UK

Radio TechCon supported by Broadcast Bionics will return to IET London: Savoy Place on Monday 25th November.

There will be no change to ticket prices and discounts for the third year, and the Radio TechCon Bursary Scheme will be offered to support accessibility and inclusion in the industry.
The sessions from Radio TechCon 2023 will be available to watch for free, thanks to Broadcast Bionics . Each week over the summer, a new video from the 2023 event will be released on the Radio TechCon website and YouTube channel.
Aradhna Tayal Leach, from organisers TBC Media Ltd. Says: “We can’t wait to bring together our radio and audio tech community again this November. As the only event focused on engineering and technical concerns, it’s an important highlight of the calendar, where colleagues from across UK and international broadcasters and suppliers can learn, share and network.
“Our committee of industry professionals is busy working on this year’s programme, so please get in touch if you have an idea for a topic or speaker. Enjoy watching last year’s videos for a bit of inspiration in the meantime!”
Find out more on the Radio TechCon website. […]

Davina McCall is to co-host on Heart Breakfast while Amanda Holden takes time off to film a TV show.

She will co-host with Jamie Theakston from Monday 10th to Friday 21st of June.
Davina says: “I’m so excited to be stepping in for Amanda to guest host Heart Breakfast. I’ve known Jamie for forever, so this isn’t going to be like work, more like a two-week playdate!
“I love listening to Heart, on the train, at home, anywhere really! I can’t wait to get into the Heart studios and play all the best feel-good music for you all!”
Amanda Holden will return to Heart Breakfast on Monday 24th June. […]

Magic Breakfast co-host Ronan Keating is leaving the show after seven years on-air at the Bauer station.

Ronan made the announcement on the show this morning, saying he’s going to get back to concentrating on his music.
He said: “It’s been very difficult to come to this decision. I have loved every single minute and this has not been an easy decision at all.
“It was an honour to be in people’s homes, but I’ve missed doing the school run and waking up with my wife in the morning!”
He went on to thank all his producers and show team past and present and big up his co-host Harriet as a radio legend.
His last show will be on 31st July, but he’ll still host ad-hoc shows in the future, including weekends throughout August.
Harriet Scott will remain on the show and a new co-host will be announced in the coming weeks. […]

A website offering the ability to manage live reads, show planning, schedules and artist information has been released with added AI.

Radio Prep, which offers a free plan as well as a premium service, uses AI to help presenters and producers generate talk topics and music look ups.
Features include managing station reads, displaying news feeds, show planners, schedules, listener generation, talk-up ideas and winner selections.
Radio Prep is the brainchild of industry veteran Matt James, whose 25 years of experience with Global Radio, Disney, and Nickelodeon have culminated in this new software.
Since its conception in 2006 and subsequent Radio Academy Award win over BBC Radio 1 in 2007, Radio Prep has been rebuilt to empower stations and presenters with unparalleled content creation tools.
There’s an explainer video at radioprep.ai to show what the service can offer. […]

Radio News Hub is to broadcast a live eight-hour show on election night from College Green in London with presenter Jonathan Charles.

The former BBC TV and radio anchor, and long serving foreign correspondent, will be joined by politicians, expert commentators, and a host of other guests.
There will be live declarations from key counts, and reporters on the ground. The show aims to sound different to traditional election night programmes and is planning to be entertaining as well as informative.
Clients of Radio News Hub can air the show for free from 10pm on July 4th, till 6am.
It will also be broadcast on the rolling news channel News Radio UK.
Radio News Hub co-founders Stephanie Otty and Jamie Fletcher said: “The energy and excitement of Election night in Westminster is electrifying, and with our live coverage, you can experience every moment as it unfolds. As we pull out all the stops for our listeners, we are delighted to have a broadcaster of Jonathan’s experience and skill as our host, to lead us through what is sure to be a momentous evening.
Jonathan Charles stepped back from news presenting in 2011 to take on a new career in international development but is now heading out of his ‘news retirement’ to anchor the programme. He says: “This will be one of the most important elections of my lifetime, taking me back to some of the big ones that I covered in 1983,1987, 1992, 1997 and 2010, so when Radio News Hub asked me, I jumped at the chance.
“It will be an exciting night and a significant one for Britain. Politics is one of my passions and I will be bringing all that enthusiasm onto the show on the night. Alongside the main news, we’ll be having fun in between the serious moments. I admire Radio News Hub’s operation and ambition….there are few bigger nights in news.”
Jonathan currently presents two music shows, The Vinyl Countdown and the Best Disco In Town, syndicated across more than 40 radio stations.
For further details head to radionewshub.com. […]

Two new local stations are to launch in Yorkshire as Rombalds Radio rebrands to match its parent company.

Rombalds Radio, which launched in August 2020, will rebrand as Your Skipton from 1st July, while an additional service – Your Ilkley – will begin broadcasts the following week.
The station was founded by radio professionals Stuart Clarkson and Nick Babb during the pandemic covering Rombalds Moor, on the border between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It was acquired last year by neighbouring station Your Harrogate.
After four years of building up a following online, Your Skipton and Your Ilkley plan to broadcast on the new small-scale DAB multiplex covering South Craven, Wharfedale and the Worth Valley which was recently advertised by Ofcom in round six of its licensing process.
Creative Director Nick Hancock told RadioToday: “While other radio stations are going less local, we’ve identified a local niche here to create dedicated services for individual towns, showcasing and celebrating all they have to offer and providing fantastic marketing opportunities for local businesses.
“We’re so excited to be expanding our successful ‘Your’ brand from Harrogate to Skipton and Ilkley by creating an additional radio station to make two brilliant hyperlocal services. Community is more important than ever and Your Skipton and Your Ilkley will bring local communities round here the very best of life in their town.”
The two stations are working with local events over the summer as part of the launch plans – including Skipton’s “Sheep Day” and the Ilkley Half Marathon in the coming weeks.
Nick added: “We are so excited to be launching not one but two new radio stations next month. All the team here can’t wait to get started!” […]