LBC 97.3

Infobox Radio Station


name = LBC 97.3
airdate = 8 October 1973 (6am BST)
frequency = 97.3 MHz
share = 3.1%
share as of = September 2007
share source = [http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php]
area = London on FM
Nationally on DAB Digital Radio worldwide (online)
format = News/Talk
owner = Global Radio
slogan = London's Biggest Conversation
website = [http://www.lbc.co.uk/ www.lbc.co.uk]

LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973. LBC's current format - with talk on 97.3FM and rolling news on LBC News 1152 - was established in January 2003.

Launch

The launch attracted considerable attention and a sizeable audience, particularly for the pairing of the celebrated journalist Paul Callan and the writer (later national newspaper editor and TV personality) Janet Street-Porter who contrived to create a new form of radio, albeit unintentionally. The pair were pitched as co-presenters of the morning drive-time show. [ [http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/LBC Media UK's LBC page] ] The intention was to contrast the urbane Callan with the less couth Street-Porter, whose accents were respectively known to studio engineers as "cut-glass" and "cut-froat".

In the event friction between the ill-assorted pair led to an entertaining stream of one-upmanship that became required listening for many Londoners, the sharper put-downs being blamed for several collisions by motorists incapacitated with laughter. The programme was the first in the UK to combine interviews with celebrities and heavyweight political figures on the same show, blurring the line between classic British comedy and analysis of international affairs.

tation presenters

Current

Current LBC 97.3 presenters include: Nick Abbot; Steve Allen; Tre Azam; Jeni Barnett; Katie Breathwick; Bill Buckley; Clive Bull; Simon Calder; John Cushing; Nick Conrad; Anthony Davis; Jim Davis; Nick Ferrari; Cristo Foufas; James Hartigan; Petrie Hosken; Ken Livingstone; Richard Mackney; James Max; James O'Brien; Andrew Pierce; Susan Spence; James Whale.

Current Newsreaders / Travel Reporters include: Helen Austen; Maggie Doyle; Will Gowing; John Ironmonger; Alex Jensen; Alan Joyce; Karen Mercer; Steve Reade; Amanda Redmun; Johnathan Savage; Joanne Webb.

Past

Past LBC presenters include: Adrian Allen; Carol Allen; Dominic Allen; Mike Allen; Toby Anstis; Dickie Arbiter; Phillip Bacon; Simon Bates; Jeremy Beadle; Alison Bell; Therese Birch; Frank Bough; Tommy Boyd; Gyles Brandreth; Paul Callan; Douglas Cameron; Mike Carlton; Mike Carson; Marcus Churchill; Andy Crane; Jamie Crick; Jono Coleman; Steve Crozier; Tim Crook; Dan Damon; Peter Deeley; Anne Diamond; Mike Dickin; Richard Dallyn; Jenny Eclair; Richard Fairbrass; Caroline Feraday; Mariella Frostrup; Krishnan Guru-Murthy; Boy George; Charlie Gibson; Charles Golding; Angie Greaves; Eric Hall; Brian Hayes; Chris Hawkins; Phillip Hodson; Bob Holness; Eamonn Holmes; Jon Holmes; Fred Housego; Rufus Hound; Howard Hughes; Sue Jameson; Bob Johnson; Bryn Jones; Steve Jones; Barry Jordan; Charlie Jordan; Lesley Judd; Henry Kelly; Allan King; Gary King; Jenny Lacey; Iain Lee; Richard Littlejohn; Wendy Lloyd; Sir Nicholas Lloyd; Adrian Love; Dave Luddy; Mike Mendoza; Daisy McAndrew; Carol McGiffin; Monty Modlin; Douglas Moffatt; Jane Moore; Elliot Moss; Pete Murray; Paddy O'Connell; Michael Parkinson; Frank Partridge; John Perkins; David Prever; Martin Popplewell; Gill Pyrah; Anna Raeburn; Angela Rippon; Rowland Rivron; Richard Robbins; Paul Ross; Kenny Sansom;Adrian Scott; Valerie Singleton; Penny Smith; Julia Somerville; Laurence Spicer; Dr Pam Spurr; Janet Street-Porter; Peter Stringfellow; Carol Thatcher; Sandi Toksvig; Petroc Trelawny; Michael Van Straten; Becky Walsh; Sandy Warr; James Whale; James Williams and Matthew Wright.

Guest

People who have hosted 'one off' or temporary shows while regular presenters were away include:
* Tony Blair - 13 January 2004 (see below)
* Ann Widdecombe
* Abi Titmuss - 23 June 2006
* Frank Dobson
* Diane Abbott
* Edwina Currie
* Carol Thatcher

Availability

* DAB CE London Multiplex (Greater London)
* FM Radio 97.3 MHz Croydon Transmitter (Greater London)
* Virgin Media 973
* Tiscali TV 627
* Sky Digital 0177
* Online Streaming from station website

Since September 2006 LBC 97.3 has also been carried on the MXR Digital multiplex replacing rolling news service DNN:
* DAB MXR North East Multiplex (North East England)
* DAB MXR North West Multiplex (North West England)
* DAB MXR Severn Estuary Multiplex (West of England and South Wales)
* DAB MXR West Midlands Multiplex (West Midlands)
* DAB MXR Yorkshire Multiplex (Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire)

Podcasting

LBC claim to be the first radio station in the world to provide full-length podcasts for all its major shows, plus podcast-only shows and other things such as backstage interviews and mp3s sent to the show, under the name "LBC Plus".

Tony Blair appearance

On January 13 2004, British Prime Minister Tony Blair presented an hour long phone-in show on the station, taking pre-booked calls from LBC 97.3 listeners. His appearance was part of the 'big conversation' initiative to promote Government as being more accessible and in touch with the people. During the 10:00-11:00 show, a caller explained that he'd been denied access to his children for five years and asked what Mr Blair was planning to do about other fathers in a similar situation. The Prime Minister assured the caller he would look into his case personally. It later transpired that the caller was in fact Fathers 4 Justice member Ron Davis who in May of that year was arrested for entering Parliament and throwing a condom containing purple powder over Mr Blair and nearby Cabinet members. Mr Davis claimed the attack was in response to the Prime Minister's failure to contact him or look into the matters discussed on LBC 97.3.

Ken Livingstone appearances

A regular guest on LBC 97.3 was former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who usually appeared once per month on the Nick Ferrari breakfast show. During the show he took calls from LBC listeners and discussed points put to him by Ferrari. It had become something of a running joke that the Mayor usually arrived late, blaming it on public transport, which he's famously keen to be seen using, to the extent that Nick Ferrari actually won a bet that Livingstone would be late for his next appearance on LBC. Ken's phone in sessions alternated between LBC and BBC London 94.9 these were one of the rare opportunities that Londoners had of talking directly to the then London Mayor. Since loosing the 2008 Mayoral Election Livingstone began his own Saturday Morning programme on LBC, on 30 August 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.lbc.co.uk LBC Radio]
* [http://www.globalradiosales.com Global Radio, the parent company]
* [http://www.84850.co.uk Web site about the new text number 84850]
* [http://www.mediauk.com/radio/125 Media UK profile]
* [http://www.lbcradiorocks.com/history-of-lbc-radio.html History of LBC]