BBC Radio Birmingham presenter Les Ross joins the lineup at Birmingham station BRMB.
April 12 April – Beacon Radio in the Wolverhampton area is the final station in the first wave of Independent Local Radio stations to begin transmission.
May 2 May – BBC Radio 1 launches Playground – a "magazine programme of special interest to young listeners." The new programme incorporates Young Ideas in Action which has previously been broadcast as part of Junior Choice. 17 May – BBC Radio Highland begins broadcasting programming in Gaelic.
June to August No events.
September 12 September – London Sounds Eastern launches on BBC Radio London and is the first Asian programme to be broadcast in English by the BBC. Previously Asian radio programmes in the United Kingdom were generally aired in the Hindi and Urdu languages.
October to November No events.
December Capital London launches the 'Capital Radio Helpline'. The first Festive Fifty is revealed by John Peel on BBC Radio 1.
Unknown Capital London launches the 'Flying Eye', a traffic spotting light aircraft, which reports on traffic congestion on the streets of Central London. BBC Radio Leicester, responding to the growth of the size of the South Asian population and rising racial tension in Leicester, introduces a daily community show called 'Six Fifteen' aimed primarily at that community in the city.
Station debuts
8 March – Radio 210 16 March – Downtown Radio 12 April – Beacon Radio
Programme debuts 4 January – Quote... Unquote on BBC Radio 4 (1976–2021) 14 February – Jim the Great on BBC Radio 2 (1976–1979) 27 August – The Burkiss Way on BBC Radio 4 (1976–1980) 30 September – The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4 (1976–present) Funny You Should Ask on BBC Radio 2 (1976–1982) Poetry Please on BBC Radio 4 (1976–present)
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) The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
Ending this year 21 January – Petticoat Line (1965–1976)
Births 21 January – Emma Bunton, pop singer and broadcast presenter February – Tom Sandars, radio continuity announcer and newsreader 8 March – Tom Service, classical music presenter 23 March – Ed James, disc jockey 5 May – Tom Wrigglesworth, comedian 19 June – Lisa Shaw, radio presenter and journalist (died 2021) 24 June – Zeb Soanes, radio newsreader, continuity announcer and children's author 8 August – Laura Kuenssberg, political journalist 9 August – Aled Haydn Jones, Welsh radio presenter and producer September – Danny Robins, comedy scriptwriter 16 November – Danny Wallace, filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor and broadcast presenter and producer 20 November – Debbie Barham, comedy scriptwriter (died 2003) 24 November – Tommy Sandhu, disc jockey 15 December – Chris Warburton, radio presenter
Deaths 15 May – David Munrow, early music performer and presenter (Pied Piper on BBC Radio 3), suicide (born 1942)
See also 1976 in British music 1976 in British television 1976 in the United Kingdom List of British films of 1976
References