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BBC Radio Five Live is the BBC's radio service devoted to live news, phone-ins, and sports commentaries.

It is transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz AM in the mediumwave band, frequencies that had since 1978 belonged to BBC Radio 2, and on digital radio, digital satellite and digital terrestrial television. The station broadcasts from the News Centre at BBC Television Centre.

The station was originally launched as BBC Radio 5 at 9am on August 27 1990, and carried a mixture of sports, news, children's programming and drama, broadcasting for about 18 hours per day.

In 1991 Operation Desert Storm was launched, the multinational reponse to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From January 16 Radio 4's FM frequencies were used to provide an all-news network for the coverage of the war. Despite protests from BBC Radio 4Radio stations 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It is broadcast on 92 95 MHz FM and 198 kHz longwave; and via DAB, satel listeners the BBC also received praise for the quality of this service and the speed with which it was set up. Following the end of the conflict Radio 4 resumed its normal schedule but the BBC commenced a review into the possibility of providing a full-time news station, also broadcasting a similar service on long wave during the 1992 UK general election campaign. Due to the resistance to any use of Radio 4 FM or LW frequencies it was decided that Radio 5, criticised by John Birt as "improvised and disjointed", would relaunch as a combined news and sport channel.

The "old" Radio 5 closed down at midnight on Sunday March 27March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). There are 279 days remaining. Events 1306 Robert I of Scotland and Elizabeth de Burgh are crowned king and Queen of the Scots. 1513 (not 1512 as often cited) Explorer Jua, 19941994 is a common year starting on Saturday, and was designated the International year of the Family''. Events January events January 1 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect January 6 Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an following a special programme on the subject of endings, and the new Radio Five Live began its 24-hour service on the morning of Monday, March 28March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). There are 278 days remaining. Events 800-1899 845 Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.. The tone of the channel, engaging and more relaxed than contemporary BBC output, was the key to the channel's success and would set the model for more BBC News services later in the decade.

Before the launch of digital broadcasting, both versions of the station broadcast for several years on analogue satellite with near-FM quality.

A companion station, BBC Five Live Sports ExtraFive Live Sports Extra BBC Five Live Sports Extra is an additional radio service provided by the British Broadcasting Corporation via digital radio and the digital satellite and digital terrestrial television services in the UK. It is not available via no, was launched as a digital-only service on February 2February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 332 days remaining (333 in leap years). Events 962 Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. 1032 Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes King of Burgundy. 1119 Callixtus II 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom.

The many presenters over the years have included Danny BakerDanny Baker (born June 22, 1957) is a British comedy writer, radio presenter and former television presenter. He first came to public attention as a journalist for the British music newspaper the NME''. He has presented radio shows for Virgin Radio, BBC R, David Mellor, Nicky Campbell, Stuart Hall , Edwina Currie, Desmond Lynam, Eamonn Holmes , Nick Hancock and Richard Bacon.

See also: List of BBC radio stations