# List of longest-running radio programmes

These are the longest-running radio programmes – those which were broadcast regularly for many decades.
Pilots, special broadcasts and repeats after the continuous run are not counted in the primary statistic. Title changes are acceptable if the format and presentation is otherwise continuous.
* The Shipping Forecast starts with "Sailing By" and the following recitation of the sea zones, which started in 1924, is now considered a traditional lullaby.
* The Grand Ole Opry started its weekly broadcasts as the WSM Barn Dance on WSM in 1925. The photo shows a performance in 1944.
* A daily church service has been broadcast by the BBC since 1928. For 43 years, this came from All Souls Church next to Broadcasting House.

## List

| Programme | Years | Longest serving years | Station | First broadcast | Last broadcast | Number of broadcasts | Notes and citations |
| Shipping Forecast | 100 | 40 by Peter Jefferson | BBC | 1 January 1924 | | over 130,000 | Shipping forecasts were first broadcast by telegraph in 1859 and the first radio broadcast in the current format was broadcast in 1924. |
| Grand Ole Opry | 99 | 67 by Jimmy Dickens | WSM | 28 November 1925 | | Over 5,000 | Live country music |
| Choral Evensong | 98 | | BBC | 7 October 1926 | | | Longest running live outside broadcast programme in radio history. Generally comprising Anglican evensong, occasionally Roman Catholic vespers. Initially broadcast on BBC Home Service, later branded BBC Radio 4, until 8 April 1970 when the programme moved to BBC Radio 3. |
| The Daily Service | 96 | 43 by All Souls Church, Langham Place | BBC | 2 January 1928 | | over 33,500 | Live church sermon, bible reading, and choral music |
| Music & the Spoken Word | 95 | 40 by Richard L. Evans | KSL | 15 July 1929 | | over 4,700 | The choir started broadcasting occasional rehearsals on KZN in 1922 but were wary of radio's quality and the current weekly programme did not start until 1929 |
| Voice of Prophecy | 95 | 40 by H. M. S. Richards | syndicated | 19 October 1929 | | | Seventh-day Adventist religious program. Previously broadcast nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting System (1942-1947), ABC Radio (1947-1956), NBC Radio Network (beginning in 1956). |
| Folkemusikktimen | 93 | 26 by Rolf Myklebust (1952-1978) | NRK | 7 March 1931 | | 4,700+ | Weekly folk music program |
| Metropolitan Opera | 92 | 44 by Milton Cross (1931-1975) | NBC Blue Network (1931-1945), ABC (1944-1958), CBS Radio (1958-1960), syndicated (1960–present) | 25 December 1931 | | 1,500+ | Longest-running continuous classical music program in radio history |
| Rambling with Gambling | 91 | 34 by John B. Gambling | WOR | 1925 | 2016 | | Hosted by three generations of hosts all named "John Gambling." Known as The John Gambling Show from 2000 to 2016 for legal reasons. |
| Chapter a Day | 92 | 75 by Karl Schmidt | WPR (WHA (AM)) | 25 July 1932 (possibly earlier) | | | Daily reading of books from various genres in half-hour increments. Summer program until 1939 and has been year-round since then. Some records suggest it may have first aired on WHA (AM) in the late 1920s. Carried on Wisconsin Public Radio since that network began in 1932 as Wisconsin Educational Radio. |
| Mahishasura Mardini | 92 | Birendra Krishna Bhadra, live until 1966 when a recording was made | All India Radio | 11 October 1932 | | | An annual religious recital of the Chandipath for Durga Puja which started in the 1930s. |
| Julehilsen til Grønland | 92 | | DR | December 1932 | | | Christmas greeting to Greenland. Televised since 1983. |
| The King's/Queen's Christmas Message | 91 | 69 by Elizabeth II | BBC | 25 December 1932 | | 88 (as of 2023) | Broadcast internationally on the BBC World Service and by various Commonwealth broadcasters. Not broadcast in 1936, 1938, and 1969. |
| (WWVA) Jamboree | 91 | | WWVA to 2007 WWOV-LP since 2014 | 7 January 1933 | | | Originally a weekly show, now limited to semi-annual specials and reruns |
| The Haven of Rest/Haven Today | 90 | 37 by Paul Myers | syndicated | 16 March 1934 | | | Christian evangelical. Called Haven Today since 2001, is a mix of music, Biblical teaching, interviews and current events. Based in California. |
| Make Believe Ballroom | 89 | 29 by William B Williams | WNEW until 1992, currently on WGMC, syndicated since 1940 | 3 February 1935 | | | Popularized the concept of radio disc jockeys playing recorded music. Name of show was dropped in the 1970s, but restored in 1979. |
| The Lutheran Hour | 89 | 33 by Oswald Hoffmann | | 2 October 1930/3 February 1935 | | | Program originally broadcast from 2 October 1930 to 11 June 1931 and began its continuous run on 3 February 1935. |
| A Voz do Brasil | 89 | | | 22 July 1935 | | | National government sponsored weekly information programme. Originated as Programa Nacional, renamed A Hora do Brasil in January 1938 when it became a mandatory broadcast; known as Voz do Brasil since 1971. |
| Lørdagsbarnetimen | 86 | | NRK | 20 December 1924 | 11 September 2010 | | A weekly children's radio program. Off the air during World War II. By the time of its final broadcast it had become the world's longest-running regular weekly radio series. |
| La Hora Nacional | 87 | | | 25 July 1937 | | | Weekly government-sponsored cultural and information broadcast required to be aired by all Mexican radio stations. |
| CBS World News Roundup | 86 | 25 by Dallas Townsend | CBS News Radio | 13 March 1938 | | | Broadcast on which Edward R. Murrow made his debut. Began as a special to report the Nazi occupation of Austria and again during the Sudetenland crisis, evolved into a daily broadcast during World War II. |
| Back to the Bible | 84–85 | 41 by Theodore Epp | | 1939 | 2020 | | Has been only available as a podcast since 2020. |
| National Research Council Time Signal | 83 | | CBC Radio | November 5, 1939 | October 9, 2023 | | Aired daily marking 1 pm, Eastern Time |
| King Biscuit Time | 83 | 67 by "Sunshine" Sonny Payne | KFFA | 21 November 1941 | | over 17,000 | Longest running daily American radio program |
| Voci del Grigioni italiano | 83 | | RSI | 25 November 1941 | | 4,000 approx. | Guinness World Record: "Longest running factual weekly radio programme" |
| Desert Island Discs | 82 | 43 by Roy Plomley | BBC | 29 January 1942 | | over 3,200 | |
| Renfro Valley Gatherin' | 80–81 | | Syndicated | 1943 | | | Features short stories, monologues, and a house band performing folk, gospel, and traditional country music. |
| Arbeidsvitaminen | 78 | | NPO Radio 5 | 19 February 1946 | | | Music request programme |
| Hot Air | 77 | 30 by Bob Smith | CBC Vancouver | 24 May 1947 | | | CBC Radio's longest-running show features jazz from all eras. |
| Midnite Jamboree | 74 | | WSM | 31 May 1947 | | 3,807+ | Interruptions in continuous run in 2015, 2020, and 2022. |
| Sports Report | 76 | 39 by James Alexander Gordon | BBC | 3 January 1948 | | | The show started listing classified football results in the early 1950s but this ceased in 2022. |
| Any Questions | 76 | 32 by Jonathan Dimbleby | BBC Radio 4 | 12 October 1948 | | | The longest running live discussion programme in the UK, Any Questions?, began in the West Region on 12 October 1948. It moved to the Home Service on 13 June 1950 |
| Your Story Hour | 75 | | syndicated | 27 March 1949 | | | Children's Radio dramas based on the Bible, historical heroes, and true-to-life adventures. |
| Unshackled! | 74 | | syndicated | 23 September 1950 | | over 6,500 | Religious anthology series. |
| The Fisheries Broadcast | 73 | | CBN (CBC Radio Newfoundland) | 5 March 1951 | | | Originally The Fisherman's Broadcast and now The Broadcast, daily "explores the stories of people in Newfoundland and Labrador who work in jobs or live in communities that depend on the sea." |
| The Archers | 73 | 63 by June Spencer as Peggy Woolley | BBC | 1 January 1951 | | over 18,740 | Longest-running Soap opera in the world. Set in rural England. |
| The Baptist Bible Hour | 71 | 70 by Elder Lasserre Bradley Jr. | WCVX, syndicated across the United States | February 2, 1953 | | Over 5,000 | Daily Baptist sermon and choral singing, broadcast from Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Folksong Festival | 70 | 70 by Oscar Brand | WNYC | 9 December 1945 | 24 September 2016 | 3,600 approx. | Guinness World Record: "Longest running weekly radio programme (same host)" |
| The Midnight Special | 71 | 37 by Rich Warren (including 13 years as a co-host) | WFMT | 23 May 1953 | | | Saturday night folk music program originally hosted by future film director Mike Nichols. Syndicated nationally since 1971. |
| Matysiakowie | 67 | | Polskie Radio | 15 December 1956 | | | Weekly 25-minute kitchen sink drama. |
| Farming Today | 64 | | BBC | 20 September 1960 | | | Agricultural news |
| The Happy Station Show | 61 | 35 by Eddy Startz | PCJJ (1928-1940, 1946–47), Radio Netherlands (1947-1995) | 18 November 1928 | 17 September 1995 | | Long-running shortwave radio light entertainment programme from Holland in English and Spanish. Had an audience of as high as 100 million in the 1930s and 25 million in the 1970s. Off the air during World War II. |
| The Big Broadcast | 60 | 26 by John Hickman | WAMU | 15 February 1964 | | 3,100+ approx. | The show features a collection of radio from the golden age, the 30s, 40s, and 50s. |
| Cross Country Checkup | 59 | 21 by Rex Murphy | CBC Radio | 16 May 1965 | | | Weekly national phone-in show. |
| Ideas | 59 | 20 by Paul Kennedy | CBC Radio | 10 October 1965 | | | A nightly hour-long scholarly documentary programme. |
| Letter from America | 57 | 57 by Alistair Cooke | BBC | 24 March 1946 | 20 February 2004 | 2,869 | Longest-running speech radio programme hosted by one individual. |
| Night Vision | 57 | 51 by Pastor George W. Bogle Sr. | WMUZ-FM | 15 September 1967 | | 16,500 approx. | A live call-in broadcast for prayer. Began in 1967 as Evangel Echos, changed name to Night Vision in 2005. |
| As It Happens | 56 | 18 by Mary Lou Finlay | CBC Radio | 18 November 1968 | | | A nightly current affairs newsmaker interview programme. |
| The World Tomorrow | 52 | 32 by Herbert W. Armstrong | syndicated in North America, Radio Luxembourg to Europe (1953-1980s) | 7 January 1934 | ca. 1986 | | Called the Radio Church of God until 1939. Continued on television until 1994. Presented predominantly by Garner Ted Armstrong from 1958 to 1978 and by Herbert W. Armstrong until 1958 and from 1978 until his death in 1986. |
| Your Hundred Best Tunes | 47 | 44 by Alan Keith | BBC | 15 November 1959 | 21 January 2007 | 2,500 approx. | Popular works which were mostly classical excerpts, choral works, opera and ballads. |
| Eighteenth Floor Block C | 56 | | Commercial Radio Hong Kong | 3 July 1968 | | | A social satire set in a local Hong Kong diner where customers discuss politics and current events. |
| Matysiakowie | | | | | | | |