Station Profile: Radio 5 Live

On air with: Gethin Jones

Jones found fame presenting Blue Peter for two years and danced to third place in the last Strictly Come Dancing. He started his new radio show with 5 Live on 5 July. It goes out on Saturday mornings from 9am to 12pm.

Your show is quite different from what you've done before. How has it gone so far?
It's different in that I'll be sat in my studio, rather than jumping off things. Radio is obviously a very different discipline from TV but I've come into this with over 350 hours of live TV behind me. I'm basically just trying to be myself and I hope that the audience is enjoying it.

What have been the highlights so far?
The best thing about the job is just chatting on a Saturday morning - it's basically what I'd be doing with my mates anyway. Also, I leave the studio at 12 noon knowing everything there is to know about sport for the day.

What's the worst thing about the job?
Some people might think leaving the house at 5.45am on a Saturday morning might be tough, but it's a bit of a lie-in after Blue Peter.

What other stations do you listen to?
I'm a bit of flicker before a sticker. I'll normally be flicking around in the mornings until I find a station I like. 5 Live is certainly one of the stations that encapsulates everything I'm interested in. But, I'll also listen to a bit of Chris Moyles or Jonathan Ross, Johnny and Denise or Jamie and Harriet. Basically, anything that takes my fancy.

Why did you choose 5 Live for your first post-Blue Peter project?
It wasn't a conscious decision. When I was looking at various projects this was one that caught my eye and I was delighted to be asked to do it. After Strictly I got offered a show back in Radio Wales for a couple of hours and the guys at 5 Live heard that and they asked me in for a meeting. It all grew from there.

Your sporting background must have helped in the decision
I'm probably not known for having a sporting background, but sport is my passion and always has been. At one point I thought that I was going to play rugby professionally after leaving university but eventually decided it wasn't something I wanted to pursue. I guess now I'll never know.

Station fact file
Head office:  BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London 
No of staff: 170
Owned by: the BBC
Key presenters: Nicky Campbell, Simon Mayo, Peter Allen, Victoria Derbyshire, Richard Bacon, Gethin Jones, Gabby Logan, Alan Green, Eamonn Holmes
Key executives: Adrian Van Klaveren – controller, Jonathan Wall – commissioner, Gordon Turnbull – head of radio sport, Matt Morris – head of news
In a nutshell: "The home of breaking news and live sport on BBC radio" – Van Klaveren
Most recent Rajars: Quarter one Rajar showed 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra combined 6.09 million. Combined overall share of 4.7%.