Ken Bruce has expressed his considerations about the way forward for the BBC after his departure.
The 73-year-old presenter first moved to a weekday morning present and after a short stint of lower than a 12 months in 1990 within the late night after which within the early morning, he returned to the morning exhibits in January 1992, the place he offered for greater than 30 years, till his departure in 2023.
It was at this level that Ken determined to resign and in April final 12 months he left for Best Hits Radio.
Reflecting on his departure, the Scottish radio presenter has now mentioned he believes politics influenced his departure, as he felt sidelined by the Beeb. Ken initially insisted it was his resolution to go away, describing his three a long time on the company as 'tremendously joyful'.
In a brand new interview, Ken expressed his frustration with youthful stars who spend a lot of their time behind the microphone telling tales from their very own lives, in addition to the brand new era of presenters taking up the airwaves.
“I feel a number of the youthful individuals in broadcasting, individuals with much less expertise, would possibly say, ‘They need me to speak about myself.’ And that’s not essentially true,” Ken mentioned.
He added to The Occasions: 'It's not what you say, it's what you don't say on the radio.
“You don't have to speak lots to make an impression. You are able to do that in three phrases or a sentence. You don't have to speak for 4 minutes about what you had been doing or what you thought was humorous.”
Ken shared his considerations in regards to the path the BBC might go in, persevering with: 'I'm involved about the way forward for the BBC. I feel they should be cautious the place they're going.
'Industrial radio is absolutely wholesome; it's rising and rising and rising. And I simply suppose it's arduous to reinvent one thing [the Radio 2 schedule] that has been profitable for a few years.
“It's a corporation that adjustments slowly, like a supertanker. It wants individuals with imaginative and prescient to verify it goes in the appropriate path.”
This isn't the primary time Ken has expressed his emotions towards the announcer since his departure.
Shortly earlier than he offered his final present final spring, he wrote on X: 'I'm presenting my final present on Radio 2 subsequent Friday. I had deliberate to fulfil my contract till the top of March, however the BBC have determined they need me to go earlier. Let's benefit from the coming week!'
A spokesperson responded to Ken's feedback on the time: 'Ken has determined to go away Radio 2 and it has at all times been recognized that he would go away in March.
'After a month of broadcasting the Piano Room periods in Maida Vale, it was a pure change to return to Wogan Home for per week.'
“We want Ken all one of the best for the long run,” they concluded.
Sadly for the BBC, Ken's dismissal has had an affect on Radio 2's rankings, as he apparently took the listeners with him.
Greater than 1,000,000 individuals not hearken to Best Hits, whereas he has a median of three.8 million listeners per week. Ken thinks it’s because Radio 2 is making an attempt to profile itself as a 'cool' station.
The legendary presenter needs them to focus on individuals aged 35 and over and urges them to let go of this mindset.
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Earlier this summer season, Ken mentioned on the Past The Title podcast: 'There ought to at all times be a transparent separation between Radio 1 and Radio 2. It's a frame of mind, not simply in regards to the music being performed.'
He then acknowledged that 'Radio 2 pondering it's cool is the worst factor we are able to do', to which a spokesperson responded: 'Radio 2, essentially the most listened to radio station within the UK with 13.2 million listeners per week, nonetheless targets an viewers of 35 and over, a demographic that has remained unchanged for many years.'
They added to Metro.co.uk that Vernon Kay, who presents Radio 2's morning present, stays essentially the most listened to radio programme within the UK with 6.75 million listeners per week.
Vernon was formally confirmed as Ken's substitute in February final 12 months. BBC DJ Gary Davies took over as mid-morning host till final Could earlier than Vernon took over completely.
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