BBC Radio Wales

**BBC Radio Wales** is British public radio station owned by British Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts news, music, sports and entertainment programmings.

## History

In November 1978, BBC Radio Scotland and **BBC Radio Wales** were created as distinct stations on the former BBC Radio 4 Scottish and Welsh medium wave opt-out frequencies of 810 and 882 kHz. They were part-time initially, broadcasting for only 20 hours per week, and relaying BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 at other times. However the groundwork had been laid for the stations to become important, respected full-time services. **BBC Radio Wales** now broadcasts for 20 hours a day with a simulcast of the BBC World Service after closedown every night.

**BBC Radio Wales** was preceded in the autumn of 1978 by four experimental local radio stations broadcasting for a single week: **Radio Wrexham**, **Radio Deeside**, **Radio Merthyr** and **Radio Rhondda**. They were broadcast using an RTÉ Outside Broadcast transmitter. The first editor of **BBC Radio Wales** was **Teleri Bevan**, a former **BBC Radio 4 Wales** producer. Anita Morgan presented a breakfast show called ***AM***, but this soon gave way to a more modern show for the period, presented by Chris Stuart. The other main presenters for the first decade were Mike Flynn, Vincent Kane, Noreen Bray and Alun Williams.

By 1985, Roy Noble was also a regular daily voice, presenting weekday magazine shows for the station for 27 years. Old BBC Radio 4 type continuity studios were modified to become 'self operated' by the early 1980s. Outside broadcasts from different towns in Wales were also introduced, with Mike Flynn and Alun Williams hosting a weekly three-hour Friday morning live programme. **BBC Radio Wales** also started to embrace publicity similar to that used by UK commercial radio. Other early presenters included Wyn Calvin, Maureen Staffer, Sylvia Horn, G.V.Wynne Jones (Geevers), Claire Vincent, Piet Brinton, Jackie Emlyn and Princess Anne's biographer Brian Hoey.

Following **BBC Wales**' experiments with community radio in 1978, two permanent opt-out services were developed in the North East and the South East. **Radio Deeside** was reopened in February 1980 in response to the closure of the Shotton steelworks. Its coverage area was expanded to the rest of Clwyd in October 1981 and the station was subsequently renamed **BBC Radio Clwyd**, broadcasting extended local news bulletins, a mid-morning show and occasional special programming from studios in Mold until its closure in October 1993. After the closure of **Radio Clwyd**, local bulletins for north-east Wales continued until 2002, staff having moved from Mold to Wrexham in summer 1998.

**BBC Radio Gwent**, based in Cwmbran, broadcast from 18 April 1983 until March 1991. **Radio Gwent** was available on FM, and since its closure has continued to relay the national **Radio Wales** service on the same FM frequencies to the Gwent area. Both of these stations operated at peak times only, and carried **Radio Wales** at other times.

Regional opt-outs were later established for sports coverage, specifically live football commentaries involving Cardiff City in the South East, Swansea City in the South West and Wrexham in the North.

## Programmings

* ***Good Morning Wales***
* ***Good Evening Wales***
* ***Friendly Garden***
* ***Celtic Heartbeat***
* ***Radio Wales Sport***

## External links

* Official website

* National stations
* Regional stations
* Local stations

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