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BBC Radio 5
Broadcast area	UK - National MW
Frequency	693 kHz, 909 kHz (990 kHz in West Wales)
First air date	27 August 1990 - 27 March 1994
Format	Sport, education, children's programmes
Owner	BBC

BBC Radio 5 was, for three years and eight months, a BBC radio network that carried sports, children's and educational programmes.

It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz AM in the mediumwave band, frequencies that belonged to BBC Radio 2 from November 23, 1978 to August 26, 1990.

The station launched at 9am on August 27, 1990, with a brief pre-recorded skit from comedians Trevor Neal and Simon Hickson (consisting of the two larking about in the studio amid the strains of "Sailing By", and Trevor suddenly being cut off while he was reading his so-called "Ode to Radio 5") and Take Five, a pre-recorded programme by Bruno Brookes (who was doing his live breakfast show on Radio 1 at launch time), and broadcasting for about 18 hours per day:

"The sports output from Radio 2 Medium Wave, all the Schools and Continuing Education programmes from Radio 4 FM, the Open University programmes from Radios 3 and 4 FM and programmes for children and young people from Radio 4 and some World Service output. This was a network with no audience focus, born out of expediency. "^[1]

In 1991 Operation Desert Storm was launched, the multinational response 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, dubbed "Radio 4 News FM"^[2]. Despite protests from BBC Radio 4 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 signed off at midnight on Sunday March 27, 1994 with a pre-recorded sketch at the end of a special programme. Ten minutes later, the frequencies closed down for the night following a generic BBC Radio News and Sport bulletin and the new Radio Five Live began its 24-hour service at 5am on Monday, March 28 1994.

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• Hit The North with Mark Radcliffe featured the first ever radio session from Oasis
• Fantasy Football League
• Room 101
• 6-0-6
• Formula Five
• They Think It's All Over with Des Lynam
• Cult Radio with Marc Riley
• Fighting Talk

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• Radio Stations of the BBC

• A few jingles from R5, including the final close of the old R5