This is a list of events in British radio during 2012.
Events
January 6 January – Following its sale to UKRD, Fresh Radio, which broadcast on MW across the Yorkshire Dales, closes. The more populous parts of the area are later served by Stray FM which is expanded to cover areas such as Skipton and Wharfedale, and the Richmond area is served to Star Radio North East. 7 January – Alan Titchmarsh joins Classic FM to present a new Saturday morning programme.Alan Titchmarsh signs for Classic FM After having his car stolen the previous evening, Graham Norton asks listeners of his Radio 2 show to help find it. Calling it "The Great Car Hunt" he tells listeners to "Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way." The car is subsequently returned to him. 8 January – Graham Torrington joins Smooth Radio to host his Late Night Love show on the network. 12 January – GMG Radio confirms a deal with US syndication firm Premiere Networks to air 1970s editions of the original American Top 40 show presented by Casey Kasem at weekends on its new digital station "Smooth 70s". The station also features Disco Lunch and Late Night Love Songs among its weekday programming. 21 January – Under new guidelines to come into force from 30 April clinics which charge for pregnancy services including abortions will be able to advertise on radio and television after the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice ruled there was no justification for barring such clinics from advertising their services. 23 January – GMG Radio announces it is conducting a "full review" of its news staff. Currently the broadcaster employs 39 journalists, nine of whom are based in Scotland. 26 January – The UK-based British Army radio station, Garrison FM switches on two more transmitters in Inverness, making the city the second in Scotland to receive the service after Edinburgh. 28 January – Zoë Ball announces she is stepping down from her Saturday breakfast show on Radio 2 and that she has presented her final programme. She will continue to provide cover for other presenters on the network. 29 January – Radio 4's Desert Island Discs celebrates its 70th anniversary, having first been broadcast on 29 January 1942.
February 3 February – UTV Media acquires the licences for The Wyre and The Severn from MNA Broadcasting. Manx Radio, the Isle of Man's national radio station sets out proposals to cut all but one of its staff presenters as the broadcaster faces cuts in contributions in the forthcoming Government budget for 2012–13. 7 February – UTV Media unveils plans to merge The Wolf, The Wyre and The Sever and rebrand them as Signal 107. The rebrand happens on 26 March. 14 February – Poole community radio station The Bay 102.8 is re-branded as Hot Radio. 16 February – Ofcom gives the KMFM n e t w o r k permission to network the breakfast show, meaning programming will be identical across all seven stations at all times. 19 February – Jazz FM issues an apology after listeners heard five minutes of what appeared to be an adult film played over the beginning of one of its programmes the previous evening. Ofcom later launches an investigation into the incident after receiving three complaints. 21 February – Global Radio places an immediate ban on the playing of tracks by the boy band One Direction on its stations after group member Harry Styles mistakenly thanked Radio 1 during a BRIT Awards acceptance speech for an award voted for by listeners of Capital Radio, a Global station. 25 February – Television presenter Anneka Rice makes her debut on Radio 2, presenting the Saturday breakfast show vacated by Zoë Ball. 26 February – The Top Ten countdown from The Radio 1 Chart Show is made available in vision for the first time through the station's website. 28 February – LBC introduces the first client-hosted programme with the weekday "Bupa Wellbeing Hour". 29 February – The BBC World Service celebrates its 80th anniversary.
March 1 March – Some digital radio listeners are required to retune their devices to continue receiving some stations after changes are made settings to "improve the efficiency of the network". 5 March – Phil Upton says he will step down as host of the breakfast show on BBC Radio WM from the end of next month after five years in the role. 6 March – Comedian Alan Carr announces his intention to quit his Radio 2 show Going Out with Alan Carr so he can devote more time to his television career. 7 March – Guildford based County Sound is given approval by Ofcom to change its classic hits format to a community-based information station under the name Eagle Extra. 14 March – The owners of Jack FM announce the launch of a new consultancy firm, OXIS Media, which will represent the brand throughout the UK and Europe. Ofcom invites bids from groups to apply for a community radio licence to broadcast in Northern Ireland. 16 March – Quidem, owners of the Touch FM brand agrees a deal with the Lincs FM Group to buy Oak FM in Loughborough and Hinckley, thus increasing its number of stations to eight. 19 March – BBC Director-General Mark Thompson tells staff at the broadcaster that he will step down from his position later in the year. 20 March – It is reported that Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) will join Xfm for a ten part series titled On The Road To Big Beach Bootique 5 airing on Saturday nights from the end of March. 21 March – Smooth Radio announces a deal to begin airing a syndicated show from the United States presented by Donny Osmond from 8 April, replacing Graham Torrington's Late Night Love. Torrington will leave the network, while other changes include Drivetime's Carlos and afternoon presenter David Jensen swapping shows. 23 March – The BBC's MediaCityUK complex at Salford Quays is officially opened by the Queen. Tony Blackburn and Mike Read are signed to appear on the Magic Network. 26 March – Radio 2 confirms it will air a dance music show presented by Dave Pearce from April. Dave Pearce's Dance Years will air on Saturday evenings. Orion Media rebrands the West Midlands stations BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Wyvern as Free Radio. 27 March – The BBC announces plans to axe 140 news posts in 2013 as part of cost-cutting measures.
April 2 April – A shake-up of the Radio 1 schedule sees Scott Mills and Greg James swapping shows, James hosting the drivetime show and Mills the afternoon show. Former Heart Bristol breakfast presenter Andy Bush joins Absolute Radio to present the afternoon show. Talksport dedicates its entire programming schedule to sport output, having previously offered a variety of sport and general news-related topics. 3 April – 2012 London mayoral election candidates Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone reportedly have a heated argument following a debate on London's LBC. 8 April – Forces broadcaster BFBS simulcasts a two-hour show with Smooth Radio allowing family and friends of serving troops to connect with their loved ones. 10 April – Martin White is sacked from his role as sidekick on The Dave Gorman Show on Absolute Radio. 14 April – Radio 2 airs a minute-by-minute account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the disaster. 16 April – Graham Torrington joins BBC Radio WM to present a late night weekday music and chat programme. He also rejoins BBC Bristol from 21 April to host Graham Torrington's Late Night Love Songs, a show syndicated across BBC stations in the South West on Saturday and Sunday evenings. 17 April – Ed James celebrates ten years as breakfast show presenter at Heart West Midlands. 19 April – BBC Radio 4's Today features a groundbreaking interview with Tourette's sufferer Jess Thomas. Ed James is named as Chairman of Birmingham Press Club. 20 April – Premier Christian Radio loses a High Court challenge against a ban on an advert it planned to run seeking Christians who felt they had been "marginalised at work". The Court rules that it was "directed to a political end" and the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre acted lawfully in banning the commercial. 23 April – Jazz FM is found to be in breach of Ofcom's broadcasting code after the transmission of a pornographic soundtrack during an edition of one of its programmes. However, the station is not fined over the incident. The Independent reports that BBC Radio 5 Live is to make broadcasting history by producing a two-hour show live from an abortion clinic. Presented by Victoria Derbyshire, the show will air next month and the BBC hopes it will provide some insight into what is regarded by many as a taboo subject. Undated in April Gilles Peterson joins BBC 6 Music as the station shakes up its weekend schedule. Celador Radio rebrands Andover Sound and Newbury Sound as The Breeze, bringing to nine the number of stations with that name. The weekend breakfast show on the north of England Magic stops being a local show in favour of a networked programme. Only the weekday breakfast show remains locally produced.
May 1 May – Ofcom approves a co-location request from Touch Radio Staffordshire to move from Tamworth to Oak FM's headquarters in Coalville. Touch will share some of Oak's programming, but must retain its local Staffordshire-based breakfast show. 5 May – BBC Breakfast presenter Sian Williams joins Radio 4's Saturday Live magazine programme to co-host alongside Rev. Richard Coles. The programme is also extended from 60 to 90 minutes. 7 May – Launch of Heart Cornwall replacing Atlantic FM. 12 May – Liza Tarbuck begins presenting her first regular show on BBC Radio 2, having provided holiday cover on many previous occasions. 14 May – "Jealous of the Angels", a song recorded by US country singer Jenn Bostic and inspired by her father, is first played by broadcaster Simon Bates on his Simon Bates at Breakfast show on Smooth Radio as part of the Our Tune strand. The song is quickly among the station's Top 10 Most Played for the week, and goes on to receive over two million views on YouTube. 15 May – Newcastle-based Amazing Radio leaves the DAB multiplex after a contractual dispute with Digital One owners Arqiva, but continues to broadcast online. 22 May – Capital FM ends its three-month boycott on One Direction songs after the group's hit What Makes You Beautiful is played on the network shortly after 7.45pm. 24 May – Orion Media announces it will relaunch four medium wave frequencies in the West Midlands under the Free Radio brand. The stations – currently part of the Gold network – will be dedicated to 80s music when the rebrand happens later in the year. 27 May – Smooth Radio's Simon Bates presents a special programme ahead of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, previewing Elizabeth II's journey along the Thames on the Spirit of Chartwell. Given special access to the vessel chosen as the royal barge he chats to the boat's owner, Philip Morrell as well as composer Debbie Wiseman who was commissioned to write the music for the event. 31 May – BBC Radio 4 announces a five-and-a-half-hour celebration of James Joyce's Ulysses on this coming Bloomsday (16 June), claiming it as the novel's first full-length dramatisation in Britain. Undated in May – BBC Somerset launches as a full-time station.
June 1 June – Swansea's 102.1 Bay Radio is relaunched as Nation 80s, becoming the first FM station in the UK to play nothing but 80s music. 2 June – Jonathan Dimbleby presents his final edition of Radio 4's Any Answers? after 25 years, but continues with its sister programme Any Questions?. 3 June – As part of their Diamond Jubilee coverage Global Radio's LBC 97.3 makes a world exclusive broadcast from The Shard, Europe's tallest building, to cover the River Thames Pageant, offering a bird's eye view of the event. 4 June – Radio 2 airs the Diamond Jubilee Concert from Buckingham Palace. 7 June – Online music station Last.fm says that some of its passwords have been leaked, and urges users of its website to change them immediately. 8 June –