Janice Long (born April 5, 1955) is an English radio broadcaster
working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday from
midnight and Monday-Thursday at 00:30. She is the sister of TV personality Keith
Chegwin.
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Contents
- 1 Early
career
- 2 BBC
Radio 1
- 3 The
Superstation, GLR and Radio 5
- 4 Crash
FM
- 5 BBC
Radio 2
- 6 Other
radio work
- 7 Other
Work
- 8 External
links
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Early career
Having tried out a career in the airline business and then
living in Amsterdam for almost a year in a tent, Janice found her
spiritual home in radio as a station assistant at BBC
Radio Merseyside in Liverpool.
She then started presenting shows for the station shortly
after and became known for her live "Streetlife" sessions. This show
was lucky enough to coincide with a revival in the Liverpool music
scene with many local new wave artists such as Echo & the Bunnymen,
Pete
Wylie, Hambi and the Dance, Afraid of Mice, The
Icicle Works, and China Crisis.
BBC Radio 1
After being interviewed by Paul
Gambaccini, Janice joined BBC Radio 1 in 1982, presenting a
Saturday evening show between 7:30 - 10pm. For several years (1984-87) she presented the
Monday - Thursday evening show from 7.30-10pm & Singled
Out on Friday evenings from 5.45-7pm.
The evening show is a precursor of the later shows of Steve
Lamacq and Zane Lowe, playing a wide range of music
(especially of the indie-rock and dance genre) and including
a number of features including a weekly "diary" by John Walters, who at the
time was John
Peel's producer. She was the only female DJ allowed to host Top
of the Pops or do Roadshows.
At the end of 1987,
Janice was fired from Radio One for being pregnant and unwed to her now
partner of 20 years. However then Radio One controller Johnny
Beerling claimed she was offered a weekend show on return from
maternity leave, which she refused.
The Superstation, GLR and Radio 5
In 1988, Janice was hired by Richard
Branson's ill fated overnight sustaining service The
Superstation. In 1989,
she joined London station BBC GLR, taking over from Nick
Abbot on the breakfast show. At the time, GLR was being run by
future Radio
1 controller Matthew Bannister and
future Radio 1 executive Trevor Dann. In 1991, she left the
breakfast show of her own volition but continued to work for the
station, where she took over a weekend show. In addition to this, she
was heard presenting and producing occasional shows on the old BBC
Radio 5. Janice became involved with XFM in London, when it had a
restricted service licence and played a crucial part in its bid for a
permanent licence.
Crash FM
In 1995,
Janice moved back up to Liverpool, where she set up her own Radio
station, Crash
FM. With support from Bob Geldof, Boy George, and Primal Scream amongst
others, she put together an RSL and a successful bid for a permanent
licence.
BBC Radio 2
In 1999,
she started appearing on the rejuvenated BBC
Radio 2, presenting a Saturday afternoon show from 3pm to 6pm.
Since 2000,
she has been a weekday presenter and hosts a show between midnight and
3am Sunday to Thursday from the BBC's studios in Birmingham, the city where she now lives
with her family. Live music has included sessions from The
Stranglers, Paul Weller, Morrissey,
Moby, Dandy
Warhols, Stereophonics, Aslan
, and a significant number of new and unsigned bands.
Other radio work
As well as a daily show on Radio 2, Janice can also be heard
on BBC
WM on Saturday mornings from 9am-12pm. Janice also had a spell from
2002 to 2004 presenting The Dream Ticket on BBC 6
Music, which aired from 10pm to midnight, five days a week.
Other Work
She has recently appeared on the X Factor, Countdown,
The Biography Channel, and is
about to be the voice on Desperate Midwives on BBC Three TV.
External links
