BBC Radio 1 has signed a three year deal with Sara Cox which will probably see her hosting its flagship breakfast show for some time to come. The deal is understood to be worth more than £1m, and is quite a coup for Cox showing station management paid little attention to the well publicised slump in listeners in the last set of RAJARs. On announcing the deal Cox told reporters: "Radio 1 is the best place I have ever worked. The breakfast show means such a lot to me, especially the listeners who I love, so I'm over the moon". A Radio 1 spokesman added: "Radio 1 is the perfect home for an original talent like Sara Cox so we are really pleased that she has signed to the station for a further three years."
Whether the love affair between Cox and the station will continue if her TV pilot Born Sloppy is commissioned by Channel 4 as its new Friday late show remains to be seen. Chris Evans fell out with Radio 1 bosses when he used his radio show to plug his Channel 4 TV show, and then demanded Friday mornings off to help him prepare for TFI.
Meanwhile Cox’s predecessor Zoe Ball starts a new drive time show on London station Xfm this Monday at 4pm. The much hyped new show will run from Monday to Thursday, Ms Ball being allowed that Friday break by the alternative station.