BBC Radio Orkney is a community radio station and local opt-out service of

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...

, covering the

Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...

. The station is based in Castle Street,

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Depending on the time of year, there are either two or three broadcasts per day on weekdays on the

frequency: the flagship breakfast programme ''Around Orkney'', a short lunchtime news at 12:54 pm featuring local news and weather for Orkney and Shetland, and ''Radio Orkney's Evening Programme''. From January – March, an evening schedule with weekday programmes air from 6 pm to 7 pm. The station can be heard on 93.7 FM, online via their website, BBC Sounds and via smart speakers.

Programming

''Around Orkney''

''Around Orkney'' is a news programme broadcast weekday mornings from 7:30 am to 8:00 am (opting out from

's '' Good Morning Scotland''), featuring local news, weather, travel, sport, daily diary, job opportunities and mart reports. Every Wednesday there is a "Postbag" section featuring letters sent in by listeners. Radio Orkney produced their first-ever outside broadcasts in summer 2007, from the County Show and the Parish Cup Final.

''Radio Orkney's Evening Programme''

''Radio Orkney's Evening Programme'' (often referred to as just ''the evening programme'') is a programme broadcast from 6:10 pm to 7:00 pm from Monday–Thursday between the months of October and May. There are various programmes on the evening schedule, including the regular Monday night ''Bruck'' programme (swaps and appeals), a folk music programme (''Tuesday Folk'')), a country music programme (''On The Border''), ''Whassigo'' (described as "an Orcadian ''

Call My Bluff ''Call My Bluff'' is a British panel game show based on the short-lived US version of the same name. It was originally hosted by Robin Ray and later, most notably, by Robert Robinson. Its most prominent panellist was Frank Muir. The theme m ...

''"), ''Classic Concert'' (archive local recordings) and the annual ''Ba Quiz''.

''Friday Requests''

''Friday Requests'' is broadcast on Friday evenings throughout the year. The programme is identical in structure to the ''Radio Orkney'' programme except that it plays music which residents of

have requested through the week via phoning a request line, usually dedicated their requests.

History

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the ...

band

Wolfstone Wolfstone are a Scottish people, Scottish musical group founded in 1989, who play Celtic rock. Their repertoire consists of both original songs and traditional folk pieces. They have released seven studio albums, the latest, ''Terra Firma (Wol ...

wrote a signature tune for BBC Radio Orkney. However, it was ultimately unused and appeared on their second album '' The Chase'' (1992) as its first track, "Tinnie Run". Former Radio Orkney presenter and editor Dave Gray died suddenly on 21 February 2024 following a short illness. He was 63. Tributes were shared across social media from family, friends, colleagues and listeners.

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

News managing editor, Peter MacRae, said "The Orkney audience took Dave to their hearts because he was the same person on air as off. He was passionate about Orkney and local journalism and a strong advocate for maintaining the BBC's commitment to Scotland's rural communities."Tributes to BBC Radio Orkney's Dave Gray after his death at 63
- 22 February 2024 -

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

References

External links

* *BBC Radio Orkney o
Instagram
* * {{Authority control 1977 establishments in Scotland BBC regional radio stations BBC Scotland Kirkwall Radio stations in Scotland Radio stations established in 1977