Steve Walton, who presents a Sunday night show on Erewash Sound, has been awarded a Silver Merit for his show garden at BBC Gardeners World Live 2026 at Birmingham NEC.

Steve spent time recently preparing his border, titled ‘Returning To My Roots’, for the event, with the project having been in development for several years and particularly over the last six months.

His border draws on 25 years of horticultural experience and is inspired by early gardening with his grandfather, aiming to demonstrate how gardening has changed while maintaining links to the past.

Steve commented on social media after completing the set-up, “That’s it! Tools down! I can do no more!” He later added, “I’m really chuffed. The whole process has been amazing. I’m looking forward to chatting to the visitors about it.”

He explained, “The space I have created here, shows show the way we garden has changed and my ‘Once Upon A Time’ – once there was a garden – Grandad’s Garden. It is still as important today as it was all those years ago.”

Support for Steve’s work came from Derby College Group and Landmark. Erewash Sound’s press spokesman Ian Perry said, “We’re immensely proud of our Steve, for his hard work in creating this border, but also for being a key part of helping local people with their own green-fingered work in gardens across Erewash and further afield through his weekly show and via other routes.”

GB News Radio is introducing a new weekly programme, GB Mums, which will focus on motherhood, family life and the issues most relevant to parents in Britain.

The show will bring together presenters Michelle Dewberry, Nana Akua, Emily Carver and Bev Turner, along with guest contributors and other familiar faces from the channel.

Launching on Friday 19 June, GB Mums will stream weekly on the GB News YouTube channel, offering candid discussion and lively debate on the week’s biggest stories, as well as the challenges and rewards of raising children in modern Britain.

Michelle Dewberry said, “Being a mum is one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences in life and there is never any shortage of things to talk about. GB Mums gives us the opportunity to discuss the stories that matter most to families, share our own experiences and have honest conversations about modern motherhood.”

Nana Akua commented, “One of the things viewers tell us most often is that they value authenticity and honesty. GB Mums allows us to share more of our own experiences and connect with viewers through conversations that are often funny, sometimes challenging and always real.”

Emily Carver added, “As a new mum, this programme comes at the perfect time for me. I’m looking forward to discussing the issues that matter to parents today, learning from other mums and sharing the realities of raising children in modern Britain.”

Bev Turner said, “Mums are the beating heart of our country. We develop wisdom and insight through mothering and we apply that to the unique way in which we view the world.”

STV Radio is giving three emerging Scottish singers the chance to open for Marti Pellow in Glasgow this summer.

The station has teamed up with Marti Pellow to run a new talent search linked to his Summer Nights at the Bandstand shows at Kelvingrove Bandstand on 6, 7 and 8 August.

Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey from Ewen and Cat at Breakfast will help find three performers, with one chosen to appear on each night before Marti takes to the stage.

The breakfast presenters will also warm up the crowds at the Bandstand, bringing their regular on air partnership to the Glasgow venue.

Ewen said: “Scotland is bursting with talent and this is a brilliant opportunity to support one of Scotland’s most loved singers at a cracking venue this summer.”

He added that he and Cat are passionate about supporting up and coming singers and songwriters.

Marti said: “Ewen and Cat are going to find us some fresh new talent, and Scotland has loads of that, and we’re looking for a new singer for each night that we’re on.”

Singers can enter by uploading a video at website, with entries opening at 9am on Wednesday 17 June.

Ewen and Cat at Breakfast airs from 6am to 10am every weekday on STV Radio, which is available on DAB, STV Player, stvradio.co.uk and smart speakers.

Myriad Playout v6.9 has been released with direct Promo Only access built into its Import Wizard.

The update from Broadcast Radio allows stations with Promo Only subscriptions to browse, preview and download clean music from within Myriad, reducing the number of steps needed to add new tracks to their libraries.

The integration covers Promo Only UK, Europe, US and Canada catalogues, depending on a station’s location and subscription, and includes access to clean and radio edits for broadcast use.

Liam Burke, Commercial Director at Broadcast Radio, told RadioToday one of the challenges for broadcasters is getting “great new content on-air quickly”, with the update allowing stations to find, import and prepare music from the same system.

Myriad Playout v6.9 also includes smarter audio importing, with high-quality audio downloaded automatically, silent starts removed, station-defined normalisation settings applied, and extro timings calculated during the import process.

Metadata is also added automatically, including track information, artist names, album artwork and ISRC codes, helping stations keep records accurate and simplifying royalty reporting.

Jim Robinson, Co-founder and President of Promo Only, Inc. said Promo Only helps stations manage “new and clean music across genres”, adding that having POOL available through Myriad makes music management “fast, streamlined, and stress-free”.

The release also includes performance and reliability improvements designed to support stable operation, and is available as a free upgrade for existing Myriad 5 and Myriad 6 customers.

Ellie Brennan and Matt Carter have been confirmed for Sara Cox’s new Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

Ellie will continue on the slot, bringing listeners the latest travel news, while Matt will now present regular news bulletins on the programme, which launches 6th July on BBC Radio 2.

Matt replaces Tina Daheley who announced her departure this week.

The Sara Cox Breakfast Show airs weekdays from 6:30am to 9:30am, with Tom Hanks joining as Sara’s first guest to talk about Toy Story 5.

The programme will include features from Sara’s afternoon show, along with new items for breakfast. Radio 2 says listeners will be at the heart of the format, with guests also joining Sara in the studio.

Sara said: “Roll on the 6th July! For generations to come people will probably say where were YOU when the Sara Cox Breakfast Show was launched on Radio 2 featuring the legendary Tom Hanks?”

She added that she hoped people would reply: “listening and laughing along with a nice brew”.

The show is produced by Patrick Thomas and Anthony Dunning for BBC Audio.

BBC Radio 2 is bringing back 21st Century Folk for a fourth series, with five new songs inspired by listeners whose lives have been shaped by sport.

The award-winning project will return this summer with contributions from Martin Simpson, Katherine Priddy, Eddi Reader and John Douglas, Passenger, and Megson.

Each act has written and composed an original song based on a real listener story, with this year’s theme chosen to coincide with a busy summer of sport including the FIFA World Cup, Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix, the Tour de France, the Commonwealth Games and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

The songs and stories will be available on BBC Sounds from Monday 29 June, before being featured across Radio 2 during a week of folk programming.

The contributors include Andy from Staffordshire, whose story centres on his adopted uncle Adrian, a boxing fan who died aged 18 while helping a woman change a tyre on Christmas Day in 1974. He’s pictured above with his family.

Hannah from Shropshire shares how cycling and sport helped her as a young carer and during her recovery from a brain injury sustained in a training crash.

Jonathan from Glasgow, the grandson of a Trinidadian runner, tells how running helped him through depression during lockdown, while Victor, who was born in Sierra Leone and later fled to London, speaks about how football and photography helped transform his life after trauma and homelessness.

Jackie from Teesside, who played football as a teenager and later returned to the game after 35 years, is also featured after receiving a national call-up to represent the over-60s Walking Football team.

The series is partly inspired by the BBC Radio Ballads, created by Charles Parker, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in the late 1950s, which combined real-life testimony with original songs.

Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Radio 2, said folk music had “always been a very important part” of the station, adding that the latest series focuses on “all things sporting”.

Mark Radcliffe said he “couldn’t be prouder” of 21st Century Folk, describing it as “a wholly noble endeavour”.

The songs will be heard each day on The Jeremy Vine Show, presented that week by Tina Daheley, from Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July.

Radio 2 will also air a 21st Century Folk special with Mark Radcliffe on July 1, before a two-hour programme on Sunday 5 July from 8pm.

BBC Radio 5 Live will lose two medium wave transmitters next month.

Redruth in Cornwall, and Folkestone in Kent, will both cease transmissions on 31st July 2026.

The station’s medium wave switch-off appears to have begun on a transmitter-by-transmitter basis, ahead of the BBC’s wider plan to close the AM network by the end of 2027.

The BBC tells listeners: “To continue listening to BBC Radio 5 Live in the Truro/Folkestone Areas, please retune your radio to 693 Medium Wave. Alternatively, you may listen via DAB digital radio by selecting BBC Radio 5 Live on your device’s display.

“Additionally, the service can be accessed through your television, online at bbc.co.uk/radio5live, via the BBC Sounds app, or by asking your smart speaker for BBC Radio 5 Live.”

A plan was announced in 2002 that the station would lose its AM network by the end of 2027.

The World Tonight will close on BBC Radio 4 from spring 2027.

The long running late evening news programme will be replaced by Newshour, which will be moved an hour later under radio changes announced to staff as part of wider BBC savings plans.

The BBC says Newshour will cover the global agenda for both World Service and Radio 4 audiences, while continuing to include major UK news stories.

Radio 4’s Midnight News will also close from the end of this calendar year. It will be replaced by a short news summary, followed by editions of some of the BBC’s more prominent podcasts.

Changes are also planned for Today after Amol Rajan leaves the programme in September. The BBC does not plan to replace his role directly, with the programme instead moving to a rota of four permanent presenters.

The Saturday two hour edition of Today will become single headed from September.

BBC Radio 5 Live will also be affected. Weekend Breakfast is to become a two hour programme, while efficiencies are proposed in the station’s overall planning and impact team.

The radio measures form part of the BBC’s wider savings update, which includes £160 million of savings from News, Nations and Content by the end of this financial year, and a net reduction of around 550 roles.

On television, the Sunday edition of Breakfast will cease from September this year and be replaced by News Channel output.

Director General Matt Brittin told staff that reductions of this scale will mean “some compulsory redundancies”, although the BBC will work to avoid them where possible.

The BBC is to review its portfolio as part of new savings plans.

Director General Matt Brittin has told staff that the corporation will reduce commissioning spend across Content, News and Nations by around £80 million in 2027 to 2028, while also reviewing its broadcast TV channels and radio networks as more audiences move online.

In a message sent to staff today, Matt said the first phase of plans from News, Nations and Content will deliver £160 million of cost savings by the end of this financial year, including staff and other costs.

The changes include a net reduction of around 550 roles, forming part of the previously announced plan for 1,800 to 2,000 roles to go over the next three years.

Matt said all BBC divisions will be making significant savings, with further plans to follow over the coming months. Corporate divisions are also being reviewed, with around 700 roles expected to close in those areas.

He told staff: “Reductions of this scale inevitably mean some compulsory redundancies, though we will work hard to avoid this wherever we can.”

The BBC will also close some programmes, with decisions being guided by audience value and impact, changing audience behaviour, and a need to reduce duplication. Senior leadership roles will be reduced by at least 10%.

Various internal meetings are taking place across various sites today, and an all staff session is happening at 2pm, with Kate Phillips, Rhuanedd Richards and Jonathan Munro.

Rob Howard is joining Hits Radio to present a new weeknight evening show from July.

The programme will launch on Monday 6 July and air from Monday to Thursday from 7pm, bringing music, entertainment and listener interaction to the station’s evening schedule.

Rob, who has previously worked at Heart and Capital, will host the show as listeners head home, cook dinner, catch up with friends or settle in for the night.

He said: “I cannot wait to get started on Hits Radio with my new evening show.”

He added there was “something really special” about being part of people’s weeknight routine, whether they are driving home, making dinner, heading out or switching off after a busy day.

Paul Gerrard, Content Director at Hits Radio, said Rob was “a brilliant broadcaster” and “a perfect fit for our station”.

He said Rob would bring warmth, personality and “a real sense of fun” to the new evening programme.

Scott Clarke remains part of the Hits Radio team and will continue his regular Sunday show on Hits Radio between 12pm and 4pm.

He will also move to daytimes on Hits Radio 90s and 00s, where listeners can hear him every weekday from 10am to 3pm.