1983 in British radio

This is a list of events in British radio during 1983.

January

 * 4 January – BBC Radio 2 revives Music While You Work.
 * 17 January – BBC Local Radio comes to south west England with the launches of BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Cornwall.

February

 * 12 February – Sounds of the 60s is broadcast for the first time on BBC Radio 2.

March

 * No events.

April

 * 18 April – Prior to the launch of a commercial station covering Gwent, the BBC launches BBC Radio Gwent. It broadcasts at peak time, opting out of BBC Radio Wales. The station broadcasts on VHF/FM and therefore becomes the only part of Wales where English-language radio programming for Wales can be heard on VHF/FM.

May

 * May – The first Birmingham Walkathon is staged by Birmingham's BRMB to raise money for charity, and takes place around the city's Outer Circle bus route.

June

 * 13 June – Gwent Broadcasting becomes the first station in the UK to occupy the newly released 102.2 to 104.5Mhz part of the VHF/FM waveband.

July

 * 2 July – BBC Radio Medway is expanded to cover all of the county of Kent and is renamed accordingly.

August

 * 19 August – "Pirate" radio station Radio Caroline resumes broadcasting to Britain in an album-oriented rock format from MV Ross Revenge anchored in the Knock Deep outside UK territorial waters off the Thames Estuary.

September

 * No events.

October

 * 6 October – Centre Radio stops broadcasting after running into financial difficulties. A take-over bid is rejected by the IBA and the station goes off air at 5.30pm.
 * 22 October – BBC Radio Brighton is expanded to cover all of the county of Sussex and is accordingly renamed BBC Radio Sussex.

November

 * No events.

December

 * 18 December – Sounds of Jazz is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 for the final time. The show is transferred to Radio 2 in the new year.
 * December – Kenny Everett leaves BBC Radio 2 a couple of weeks after he made a risqué on-air joke about Margaret Thatcher.

Station debuts

 * 17 January –
 * BBC Radio Devon
 * BBC Radio Cornwall
 * 4 April – County Sound
 * 18 April – BBC Radio Gwent
 * 13 June – Gwent Broadcasting
 * 4 July – BBC Radio York
 * 29 August – Southern Sound Radio
 * 5 September –
 * Signal 1
 * Marcher Sound
 * Unknown – Bridgend Hospital Radio

Programme debuts

 * 1 February – In Business on BBC Radio 4 (1983–Present)
 * 12 February – Sounds of the 60s on BBC Radio 2 (1983–Present)

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)
 * Sing Something Simple (1959–2001)
 * Your Hundred Best Tunes (1959–2007)

1960s

 * Farming Today (1960–Present)
 * In Touch (1961–Present)
 * 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)
 * Kaleidoscope (1973–1998)
 * Newsbeat (1973–Present)
 * The News Huddlines (1975–2001)
 * File on 4 (1977–Present)
 * Money Box (1977–Present)
 * The News Quiz (1977–Present)
 * Breakaway (1979–1998)
 * Feedback (1979–Present)
 * The Food Programme (1979–Present)
 * Science in Action (1979–Present)

1980s

 * Radio Active (1980–1987)

Closing this year

 * 6 October – Centre Radio (1981–1983)

Births

 * 19 January – MistaJam, born Peter Dalton, DJ
 * 19 July – Helen Skelton, broadcast presenter
 * 6 August – Lloyd Langford, Welsh comedian
 * 16 August – Colin Griffiths, TV presenter and DJ

Deaths

 * 22 February – Sir Adrian Boult, orchestral conductor, BBC director of music (born 1889)
 * 24 December – Alan Melville, scriptwriter and war reporter (born 1910)