Long term Radio 2 listeners were livid when Ken Bruce, host of the biggest radio show in Europe, apparently, decided to leave the station in order to move to one of the great retirement homes for DJs. Ignoring the simple fact that Bruce decided of his own accord to vacate Wogan House, some folk were livid. Fancy letting him go. He should have been forced to stay, against his will, forever, because we, the great radio audience, say so. No matter that it was Ken himself who decided to leave. It was the BBC’s fault, even though they had offered him a new contract. It is disappointing when sometimes things change – I absolutely hate change – but it’s also true that nothing lasts forever.
Bruce’s departure was hot on the heels of the axing of Steve Wright in the Afternoon, which had been a staple of radio entertainment for at least the last two centuries, or at least it felt like two centuries. Wright’s dreary and tired shtick wore me out years ago, not least because I listen to the radio for the music and not to hear some twat talk through the songs, sing along and then rarely say what the last track was. Add to that saccharin laced sycophantic interviews with big stars – “How great are you?” – was always enough for me to reach for the off switch. But for millions, the safety of the same show going out every day was what they loved. And it’s pretty clear that the decision to replace Wright with Scott Mills, an excellent DJ by the way, was surely motivated at least in part by age.
The late Paul O’Grady left Radio 2 in the summer of 2022 when the controller decided, somewhat pointlessly, to make him share air time with the comedian Rob Beckett. This simply had to be a conscious decision to bring in a younger presenter. Were O’Grady’s powers in decline? Hardly. He was more popular than ever.
Radio 2 is the station of choice for those who find that Radio 1 is full of ghastly modern music – if you can call it music! – which only youngsters could possibly enjoy. Music isn’t as good as it used to be etc etc. And I am as guilty as the next woman and man when I hear what passes for the Top 40 these days, not that I have the first clue what’s in it, I have to say. But here’s the thing. Unlike the myriad of commercial radio stations, the BBC is a public service. It is supposed to have something for everyone and that must include shows like Paul O’Grady’s and – God help us – Steve Wright. Because I know what it’s like when radio controllers mess about with the schedule for no obvious reason.
I listen almost exclusively to BBC 6 Music and I have been pissed off when they’ve fucked with the formula. I could just about cope when Shaun Keaveny was moved from the breakfast show to afternoons because I could still listen to him, but when he left altogether I was bereft. Keaveny replaced Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie’s afternoon show which was radio perfection for me and shifted them to weekends. It was an act of pure vandalism so I understand the anger of Steve Wright listeners. If the move Lauren Laverne from the breakfast show, I swear I will kill someone. I get it.
In the end, age is but a number and all organisations, not just the BBC, would do well to remember that. Ken Bruce left Radio 2 out of choice, Steve Wright left his afternoon show not through choice but it sure feels like ageism is at work.
If Radio 2 needed freshening up – and I think no one should be exempt from the process – then it shouldn’t matter whether a DJ is 18 or 80. It’s how good they are. And it should always be about the music and despite my misgivings the station still plays music you would never hear on any commercial station like, say, Boom and Greatest Hits radio. Hopefully, there’s something for everyone, or at least there should be. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than the Greatest Hits playlist, but I am not you. Millions will travel to hear Ken Bruce, popmaster and endless advertisements for cut price furniture but don’t blame the BBC. They need to do better, for sure, and concern themselves less with age. At my age I’m just grateful I can hear anything at all.
