UK

Johnnie Walker has hosted his last show on BBC Radio 2 saying it’s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore.
In his final Sounds of the 70s today, he said to his listeners: “So it doesn’t really matter how long you’ve been listening to the old JW here, we’ve had a great time doing Sounds of the 70s.
“It really developed into a sort of a Sunday Afternoon Club, I always got the feeling, and lots of people preparing their Sunday roast, maybe pulling the cork on a bottle of wine, other people doing their gardening, pottering in a shed, doing ironing.
“It was just great spending Sunday afternoons with you and it’s going to be very strange for me next Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock to think that I won’t be speaking to you. It’ll be somebody else, namely Bob Harris, who’ll be doing Sounds of the 70s. So, I’ll miss you a lot and it’s been great connecting up for all these years. We’ve done a lot of living together you and I.”
He signed off from the show, saying: “So here we are, the end of a 15 year run on Sunday afternoons, Sounds of the 70s, and 58 years on British radio, and it’s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore but also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain really, trying to find the breath to do programmes.
“So thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts. God bless you.”

Rod Stewart also sent a message for Johnnie. Rod said: “I have to thank you my man, thank you from the bottom of my heart for playing not only my songs, but The Faces and just about every other rock band in the world on your wonderful show over the years.
“By doing so you propelled the careers of a bunch of unknown layabouts to the top of the charts and overnight fame and everything that goes with it. It goes without saying, without your support we never may have got there. So, if I do manage to get through the Pearly Gates, I’ll have a pint of Guinness please mate and guess what, I’ll pick up the tab. See ya later, Johnnie. Rock on mate, rock on.”
His wife, Tiggy, also joined him on the show at one point to talk about Johnnie broadcasting his shows this year, saying: “I just want to say well done for keeping going as long as you have, because you make a lot of people very happy and I know there will be a lot of tears out there today, including mine.”
Johnnie replied: “And maybe one or two from me as well. Thank you very much for saying that and thank you for all your wonderful care. I certainly couldn’t have done this show without that, so thank you for that.”
During the programme, Johnnie added one last song – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird – into his famous ‘Johnnie’s Jukebox’ before sealing the jukebox forever, and throughout the show he played his own selection of favourite tracks from the decade, including Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Rod Stewart – Sailing, Neil Diamond – Holy Holy, Simon and Garfunkel – Song For the Asking, David Bowie – Starman, Lou Reed – Walk On the Wild Side, The Skids – Into the Valley, and The Rolling Stones – It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (but I like it) and Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now. To close the show, he played Amazing Grace by Judy Collins.
Shaun Keaveny will be the new presenter of The Rock Show from Friday 1st November and Bob Harris takes over as presenter of Sounds Of The 70s from Sunday 3rd November.
Listen back to Johnnie’s final Sounds of the 70s here.

It’s showtime! And i have a guest…⁦@TiggyWalker⁩ ⁦@lizziebarn⁩ ⁦@Dr_Paul_Thomas⁩ ⁦@BBCRadio2⁩ #SOT70s #fondfarewell pic.twitter.com/uJsuUHm2N4
— Johnnie Walker (@piratejw) October 27, 2024

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The 2025 Radio Awards Grand Jury features over 100 radio industry leaders from across the world including, seven from the UK.

The panel of directors, producers, journalists, writers, and sound artists are from international networks, radio stations, production studios, and publishing houses including the BBC, Radio Mitre S.A., SiriusXM Radio, Radio Express International, and Blue Revolution.
Additional contributors include NASA/JPL, Bauer Media Audio Ireland, Bay FM Radio 99.9, Radio New Zealand, Athena Media, Radio City/Music Broadcast Ltd., B7 Productions Limited, Accompany Studios, National University of Cuyo, BeFM / Busan English Broadcasting Foundation, RAI, Faïdos Sonore/Créations sonores, Corea Studios, and Naleppa Audio Productions.
Jurors from the UK include:

Mike Cass, Content Director, Virgin Radio UK
Jax Coombes, Producer, BBC
Elaine Dunseath, Producer Radio Current Affairs, BBC Northern Ireland
Dylan Haskins, Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, BBC Sounds & BBC Radio 5 Live
James Keen, Managing Director, Channel 103 and Island FM, Trindle Radio
Jason Phipps, Head of Content & Development, Chalk + Blade
Emma Weatherill, Producer, Narrative Factual Series, BBC Studio Productions

“The robust world of audio storytelling today is fully represented in the 2025 edition of the Grand Jury,” said Rose Anderson, EVP & Executive Director New York Festivals Radio Awards. “From audiobooks to podcasts, from investigative journalism to live events, and from mystery to social justice, this year’s jury members volunteer their time and lend their expertise.”
For the complete list of Grand Jury members to date, visit 2025 Grand Jury.
The entry deadline for the 2025 Radio Awards competition is 31st January. To find out more, visit the New York Festivals website.

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Fix Radio is to launch its first music festival for tradespeople, with Wicks TradePro as lead partner.

Taking place in 2025, FixFest will include artists whose music is played on the station. It will be the UK’s first ever event of its kind for builders and the trade, to celebrate the construction community.
The announcement of Wickes’ support for FixFest further strengthens the relationship between the two brands, with the home improvement retailer currently the lead sponsor of the station’s Clive Holland Show.
Louis Timpany, CEO and founder of Fix Radio said: “We have such a loyal following of the Fix Radio brand from within the community. Launching our own music festival seems like the perfect next step for us. We’re hugely excited to be partnering with Wickes on this new initiative.
“Our two brands have an existing partnership which lives on the Clive Holland Show and now we can’t wait to see the partnership evolve with the first and only music festival for UK tradespeople. What an exciting next step in our partnership.”
Gary Kibble, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Wickes added: “We are thrilled to be the headline sponsor of the first-ever FixFest.
“Our partnership with Fix Radio is incredibly important to us, and this festival feels like a natural next step in deepening that relationship. FixFest gives us an exciting new way to connect with a highly engaged and loyal audience of tradespeople and strengthen the bond between our two brands”.

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Production teams from across the UK have secured shows on the new music streams for BBC Sounds, launching in early November.

Radio 3 Unwind launches on Monday 4th November, playing classical music to ease the pressures and stresses of daily life. Radio 1 Anthems launches on Friday 8th November, playing a wide range of music and acts supported by Radio 1 in the 2000s and 2010s with a focus on growing new on-air and off-air talent.
As part of the BBC’s commitment to supporting the production community across the UK, all new shows for Radio 1 Anthems will come from outside of London, and all Radio 3 Unwind’s new commissions were opened up for the sector to compete for.
Lorna Clarke, Director of Music, said: “Our new music extensions provide invaluable creative opportunities for the audio sector to win more commissions, and I’m excited about the distinctive content that we’ll be able to bring to audiences as a result, made by some of the best indies and in-house production teams across the country.”
Radio 1 Anthems:

Audio Always – three shows from Birmingham
BBC Audio, Salford – daily show

Radio 3 Unwind:

Tandem Productions – daily mid-morning show
Granny Eats Wolf – soundtracks programme, Mon-Sat
Peanut & Crumb – overnight show
BBC Audio, Northern Ireland – weekly new music show
BBC Audio, London – daily evening show

More details about Radio 1 Anthems and Radio 3 Unwind will be confirmed in the coming weeks. In addition to the new commissions, both streams will also include a number of existing shows from across the schedules as well as BBC Sounds, produced by a range of indies and in-house teams.
The BBC says that the regulatory process for its plans to launch new music extensions on DAB+ continues.

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BBC World Service English has agreed a new radio partnership in The Bahamas with Guardian Media Group.

The company, not to be confused with the Scott-Trust owned Guardian Media Group in the UK, will rebroadcast the BBC content on Guardian Radio 96.9.
BBC World Service English radio will be received digitally, and broadcast live on Guardian Radio FM 96.9 when not in local programming.
Fred Durman, BBC’s Head of Business Development for the Americas and Europe, says: “The BBC is delighted to strengthen its presence in The Bahamas through this dynamic rebroadcasting partnership with Guardian Media Group.
“This collaboration underscores our dedication to informing, educating, and entertaining audiences worldwide.
“By delivering trusted news, insightful storytelling, and a rich array of diverse programming, we aim to foster deeper connections and promote shared understanding across communities. This initiative not only extends our global reach but also ensures that Bahamian residents have access to high-quality journalism and content that reflects a variety of voices and perspectives from around the world.”
Dwight Strachan, Guardian Radio Station Manager, says: “Guardian Radio – The Bahamas’ number one source for talk and radio news – is thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with the legendary BBC World Service. We will offer BBC programming to our listeners when we’ve completed our regular programming overnight and on Sunday.
“This will further demonstrate to our listeners our commitment to providing credible news from all over the globe, and from one of the world’s most trusted news sources. Without a doubt, Guardian Radio with the BBC World Service will make for round-the-clock-radio – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

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ALL FM 96.9 teamed up with local fundraiser and grant-maker ‘Forever Manchester’ to host a marathon radio show earlier this month.
Whilst broadcasting the 26.2 hour show to raise money, Forever Manchester’s Kev Duxbury ran a full marathon in tandem, running a mile each hour, through wind and rain, day and night.
Throughout the show artists, poets, musicians, singers and those working in the Manchester communities dropped in to say ‘hi’, perform and support. Each hour listeners had the opportunity to win all sorts of prizes donated by companies from all over Manchester.
Forever Manchester’s Terry Snowden commented that it was ‘a brilliant team effort that brought a diverse range of people and a variety of programmes together whilst raising money to support local communities.’
ALL FM Director, Ed Connole says: ‘It was a wonderful opportunity to highlight all that’s great about Manchester. Same time next year?’

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