About Radio 5 Live
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 5 Live is the voice of the UK, bringing the most entertaining conversation, gripping sporting events, compelling news stories and diverse opinions to millions of people every week.
The station aims to set the national agenda on big news and sport stories through the ownership of key issues and we put the audience at the heart of everything we do. Broadcasting from our base in Salford, we take our commitment to reflect how the whole of the UK really thinks and feels very seriously. We tell more stories from more places than any other broadcaster, capturing the widest range of voices and views. We also travel the world to give our listeners insight into life beyond our borders.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ 5 Liveβs world-class sports coverage and commentary brings nation-uniting moments to life across many different sports. We cover a minimum of 20 different sports a year, from broadcasting over 100 commentaries from the Premier League each season, to the Olympics, Wimbledon, 6 Nations and Test Match Special.
Commissioning Process
Most of our daily output is produced by ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Sport. However, we do have a few regular strands that are competed. Current examples include 606, Patrick Kielty, WSL, Formula 1 and several more. Details of any open commissioning rounds for such programmes will be published on our Current Commissioning Opportunities page and will be formal rounds run through Proteus.
Ad hoc commissions
Ad hoc commissions are relatively rare, and the budget we can dedicate to them is fairly small. But we value innovation and originality, and we have a flexible schedule which can respond quickly - so we are always keen to listen to ideas which fall outside the formal commissioning process detailed above.
As 5 Live now plays out many of its podcasts on air, the opportunity to commission one-off documentaries is limited. However, we do operate an βalways openβ ad hoc round and do welcome ideas for specials, series or seasons that can operate within our current schedule, rather than stand-alone programmes. Example of this include the βBlack & The Union Jackβ season that saw 5 Live team up with 1 Xtra for 4 special programmes that looked at black culture in the UK today, or our βWord Mattersβ season that ran for many months looking at the issue of adult literacy in the UK.
In the first instance, if you have a specific idea for a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ 5 Live programme, you should contact Lead Commissioning Editor Richard Maddock.
