5 Live Sport


5 Live Sport is the banner of live sports coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live. The regular presenters are Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, Steve Crossman and Darren Fletcher. The programme is on air from Monday to Wednesday 7pm to 10:30pm, Thursday and Friday 7pm to 10pm and at the weekend from 12pm until the early evening, depending on the events being covered.

History

5 Live Sport evolved from the Saturday afternoon radio sports programme Sport on 2, which started on BBC Radio 2 on 4 April 1970. The programme was also broadcast on most bank holiday afternoons. Afternoon-long sporting coverage on Sundays, using different names during the Radio 2 era, was introduced in 1984 although this was confined to the summer months and it took on a format mixing sport and music. It changed its name to Sport on 5 on 1 September 1990 following the transfer of BBC Radio's sports coverage to the newly launched BBC Radio 5. The programme continued to be called Sport on 5 following the replacement of BBC Radio 5 with BBC Radio 5 Live in March 1994. The 5 Live Sport name has been used since 2006.

Format

Original format

The original format featured the major sports events each Saturday afternoon, broadcasting between 1:30pm and 5pm, with updates from the major footballing fixtures and second half commentary on a top match. The location of the commentary game would usually be revealed around 3pm. Sports Report then followed at 5pm. During the summer, Sports Report was not broadcast, meaning that Sport on 2 ran from 1:30pm and 6pm, extended to 7pm during the Wimbledon fortnight.

Current format

The main focus of the programme, especially between August and May, is still on the football season, and in particular the Premier League. 5 Live Sport has live Premier League commentaries on Saturdays at 3 pm and 5:30 pm, as well as on Sundays at 2pm and 4:30pm. They also have live commentaries from the Champions League and FA Cup. The programme also has extensive coverage of the England national team. Mark Chapman is the main presenter. Other major events such as the Formula One, Six Nations and The Ashes are also aired. In the summer, major sporting events such as the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon and the Open are all given extensive coverage.

Presenters