BBC London

BBC London

BBC London is a part of the BBC English Region. It makes local news, radio, television, and online services for London, Surrey, and nearby areas in the Home Counties.

It creates important programs like the daily BBC London news bulletin and the weekly Sunday Politics show. People can also listen to the BBC Radio London station, which shares local news and entertainment.

The BBC London team works from a modern office in the new eastern part of the BBC's Broadcasting House. Using BBC Online and BBC Red Button, they share local stories and events with people across London, helping everyone learn about what is happening in their communities.

Services

Television

The main TV service is the BBC London bulletin, shown every day on BBC One. It airs during BBC Breakfast, after BBC News at One, BBC News at Ten, and BBC Weekend News. The main evening show runs from 6:30 PM to 7 PM on weekdays, right after BBC News at Six, and is hosted by Riz Lateef. It also makes shows about local news, current events, and sports, including a weekly magazine program called Inside Out, and a 20-minute segment during Sunday Politics.

Radio

Main article: BBC Radio London

BBC Radio London plays talk and music all day, every day. You can hear it in London on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 (just in London), Freeview Channel 721, and online. The morning show is hosted by Penny Smith and Paul Ross, with a midday call-in show led by Vanessa Feltz. The morning and afternoon shows include local news and stories, with reporters out in the city. Other shows, like those hosted by JoAnne Good or Robert Elms, mix talk and music, with news updates every half hour.

News on BBC Radio London is longer than on other BBC stations — 5 minutes at the top of every hour. It covers international, national, and local news, plus weather and sports. The station also gives regular travel updates using info from Transport for London, National Rail, and National Highways. These updates happen every 15 minutes during busy times and at 31 and 58 minutes past the hour during quieter times. Sports are a big part of the schedule, with three hours of sports talk each weeknight and four hours on weekends, showing off London’s many teams and events.

History

The BBC London news bulletin began on October 1, 2001, after changes in how TV signals worked. This created a new setup for BBC programs in London and nearby places. Before this, London had its own news programs for many years, but the areas covered were not always clear because TV signals did not follow exact borders.

Over time, many different news programs served London. In the past, there was a London segment of a national show called Nationwide, and other programs like BBC London Plus and Newsroom South East. Today, the BBC London program focuses mainly on Greater London and some nearby areas, such as parts of Bedfordshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire in the East of England region, and parts of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex in the South East England region.

Studios

See also: Broadcasting House

Before BBC London started, news services for the area were in different places like Shepherd's Bush, White City, and Elstree in Hertfordshire. When BBC London began, it moved to Marylebone High Street temporarily. This was only meant to be for a short time because the BBC wanted to bring all its London work together into a few buildings.

Later, the BBC built a big new wing called the Egton Wing at Broadcasting House, which was renamed the Peel Wing after John Peel. BBC London moved there in 2009 when the building was finished.