1974 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 1974.

January

 * No events.

February

 * 19 February – BRMB begins broadcasting to the Birmingham area.

March

 * 17 March – Solid Gold Sixty is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 for the final time. It is replaced the following week by a one-hour programme which just features the top 20.

April

 * 1 April – BBC Radio Teesside is renamed BBC Radio Cleveland.
 * 2 April – Piccadilly Radio begins broadcasting to the Manchester area.

May

 * No events.

June

 * No events.

July

 * 15 July – Metro Radio begins broadcasting to the Newcastle upon Tyne area.

August

 * 30/31 August – Radio North Sea International ceases broadcasting to the UK at midnight.

September

 * American-born music presenter Paul Gambaccini first broadcasts on British radio, initially on BBC Radio 1.
 * 30 September – Swansea Sound, the first Independent Local Radio station in Wales, begins broadcasting to the Swansea area.

October

 * 1 October – Radio Hallam begins broadcasting to the Sheffield area.
 * 21 October – Radio City begins broadcasting to the Liverpool area.

November

 * 22 November – The first regular programme in the UK for the black community, Black Londoners, launches on BBC Radio London, presented by Alex Pascall. The programme is initially launched as a trial run of six programmes before becoming a weekly, and from 1978, a weeknight, fixture in the schedules.

December

 * No events.

Unknown

 * BBC Radio Leicester launches a weekly programme for the Asian community.

Station debuts

 * 19 February – BRMB
 * 2 April – Piccadilly Radio
 * 15 July – Metro Radio
 * 30 September – Swansea Sound
 * 1 October – Radio Hallam
 * 21 October – Radio City

Programme debuts

 * 20 April – The Betty Witherspoon Show on BBC Radio 2 (1974)
 * 22 November – Black Londoners on BBC Radio London (1974–1988)

1940s

 * Sunday Half Hour (1940–2018)
 * Desert Island Discs (1942–Present)
 * Down Your Way (1946–1992)
 * Letter from America (1946–2004)
 * Woman's Hour (1946–Present)
 * A Book at Bedtime (1949–Present)

1950s

 * The Archers (1950–Present)
 * The Today Programme (1957–Present)
 * The Navy Lark (1959–1977)
 * Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
 * Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

 * Farming Today (1960–Present)
 * In Touch (1961–Present)
 * The Men from the Ministry (1962–1977)
 * Petticoat Line (1965–1979)
 * The World at One (1965–Present)
 * The Official Chart (1967–Present)
 * Just a Minute (1967–Present)
 * The Living World (1968–Present)
 * The Organist Entertains (1969–2018)

1970s

 * PM (1970–Present)
 * Start the Week (1970–Present)
 * Week Ending (1970–1998)
 * You and Yours (1970–Present)
 * I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–Present)
 * Good Morning Scotland (1973–Present)
 * Hello Cheeky (1973–1979)
 * Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
 * Newsbeat (1973–Present)

Births

 * 15 January – Edith Bowman, Scottish music critic, radio disc jockey and television presenter
 * 22 February – Chris Moyles, disc jockey
 * 28 March – Scott Mills, disc jockey
 * 24 April
 * Jon Holmes, writer, comedian and broadcaster
 * David Vitty (Comedy Dave), radio presenter
 * 26 April – Adil Ray, broadcaster and comic actor
 * 28 April – Vernon Kay, broadcast presenter
 * 21 June – Natasha Desborough, radio presenter
 * 24 June – Rob da Bank, disc jockey
 * 2 July – Dan Tetsell, comedy writer-performer
 * 14 July – David Mitchell, comedy writer-performer
 * 24 July – Lisa Francesca Nand, journalist and broadcaster
 * 2 August – Phil Williams, radio news presenter
 * 6 October – Andy Zaltzman, satirical and cricket broadcaster
 * 24 November – Stephen Merchant, comedy writer-performer and radio presenter
 * 13 December – Sara Cox, disc jockey
 * Ros Atkins, broadcast journalist
 * Natalie Haynes, broadcaster, classicist, comedian and writer

Deaths

 * 23 February – Raymond Glendenning, radio sports commentator (born 1907)
 * 4 May – Ludwig Koch, German-born British natural sound recordist (born 1881)