A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 5 Live, its predecessor BBC Radio 5 and its digital sister sports commentary station BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Radio 5 1988 9 October – The BBC announces that a fifth national network will launch on the medium wave (MW) frequencies of BBC Radio 2. The announcement follows a directive from the Conservative government of the time, instructing the BBC to end its practice of simulcasting its national services on both AM and FM.
1989 No events.
1990 15 August – Ahead of the launch of Radio 5, Radio 2 begins to wind down its transmissions on MW by broadcasting a daytime information service providing advice about how to listen to Radio 2 on FM. The service includes trailers for the new station. 27 August – Radio 5 launches at 9am. The station is on air from 6am until just after midnight, but only broadcasts its own live programming at peak times (breakfast, weekday mid-mornings and drivetime) alongside sport on weekend afternoons and youth programmes on weeknight evenings. The rest of its airtime is taken up with programming which had previously been broadcast as FM opt-outs on Radio 4 (schools, adult education and children's programmes), programmes from the World Service and simulcasts of the BBC's other national stations. 28 August – The first edition of the station's weekday breakfast programme Morning Edition is broadcast. It is presented by Sarah Ward and Jon Briggs. The programme also airs on Saturdays, with Briggs presenting on his own. 2 September – The first edition of the station's Sunday breakfast programme Sunday Edition is broadcast. Presented by Barry Johnstone, the programme begins an hour later than its weekday counterpart, at 7:30am.
1991 7 January – Sue McGarry and Julian Worricker replace Martin Kelner as presenters of drivetime show Five Aside. 17 January–2 March – Radio 4 News FM, the first rolling BBC Radio news service is on air during the first Gulf War. refers Sheena McDonald, "Scud-FM goes critical—BBC gears up for round-the-clock news service", page 25, The Guardian 17 August 1992 The service is deemed to be so successful that bosses begin looking at ways to launch a full-time news radio station. 30 March – Radio 5 starts broadcasting its own programmes between 11pm and midnight, replacing an hour of programmes from the World Service. Consequently, the late evening slate of programmes originating from different parts of the country expand from 90 to 120 minutes. September/October – The station moves into its second year of broadcasting with a further expansion of original programmes in slots, which had previously been used for simulcasts with other BBC national stations. 2 September – The first phase of this expansion occurs when Radio 5 launches a weekday lunchtime programme in conjunction with forces station BFBS. Called BFBS Worldwide, the programme continues to be broadcast until 1994. 28 September – Simulcasting of other BBC stations on Radio 5 occurs for the final time. 5 October – Football phone-in 6-0-6 is broadcast for the first time, commencing at 6:06pm. Danny Baker is the programme's host. Its launch is part of a new Saturday evening line-up, which replaces that final station simulcast.
1992 6 January – The first edition of The AM Alternative is broadcast. The new programme, presented by Johnnie Walker, is on air every weekday and replaces the three separate shows: This Family Edition, Sound Advice and The Health Show, which had previously occupied the mid-morning slot. 17 February – Danny Baker replaces Sarah Ward and Jon Briggs as presenter of the weekday breakfast programme Morning Edition. 15 May – World Service programmes are broadcast on weekday afternoons for the final time. It is replaced on the 18th with a Summer sports magazine, Sportsbeat. 10–26 June – For the first time, the BBC provides full radio coverage of an international football tournament, when it broadcasts live commentary of every game of Euro 92. 25 July–9 August – Radio 5 provides full live coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Programmes run all day, from 6:30am until 10pm. This is the first time that BBC Radio has provided full live coverage of the Games. 15 August – Mark Curry takes over the weekend breakfast show, the new programme is called Weekend Edition. He had previously presented the Saturday morning children's programme On Your Marks, which had recently been replaced with two separate programmes: Get Set and Go!. 19 October – A Game of Two Halves launches as the winter replacement for Sportsbeat.
1993 May The broadcasting arrangements for Test Match Special for the 1993 cricket season see Radio 5 broadcasting the morning play, with the afternoon session remaining on Radio 3, Radio 5 does provide extended, but not full, commentary during weekday editions of Sport on 5. Sportsbeat returns for its second and final summer run, with Tommy Boyd taking over from Ross King as the main presenter.BBC Programme Index – Radio 5 schedule 17 May 1993 25 October – John Inverdale joins to present a new sports drivetime show, John Inverdale’s Drive-In. It replaces Five Aside, which had been on air since the station launched. 1 November – Liz Kershaw presents the first edition of a new lunchtime show called The Crunch. Consequently, BFBS Worldwide moves to the mid-afternoon slot, replacing Sportsbeat, which had aired its final programme three days earlier. 15 November – Michele Stevens replaces Danny Baker as the presenter of Morning Edition. The BBC announces that Radio 5, criticised by Director-General of the BBC John Birt as "improvised and disjointed", will relaunch as a combined news and sport station after plans to launch a news-only service on Radio 4’s long wave frequency are dropped after widespread opposition.
1994 27 March – BBC Radio 5 signs off at just after midnight, after three and a half years on air.
Radio 5 Live 1990s 1994 28 March – At 5am, Jane Garvey launches BBC Radio 5 Live. The new 24-hour station replaces the mix of sport, magazine, educational and children's programmes with a new rolling news service, whilst retaining the sports coverage from Radio 5. Other launch presenters include Adrian Chiles, Peter Allen, Diana Madill, Eddie Mair and Sybil Ruscoe, while John Inverdale, Liz Kershaw and Julian Worricker transfer from Radio 5 to the new station. 29 March – The first edition of Up All Night is broadcast.
1995 27 September – The BBC begins regular Digital Audio Broadcasting, initially just from the Crystal Palace transmitting station. Radio 5 Live is one of the stations carried on the new service, which allows it to be heard in a higher quality sound when compared to MW.
1996 Eddie Mair leaves.
1997 3 May – Brian Hayes takes over as weekend breakfast presenter. 6 May – Julian Worricker moves from weekend breakfast to replace John Inverdale as host of John Inverdale Nationwide, now renamed Nationwide. October – Nicky Campbell joins the station to present the mid-morning show, following his departure from Radio 1.
1998 BBC Local Radio stations start carrying 5 Live when they are not on air. Consequently, the station is heard regularly on FM for the first time, albeit only during overnight hours. 22 March – 5 Live's late night news bulletin News Extra and phone-in/talk show After Hours are broadcast for the final time. The following day, a new three-hour late show called Late Night Live launches and Up All Night is extended to become a four-hour show. 28 March – Edwina Currie joins to present the weekend late evening show, called Late Night Currie. 4 September – Jane Garvey takes over as host of Nationwide for its final few episodes. 14 September – Peter Allen joins Jane Garvey for the renamed drivetime show, 5 Live Drive, which replaces Nationwide. Julian Worricker takes over the breakfast programme, while Victoria Derbyshire joins the station later in September as co-presenter.
1999 26 March – Sybil Ruscoe leaves. She is replaced on the weekday afternoon show by Ian Payne. 3 April – The first edition of the weekend world news programme Global is broadcast. 4 April – The station launches a new morning political discussion show, Sunday Service, hosted by Fi Glover.
2000s 2000 July – Bob Shennan replaces Roger Mosey as the station's controller. Kevin Greening joins as a stand-in presenter, but leaves before the end of the year.
2001 8 May – Simon Mayo joins the station to present the afternoon programme and the weekly Friday afternoon show Kermode and Mayo's Film Review, as Mark Kermode also joins the station. July – Aasmah Mir joins on a full-time basis, having previously presented newsreading shifts as a freelance journalist. Radio 5 Live, along with other BBC radio stations, stops broadcasting via Sky's analogue satellite service.
2002 2 February – BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra launches. 6 April – The Weekend News is first broadcast. Initially presented by Matthew Bannister and Caroline Feraday, the new programme replaces Global. 29 April – Wake Up to Money, which had previously been part of Morning Reports, becomes a programme in its own right and is extended from 15 to 30 minutes. Consequently, Morning Reports is shortened to 30 minutes.
2003 4 January – Richard Evans and Aasmah Mir take over as presenters of The Weekend News. 13 January – Nicky Campbell replaces Julian Worricker as co-host of the breakfast show, and Fi Glover replaces Campbell as mid-morning presenter. Worricker takes on a revamped Sunday morning programme, which replaces Sunday Service. Matthew Bannister takes over the late show, replacing Glover. July – Julian Worricker takes over the mid-morning show from Fi Glover. 10 August – Edwina Currie presents her weekend programme Late Night Currie for the final time. October – The first series of Fighting Talk is broadcast.
2004 August – Victoria Derbyshire takes over the mid-morning show.
2005 16 July – Stephen Nolan joins the station to present the weekend late evening phone-in show. 8–12 September – 5 Live devotes its daytime schedule to broadcast extensive live coverage of the deciding Ashes cricket match. Normally, the station provides reports during its regular programmes.
2006 Sport on 5 is renamed 5 Live Sport. 22 April – Lesley Ashmall and John Pienaar replace Aasmah Mir as presenters of The Weekend News, with Mir taking over the presenting duties on The Midday News.
2007 29 July – Long-running obituary programme Brief Lives is broadcast for the final time. September – Jane Garvey leaves to become the new presenter of Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. 9 October – Anita Anand joins Peter Allen as the new co-presenter of 5 Live Drive. November – Richard Bacon returns to the station to present the late evening show.
2008 April – Adrian Van Klaveren replaces Bob Shennan as station controller.
2009 9 January – The Midday News is broadcast for the final time. 12 January – Nicky Campbell takes over the morning phone-in following its incorporation into an extended breakfast show. The mid-morning show is pushed back an hour, running from 10am until 1pm. 5 September – Danny Baker begins presenting a new Saturday morning sports-based chat show. He had rejoined the station a year earlier to become one of the presenters of 6-0-6. 18 December – Simon Mayo presents the weekday afternoon show for the final time, as he moves to a new weekday show on Radio 2. However, he continues to present the weekly Friday afternoon show Kermode and Mayo's Film Review.
2010s 2010 10 January – Comedy talk show 7 Day Sunday is broadcast for the first time. 11 January – Tony Livesey joins the station to present the late evening show, replacing Richard Bacon who takes over the afternoon programme. Gabby Logan launches a new lunchtime show. 1 February – Aasmah Mir joins Peter Allen as the new co-presenter of Drive, replacing Anita Anand.