BBC Radio 2 has lost thousands of listeners in the last year after changing up the schedule and bringing in younger presenters for the shows. Now, listeners have threatened to pull their support for the broadcaster and tune into alternatives such as Boom Radio.
Annoyed with the replacements being made by the BBC, Radio 2 listeners have switched over to Boom Radio which is aimed at listeners born between 1946 and 1964.
They have also been showing support to the Greatest Hits Radio, where Ken Bruce now resides and presents, taking his PopMaster quiz with him.
Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show has seen the largest drop in listeners weekly, with the total being down 359,000 in the last quarter of 2022, compared to the same time in 2021.
Despite the significant drop in listeners, it is still the most listened-to breakfast radio programme, pulling in a weekly audience of 7.1 million.
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Radio 4’s Today listening figures have dropped by 282,000 to 6.1 million in the same period, alongside Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show losing around 200,000, down to 1.6 million a week.
The figures have been published by research group Rajar and show all major BBC stations saw a decline in figures over the past year.
Radio 2’s decline comes after Steve Wright’s afternoon slot was replaced by Radio 1’s Scott Mills after 23 years.
Subsequently, Paul O’Grady walked away from his show after 14 years after being forced to share his time slot with comedian Rob Beckett.
“But I think over the last few years I have done everything that is possible at Radio 2, I had some great times.
“It’s just time to try something a little bit different.”
An insider told The Sun: “Ken is still hugely ambitious and the BBC actually offered him a new deal. But after some months of negotiations, he decided the time was right for new opportunities.
“The music has become edgier and more modern and the DJs seemingly ever-younger, which is a bit concerning for the old guard.”
Fellow BBC Radio 2 presenter Vanessa Feltz, who also handed over the reins to her radio show, claimed BBC bosses “don’t value older presenters”.
She told This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “I would imagine that it is a feeling of some ageism at the BBC.
“Once you get over a certain age, your days are numbered and you are not valued in the same way.
“The music isn’t as appealing because they have changed the music of Radio 2 to appeal to a younger audience they are so desperate to get.
“But I imagine he [Ken] felt he didn’t have a bright future there.”