This is a list of events in British radio during 1979.
Events
January
27 January –
BBC Radio 2's last closedown at 02:02.
Sarah Kennedy is at the Newsdesk after
Brian Matthew finishes "Round Midnight". From 02:00 to 05:00 the following night, listeners hear "You and the Night and the Music". Radio 2 has the longest period of continuous broadcasting of any national radio station in the UK.
29 January –
BBC Radio 1 begins its delayed weeknight mid-evening programme with
Andy Peebles joining to host the new programme. It had originally been scheduled to launch on 13 November 1978 but was delayed as a result of
trade union disputes.
September – Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher considers introducing advertising for some BBC radio services, but later abandons the idea after encountering opposition.[2]
October
5 October – The Scottish Gaelic service BBC Radio nan Eilean launches, broadcasting to north west Scotland from
Stornoway.
November
November – A weekday mid-morning programme launches on
BBC Radio Cymru, thereby extending its broadcasting hours to 65 hours each week. Previously, apart from extended news bulletins at lunchtime and early evening, and some off-peak opt-outs, the station had only been on air at breakfast time.
December
16 December – After a decade on air,
United Biscuits closes down its internal radio station
United Biscuits Network due to it being seen as no longer necessary to operate a radio station due to the rollout of independent commercial stations.[3]