kids encyclopedia robot

List of BBC radio stations facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has lots of radio stations across the United Kingdom. These stations are split into three main types: national (heard all over the UK), regional (for specific areas like Scotland or Wales), and local (for smaller towns and counties in England). Each station offers different kinds of music, news, and shows for everyone to enjoy.

National Radio Stations

These are the BBC radio stations you can listen to all across the UK.

Logo Name Started What it plays How to listen
BBC Radio 1 2021.svg BBC Radio 1 1 August 1967 New and popular music (like a Top 40 station)
  • On FM radio (97.1-99.7 MHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 700)
  • Sky (channel 0101)
  • Virgin Media (channel 901)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 1 Dance 2022.svg BBC Radio 1 Dance 16 August 2002 Electronic dance music
  • BBC Sounds app and online
  • Soon: DAB digital radio
BBC Radio 1 Relax 2022.svg BBC Radio 1 Relax 9 October 2020 Calm and relaxing music, good for meditating
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 1Xtra 2021.svg BBC Radio 1Xtra 22 April 2021 Black contemporary music (like R&B, hip-hop, grime)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 701)
  • Sky (channel 0127)
  • Virgin Media (channel 907)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 2 2022.svg BBC Radio 2 1 August 1967 Music for adults, including pop, rock, and easy listening
  • On FM radio (88.1-90.2 MHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 702)
  • Sky (channel 0102)
  • Virgin Media (channel 902)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 3 2022.svg BBC Radio 3 1 August 1967 Classical music, jazz, world music, and cultural shows
  • On FM radio (90.2 - 92.6 MHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 703)
  • Sky (channel 0103)
  • Virgin Media (channel 903)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 4 2022.svg BBC Radio 4 1 August 1967 Talk shows, news, drama, and comedy
  • On FM radio (88.1-90.2 MHz)
  • Longwave radio (198 kHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 704)
  • Sky (channel 0104)
  • Virgin Media (channel 904)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 4 Extra logo 2022.svg BBC Radio 4 Extra 2 April 2011 Plays old shows, comedies, and dramas from the BBC archives
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 708)
  • Sky (channel 0126)
  • Virgin Media (channel 910)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 5 Live 2022.svg BBC Radio 5 Live 28 March 1994 News, current events, discussions, and lots of live sports
  • On MW radio (693 kHz/909 kHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 705)
  • Sky (channel 0105)
  • Virgin Media (channel 905)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2022.svg BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 February 2002 Extra live sports coverage when Radio 5 Live is busy
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 706)
  • Sky (channel 0131)
  • Virgin Media (channel 908)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Radio 6 Music 2022.svg BBC Radio 6 Music 11 March 2002 Plays a mix of different music genres, including lesser-known artists and live concerts
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 707)
  • Sky (channel 0120)
  • Virgin Media (channel 909)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC Asian Network 2022.svg BBC Asian Network 4 November 1996 A station for the British Asian community, playing music and talk shows
  • On MW radio (828 kHz, 837 kHz, 1449 kHz, 1458 kHz)
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview/Freesat (channel 709)
  • Sky (channel 0109)
  • Virgin Media (channel 912)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
BBC World Service 2022 (Boxed).svg BBC World Service 19 December 1932 An international news and current events station, heard around the world
  • DAB digital radio
  • Freeview (channel 710) and Freeview/Freesat (channel 704 overnight)
  • Freesat (channel 711)
  • Sky (channel 0115) and Sky (channel 0104 overnight)
  • Virgin Media (channel 906) and Virgin Media (channel 904 overnight)
  • BBC Sounds app and online
  • On Longwave/FM radio (uses BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Cymru frequencies overnight)

Regional Radio Stations

These stations focus on specific regions of the UK, offering news and shows relevant to that area.

Scotland

Radio Station What it's about
BBC Radio Scotland 2022.svg BBC Radio Scotland
The main BBC radio station for all of Scotland.
Sister stations
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal 2022.svg BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
A radio station that broadcasts in the Scottish Gaelic language.
BBC Radio Orkney.png BBC Radio Orkney
A part-time station for Orkney that sometimes broadcasts its own shows instead of Radio Scotland.
BBC Radio Shetland.png BBC Radio Shetland
A part-time station for Shetland that sometimes broadcasts its own shows instead of Radio Scotland.

Wales

Radio Station What it's about
BBC Radio Wales 2022.svg BBC Radio Wales
The main BBC radio station for all of Wales.
Sister stations
BBC Radio Cymru 2022.svg BBC Radio Cymru
A radio station that broadcasts in the Welsh language.
BBC Radio Cymru 2 2022.svg BBC Radio Cymru 2
A part-time Welsh language station that broadcasts its own breakfast show.

Northern Ireland

Radio Station What it's about
BBC Radio Ulster 2022.svg BBC Radio Ulster
The main BBC radio station for all of Northern Ireland.
Sister station
BBC Radio Foyle 2022.svg BBC Radio Foyle
A part-time station covering Derry that sometimes broadcasts its own shows instead of Radio Ulster.

Local Radio Stations in England

BBC Local Radio 2021
BBC Local Radio logo

These stations provide local news, weather, travel, and music for specific areas within England.

BBC East

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire 2022.svg BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
1 May 1982
BBC Essex 2022.svg BBC Essex
5 November 1986
BBC Radio Norfolk 2022.svg BBC Radio Norfolk
11 September 1980
BBC Radio Northampton 2022.svg BBC Radio Northampton
16 June 1982
BBC Radio Suffolk 2022.svg BBC Radio Suffolk
12 April 1990
BBC Three Counties Radio 2022.svg BBC Three Counties Radio
24 June 1985 (originally BBC Radio Bedfordshire)

BBC East Midlands

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Derby 2022.svg BBC Radio Derby
29 April 1971
BBC Radio Leicester 2022.svg BBC Radio Leicester
8 November 1967
BBC Radio Nottingham 2022.svg BBC Radio Nottingham
31 January 1968

BBC London

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio London (2022).svg BBC Radio London
6 October 1970

BBC North East and Cumbria

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Cumbria 2022.svg BBC Radio Cumbria
24 November 1973 (originally BBC Radio Carlisle)
BBC Radio Newcastle 2022.svg BBC Radio Newcastle
2 January 1971
BBC Radio Tees 2022.svg BBC Radio Tees
31 December 1970 (originally BBC Radio Teesside)

BBC North West

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Lancashire 2022.svg BBC Radio Lancashire
26 January 1971 (originally BBC Radio Blackburn)
BBC Radio Manchester 2022.svg BBC Radio Manchester
10 September 1970
BBC Radio Merseyside 2022.svg BBC Radio Merseyside
22 November 1967

BBC South

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Berkshire 2022.svg BBC Radio Berkshire
21 January 1992
BBC Radio Oxford 2022.svg BBC Radio Oxford
29 October 1970
BBC Radio Solent 2022.svg BBC Radio Solent
31 December 1970

BBC South East

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Kent 2022.svg BBC Radio Kent
18 December 1970 (originally BBC Radio Medway)
BBC Radio Surrey 2022.svg BBC Radio Surrey
14 November 1991
BBC Radio Sussex 2022.svg BBC Radio Sussex
14 February 1968 (originally BBC Radio Brighton)

BBC South West

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Cornwall 2022.svg BBC Radio Cornwall
17 January 1983
BBC Radio Devon 2022.svg BBC Radio Devon
17 January 1983
BBC Radio Guernsey 2022.svg BBC Radio Guernsey
16 March 1982
BBC Radio Jersey 2022.svg BBC Radio Jersey
15 March 1982
BBC Radio Somerset 2022.svg BBC Radio Somerset
11 April 1988 (originally BBC Somerset Sound)

BBC West

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Bristol 2022.svg BBC Radio Bristol
4 September 1970
BBC Radio Gloucestershire 2022.svg BBC Radio Gloucestershire
3 October 1988
BBC Radio Wiltshire 2022.svg BBC Radio Wiltshire
4 April 1989 (originally BBC Wiltshire Sound)

BBC West Midlands

Radio Station Started
BBC CWR 2022.svg BBC CWR
17 January 1990, relaunched 3 September 2005
BBC Hereford & Worcester 2022.svg BBC Hereford & Worcester
14 February 1989
BBC Radio Shropshire 2022.svg BBC Radio Shropshire
23 April 1985
BBC Radio Stoke 2022.svg BBC Radio Stoke
14 March 1968 (originally BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent)
BBC Radio WM logo 2022.svg BBC Radio WM
9 November 1970 (originally BBC Radio Birmingham)

BBC Yorkshire

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Leeds 2022.svg BBC Radio Leeds
24 June 1968
BBC Radio Sheffield 2022.svg BBC Radio Sheffield
15 November 1967
BBC Radio York 2022.svg BBC Radio York
4 July 1983

BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Radio Station Started
BBC Radio Humberside 2022.svg BBC Radio Humberside
25 February 1971
BBC Radio Lincolnshire 2022.svg BBC Radio Lincolnshire
11 November 1980

See also

  • BBC Local Radio
  • List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
  • List of Internet radio stations
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of BBC radio stations Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.