This is a list of events in British radio during 2016.
Events
January
2 January – After 17 years as CD Review, the programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, reverts to its original name of Record Review.
18 January – Following Global Radio's purchase of Liverpool station Juice 107.6, the station is relaunched as Capital Liverpool.[1]
February
19 February – BBC Radio Bristol stops broadcasting on MW following the sale of the land on which the transmitter was located to developers. In order to mitigate the loss of coverage the BBC switches on four new DAB transmitters in the area to help boost the station’s DAB coverage.
April – After two months of broadcasting on both national commercial multiplexes, Absolute 80s and Planet Rock stop broadcasting on Digital One. Consequently, the stations are no longer available on DAB in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, parts of Scotland and Wales due to the reduced reach of the Sound Digital multiplex.
May
6 May – Orion Media announces that they have been bought by Bauer for an undisclosed fee, reportedly between £40 and £50 million.[7][8] This gives Bauer the West Midlands network of Free Radio stations and East Midlands regional station Gem 106.
17 May – The Free Radio network's head of sport, Tom Ross, presents his final programme after 35 years working for BRMB, Xtra AM, Capital Gold and Free Radio.[9]
20 May – Talksport is awarded the right to broadcast three Premier League UK live audio packages for the next three football seasons, starting with the 2016/17 season.[10]
May – Russ Williams leaves Absolute Radio. He was part of the original presenter line-up at Absolute Radio's predecessor Virgin 1215 (later Virgin Radio) although for the past year he had only been hosting the Saturday afternoon programme Rock and Roll Football, which ends following Absolute Radio's decision to drop its coverage of Premier League football.
June
1 June – A previous jingle package produced for Smooth Radio has been re-recorded for United Arab Emirates station 92 Smooth by Salford based Ignite Jingles.[11]
17 June – Birmingham-based sports broadcaster Tom Ross presents his final Friday night football phone-in for Free Radio Birmingham after more than three decades with the station and its predecessor, BRMB.[12]
22 June – Jazz FM announces it will extend its morning business programme, Business Breakfast from 30 minutes to an hour on 24 June to cover the results of the EU membership referendum.[14]
15 August – Jazz FM introduces a new schedule. Clare Anderson's The Late Lounge is dropped, while Mark Walker succeeds Helen Mayhew as presenter of Dinner Jazz. New one-hour programmes are also introduced at 6pm.[15]
19 September – BBC Cymru launches a pop-up radio station, Radio Cymru Mwy (Radio Cymru More), broadcasting for three months in the run-up to BBC Radio Cymru's 40th anniversary. Consisting of five hours of music-led entertainment programming each weekday, Radio Cymru Mwy is available on DAB in south east Wales and online.[18]
October
28 October – Desmond Carrington presents his final show for BBC Radio 2, having presented weekly shows for the station for the past 37 years.[19]
November
4 November – Free Radio Birmingham's breakfast presenter John Fox, known as Foxy, announces his departure from the station after six years presenting breakfast.[20]
7 November – Dan Kelly and Naomi Kent succeed Foxy as Free Radio Birmingham's breakfast show presenters.[20]
^"BBC Radio Cymru Mwy takes to the digital airwaves". BBC Media Centre (Press release). BBC. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020. For the first time in its history, BBC Radio Cymru will offer a choice of listening with a lively breakfast show on BBC Radio Cymru Mwy. The daily news programme, Post Cyntaf followed by the Aled Hughes programme will continue on BBC Radio Cymru. The pop-up's schedule will continue until midday, with an option to experiment occasionally with lunch-time programmes.