UK

BBC Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast presenter, Tom McKinney is to take over weekday Breakfast as current host Petroc Trelawny will move to present In Tune with Katie Derham.

Petroc has previously presented many episodes of In Tune over the years and has fronted BBC Radio 3’s Breakfast since 2011.
Schedule changes from April 2025, will see Tom McKinney presenting Monday to Friday Breakfast from Salford, joining a range of programmes already being produced from Radio 3’s Salford base.
In 2025, Sean Rafferty, the longstanding host of In Tune for over 25 years, is leaving the station. He became the main presenter in 1997 and in 2004 was awarded Radio Presenter of the Year at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and was appointed MBE in 2017 for services to Broadcasting. He is an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music and an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
Sam Jackson, Controller BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, says: “After over 50 years of broadcasting, nearly three decades of which have been on BBC Radio 3, Sean Rafferty’s impact has been immeasurable – and we all wish him the very best for the future.
“I’m delighted that, after over a decade of early starts, Petroc will be joining Katie to bring his wit, warmth and sparkling rapport to In Tune.
“Tom McKinney, meanwhile, is already one of our most popular broadcasters, and I’m thrilled that he’ll continue to offer the unique and eclectic selection of classical music that Radio 3 Breakfast is known for.
“With the programme set to be broadcast from our new studios in Salford, Radio 3 further reflects the wealth of talent – both on-air and off-air – across the UK.”
Petroc Trelawny says: “Sean has stylishly and wittily helmed In Tune for three decades, creating a very special space for musicians to perform and share rich insights into their work and their lives.
“That artists, singers, conductors and composers so relish appearing on the show, is in a big part thanks to Sean’s personality; his long stewardship of the programme has made it a vital place to celebrate many forms of music making. Alongside Katie, I will be working hard to ensure we maintain the rich jewel of a programme he invented.”
Sean Rafferty says: “I shall miss the truly remarkable and life-enhancing musicians, many coming to the studio ever since they began their careers: a joy. And to be able to share it all with the listeners at home: a privilege. They’ve been like family.”
Tom McKinney says: “Radio 3 Breakfast is a really special place where everyone’s invited to start their day with the best classical music. And that warm welcome is thanks to Petroc.
“Over the last decade he’s built a community of listeners, including me, who are looking to appreciate some of the things that help make the world a more interesting and better place. And it’s what we’ll continue to bring you every morning, with the talent and energy of Radio 3’s team in Salford.” […]

Charity Fillers, which supplies radio stations third sector audio and commercials, has passed the 5,000th reported airplay of its fillers after only four months in operation.

Charityfillers.co.uk was created in response to the Cabinet Office’s long standing Radio Fillers operation for government Public Service Announcements, and is designed to give UK registered charities a way to distribute radio commercials for ‘filler’ airplay on stations across the U.K.
Radio Broadgreen in Liverpool aired the Scar Free Foundation’s ‘A Scar Free World’ commercial last Wednesday. The 60 second commercial features Falklands veteran and charity campaigner Simon Weston with content looking forward to ‘A Scar Free World’.
Paul Watters of Radio Broadgreen commented: ‘When Charity Fillers first launched, we were proud to be one of the first radio services to sign up. They provide an important platform for charitable and non-profit organisations – large and small – to get their message out.
“I would certainly recommend any organisation in the charity sector to take a look at what Charity Fillers could do for them and ask other radio stations to consider signing up. It’s so easy to do.”
Spencer Pryor of Charity Fillers said: ‘We are extremely pleased that we’ve reached this milestone in just four months of operation.
“Our thanks go out to the 70 participating UK radio stations for generously donating their ‘filler’ airtime and supporting the great charities that are part of Charity Fillers.
“As always, we always looking for more radio stations to join Charity Fillers and we will thank them for donating a few minutes of airtime each week to help good causes. Let’s see if we can hit 25,000 airtime plays before the end of 2024!” […]

Introducing the RAAs…. A brand-new awards platform has been launched to recognise and celebrate the very best in UK radio advertising.

The Radio Advert Awards aim to offer a new way to showcase your most innovative, creative, and effective radio ads, with over 20 categories to choose from.
“We’re thrilled to launch the RAAs as a new awards program designed to be accessible to all,” says Martin Pezet, Founder of the Radio Advert Awards. ”
With a low entry cost and a wide range of categories, we want to celebrate the incredible talent across the UK’s radio advertising industry, regardless of size or budget. We noticed that there are very few industry awards focussed on this medium, and those that are can be cost prohibitive to a lot of smaller agencies so these awards have been created to give those in the industry who usually can’.”
See more details at radioadvertawards.co.uk. […]

Podcasts have established themselves as a leading media platform in the UK according to the latest UK Podcast Consumer 2024 report by Edison Research.

The key findings, compiled by Edison Podcast Metrics UK, were presented by Gabriel Soto, Senior Director of Research at Edison Research during a webinar, showing data on weekly and monthly podcast consumption in the UK.
Key points from the report:

More UK adults than ever are listening to podcasts: Over two-thirds of the United Kingdom age 18+ have ever listened to a podcast; 42% are monthly podcast listeners and 30% are weekly listeners. All data points are record highs.
Weekly UK podcast listeners 15+ spend an average of 5 hours and 27 minutes listening to podcasts in a typical week.
Young UK adults are loyal consumers of podcasts: The majority of 18–34-year-olds are monthly podcast listeners and 41% are weekly listeners; higher than the average UK adult.
Podcasts are an excellent way to reach the sought-after 35-54-year-old UK segment, many who are in their prime spending years: About half are monthly podcast listeners; 34% are weekly podcast listeners.
The 55+ UK population are increasingly listening to podcasts: 28% of those age 55+ listen monthly, up from 20% in 2023; 18% of those age 55+ listen weekly.
Forty-eight percent of Black UK adults listen to podcasts each month, higher than the 42% among the overall UK population; 39% of UK Asian adults listen to podcasts each month.
Newcomers to weekly podcast listening are more likely to be Gen Z: 38% of new weekly podcast listeners (those who began listening in the last year) are Gen Z; 14% of weekly podcast listeners who started listening more than a year ago are Gen Z.
Reach among UK women monthly podcast listeners is up: 39% of UK women are monthly podcast listeners, up from 31% in 2023; 26% are weekly listeners. The top three podcasts reaching the most UK weekly women podcast listeners are The Diary of a CEO, Saving Grace, and Sh**ged Married and Annoyed.
The Top 10 podcasts in the UK combine to reach 31% of all weekly podcast listeners age 15+. The Top 25 podcasts reach 44% of weekly podcast listeners, which means with only the 25 biggest shows, nearly half of all weekly podcast listeners are accessible.

Soto said, “With this report, Edison Research seeks to arm UK-based creators with the ammunition they need to secure support for their content.”
The UK Podcast Consumer 2024 can be found here. […]

With six months to go before Christmas, Radio Exe has relaunched Radio ExeMas, playing non-stop festive songs.

Last year, the Christmas station went on air at the end of August.
Radio Exe’s Breakfast host, Matt Rogers celebrated this year’s early launch by interviewing Father Christmas live from Crealy on his show.
Matt said: “For people who say Christmas seems to start earlier every year, they’re right!
“We wanted to be at the top of Santa’s nice list by bringing festive cheer to Devon, and now people can get their fix of Mariah, Wizzard and Wham by tuning to Radio ExeMas. Feliz Navidad!”
Listeners have been given a chance to win a luxury lodge break at Crealy Theme Park and Resort, complete with presents from Santa and a Christmas dinner.
Jodie Hodgkins, marketing manager at Crealy Theme Park and Resort said: “Christmas at Crealy is one of the highlights of many families’ calendars, so to tie in with half-Christmas, we’ve opened our bookings for the festive season and were honoured that Santa could spare time to join on air this morning.”
Radio ExeMas can be heard on digital radio across much of Devon on the Exeter, Torbay/Teignbridge and Plymouth areas, as well as being streamed on its own website, www.radioexemas.co.uk, plus on the Radio Exe app. […]

Nation Radio has signed a long-term contract into the next decade for its London and South East DAB platform.

Following a trial period last year, Nation 80s has also joined the London-wide DAB platform full time in DAB+ stereo.
Nation’s Founder Jason Bryant said: “Nation is a fast growing and important media brand in major population centres across the UK.
“In Wales, Scotland and Southern England, we are reaching record weekly audiences. In the London market, the most competitive in the UK, Nation recently posted its highest ever weekly audience of nearly 200,000 – one of the largest digital only station audiences in London.
“The latest streaming data gives me confidence that Nation Radio can continue to grow and that we will also achieve a sizeable audience in London with Nation 80s.”
Nation’s Programme Director Neil Greenslade added: “Listeners tell us we’re a great variety listen with a fantastic line-up of presenters. They love our music mix and, with Nation 80s playing more 80s hits and forgotten classics, we believe our audience will continue to grow.” […]