UK

BBC Radio Wales producer and presenter Lynda Shahwan has died following a car accident while on holiday in Canada with her family.

Lynda, aged 53 and from Heath in Cardiff, worked at BBC Radio Wales for over 25 years. She created and co-presented Terry Walton’s Plotcast, a podcast exploring gardening life on a Rhondda hillside.
Gardening expert Terry Walton paid tribute, saying: “We pass our sympathies on to Lynda’s husband Sharif, their two sons and all of the family on the tragic and sudden taking of Lynda from us far too soon.
“My last two years of working with Lynda on the Plotcast were the most fulfilling and cherished broadcasting I have done.
“Our chemistry and her creative talent made every episode a gem of gardening knowledge. Her professionalism and easy going manner made every recording a pleasure and brought the best out of us both.
“We became true friends and after recording we would both relax and discuss many aspects of life.”
Head of BBC Radio Wales Carolyn Hitt described Lynda as “a very special person” who made a brilliant impact on the station since joining in 1999.
For many years, Lynda was known to Roy Noble’s morning listeners as ‘The Lily from Caerphilly’ and more recently returned to co-present the Plotcast, described as her passion project.
Carolyn added: “We are all devastated at the sudden loss of our much-loved colleague and friend. Our hearts go out to Lynda’s husband Sharif – also a valued colleague – their two sons, family, and friends. Her creativity, kindness and care will never be forgotten.”

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Former Dearne FM and Trax FM breakfast presenter Matt Foister is returning to Barnsley as the launch presenter for the new Barnsley Radio Breakfast Show.

Matt, who has also worked as Executive Producer for Gemma Atkinson and Mike Toolan on Hits Radio, will launch the show on 1st September.
Barnsley Radio is a new local commercial station for the town and will be available via Smart Speakers, mobile app, online, and through RadioPlayer.
The team has also confirmed plans to expand onto DAB in the future, broadening its reach across South Yorkshire.
Programme Director Stewart Nicholson said: “We are so excited to bring back a fun and exciting local commercial breakfast show back to Barnsley. Matt’s energy and love for the area make him the perfect fit to launch Barnsley Radio.”

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Fun Kids Radio has launched a brand-new quiz show this week for the summer holidays.

Called 360 Seconds, the quiz airs every Monday morning across the holidays. It’s hosted by Fun Kids Breakfast Show’s George Butler and can be heard on the station at 9am, downloaded as a podcast on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, or watched on YouTube, Spotify, and the Fun Kids website.
The quiz challenges families to beat the clock, with just 360 seconds to answer every question. Each time George asks a question, the timer starts, as families discuss answers and if they get them right within the six-minute time limit, they win what the station calls a “money can’t buy adventure”.
Content Director Lloydie James Lloyd said: “We don’t want any families to be bored over the summer holidays, that’s why we’ve created a great quiz that listeners can tune in for, take with them, or watch together. As a truly multi-platform generation, it’s our job to make sure the show is everywhere.”
He added: “Fun Kids was nominated as Station of the Year at the ARIAS partly because we provide a full service to the UK’s children. Listeners get everything from music and silliness to factual series about science and history, and we’re pleased to have added a quiz show to the mix.”

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Greg James and Jamie Laing are going head-to-head this week in BBC Radio 1’s Giant Face Off challenge, which launched this morning at Silverstone Race Circuit.

The two presenters have been joined by all the other Radio 1 DJs, who have been split into Team Greg or Team Jamie, as they attempt to win as many BBC regions across the UK as possible.
Giant flags featuring their faces have been hidden in nineteen BBC Local Radio regions nationwide.
To win a region, a Radio 1 listener or DJ needs to find one of the giant flags and raise it for their team. The first team to raise ten flags and win ten regions will claim victory.
Radio 1 has teased that the loser will face a mystery forfeit, which is being kept secret from both Greg and Jamie.
Listeners are being asked to join in by solving clues, completing challenges, and helping raise giant face flags to support their chosen team.
The first flag was raised this morning at Silverstone after Formula 1’s Lando Norris summoned Jeremiah Asiamah for Team Greg and Melvin Odoom for Team Jamie during Monday’s Breakfast Show.
F1 broadcaster Harry Benjamin hosted the Formula 1-inspired driving challenge at Silverstone, where Jerry and Melvin competed to win the first region and officially kick off Radio 1’s Giant Face Off.
Last week, sports personalities including Lando Norris, England goalkeeper Mary Earps, and cricket star Ben Stokes interrupted tracks on Radio 1 to ask each DJ to choose whether they were Team Greg or Team Jamie for the challenge.

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Ashley Tabor-King will receive this year’s Music Industry Trusts Award in recognition of a two-decade career.

He will be presented with the award on 3rd November at The Grosvenor House Hotel in support of The BRIT Trust, Nordoff & Robbins, and Global Academy.
Ashley founded Global in 2007 and has since grown it into Europe’s largest commercial radio and outdoor company, with brands including Capital, Heart, Classic FM, Radio X, Smooth, and LBC, reaching 51 million people weekly across the UK.
Ashley launched the Global Academy to give young people from all backgrounds a direct pathway into the creative industries. This year it will also be part of the MITS.
Ashley was awarded an OBE in 2017, and a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List in 2024 for services to media and entertainment.
Ashley said: “I’m extremely honoured to receive the prestigious Music Industry Trust Award and am delighted that the Awards night will be supporting the important work of the BRIT Trust and Nordoff & Robbins, two extremely important charities in our industry whose work is very close to my heart.
“I’m also delighted and grateful to MITS for including Global Academy this year. I’m deeply humbled by this recognition and would like to thank everyone who has supported Global along the way and of course thank you to the MITS Award committee for this great honour.”
Co-chair of the MITS Award committee, Toby Leighton-Pope, said: “Ashley has redefined what a modern media business looks like. He took Global from an idea to a company that sets the pace for the entire industry.”
Dan Chalmers, co-chair of the MITS Award committee, added: “Ashley has built one of the most successful entertainment groups in Europe, transforming commercial radio and creating a full-scale entertainment powerhouse.
“His work has consistently opened doors, whether for artists breaking through or for young people entering the industry.”
Ashley joins previous MITS recipients including Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John, Michael Eavis and Jason Iley.

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Aiir’s rebranded RadioNewsAI platform Audio.co is now offering AI-generated commercial production and voice-overs.

The New York-based software company says Audio.co enables stations to create short-form content including news bulletins, traffic, weather, and commercials, using AI-generated scripts and voices with production music from TM Studios.
Lee Price, Product Specialist for AI at Aiir, said: “With Audio.co, we’re harnessing the latest advances in machine learning to make professional-sounding commercials and full news bulletins accessible to every radio station.”
CEO Ricki Lee added that the launch marks a key moment for Aiir, combining its broadcast experience with AI to support stations with accessible and polished audio content: “From $19 a month, you can now produce polished commercials, weather, traffic, and news updates that keep audiences engaged and revenue streams growing.”
The platform adds to Aiir’s existing suite of tools for broadcasters, which includes websites, scheduling software, and playout integration.
Audio.co is live now at audio.co

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