A timeline of notable events relating to BBC Radio 5 Live, and its predecessor BBC Radio 5.
Radio 5
1988
9 October – The BBC announces that a fifth national network will launch on the MW frequencies of BBC Radio 2. The announcement follows a directive from the Conservative government of the time instructing the BBC to end its practice of simulcasting its national services on both AM and FM.
1989
No events.
1990
15 August – Ahead of the launch of BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 2 begins to wind down its transmissions on MW by broadcasting a daytime information service providing advice about how to listen to Radio 2 on FM. The service includes trailers for the new station. 27 August – BBC Radio 5 launches at 9am. The station is on air from 6am until just after midnight but only broadcasts its own live programming at peak times (breakfast plus weekday mid-mornings and drivetime) alongside sport on weekend afternoons and youth programmes on weeknight evenings. The rest of its airtime is taken up with programming which had previously been broadcast as FM opt-outs on Radio 4 (schools, adult education and children's programmes), programmes from the World Service and simulcasts of the BBC's other national stations. 28 August – The first edition of the station's weekday breakfast programme Morning Edition is broadcast. It is presented by Sarah Ward and Jon Briggs.
1991
7 January – Sue McGarry and Julian Worricker replace Martin Kelner as presenters of drivetime show Five Aside. 17 January–2 March – Radio 4 News FM, the first rolling BBC radio news service is on air during the first Gulf War. The service is deemed to be so successful that bosses begin looking at ways to launch a full-time news radio station. 30 March – Radio 5 starts broadcasting its own programmes between 11pm and midnight, replacing an hour of programmes from the World Service. Consequently, the late evening slate of programmes originating from different parts of the country expand from 90 to 120 minutes. September/October – The station moves into its second year of broadcasting with a further expansion of original programmes in slots which had previously been used for simulcasts with other BBC national stations. 2 September – The first phase of this expansion occurs when Radio 5 launches a weekday lunchtime programme in conjunction with forces station BFBS. Called BFBS Worldwide, the programme continues to be broadcast until the demise of Radio 5 in 1994. 28 September – Simulcasting of other BBC stations on Radio 5 occurs for the final time. 5 October – Football phone-in 6-0-6 is broadcast for the first time. Danny Baker is the programme's host. The launch of this programme is part of a new Saturday evening line-up which replaces that final station simulcast.
1992
6 January – The first edition of The AM Alternative is broadcast. The new programme, presented by Johnnie Walker, is on air every weekday and replaces the three separate shows, This Family Edition, Sound Advice and The Health Show which had previously occupied the mid-morning slot. 17 February – Danny Baker replaces Sarah Ward and Jon Briggs as presenter of the weekday breakfast programme Morning Edition. 15 May – World Service programmes are broadcast on weekday afternoons for the final time. It is replaced on the 18th with a summer sports magazine Sportsbeat. 10–26 June – For the first time, the BBC provides full radio coverage of an international football tournament when it broadcasts live commentary of every game of Euro 92. 25 July–9 August – Radio 5 provides full live coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics. Programmes run all day, from 6:30am until 10pm. This is the first time that BBC Radio has provided full live coverage of the Games. 15 August – Mark Curry takes over the weekend breakfast show. The new programme is called Weekend Edition. He had previously presented the Saturday morning children's programme On Your Marks which had recently been replaced with two separate programmes Get Set and Go!. 19 October – A Game of Two Halves launches as the winter replacement for Sportsbest.