After over thirty years at BBC Radio 2, veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce will be presenting his final mid-morning show today. He will be leaving the corporation to join Greatest Hits Radio.
His departure from BBC Radio 2 has been seen as a move towards attracting a younger audience. However, critics, such as Paul O’Grady, have claimed that this does not make sense when Radio 1 already targets that demographic.
Bruce is leaving a month earlier than planned as the BBC became frustrated that his shows were ‘free advertising’ for his next station.
Bruce joined the BBC in 1977, and his first regular slot on Radio 2 was the Saturday Late Show in 1984. In 1985, he fronted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from Sir Terry Wogan.
Bruce later moved to mid-mornings in 1986 and, after a brief stint on late nights and early mornings, returned to mid-mornings in January 1992.
Bruce is moving to Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio in April to present a new mid-morning show from 10am to 1pm. Prior to his departure, he expressed his pride in his association with the BBC and Radio 2, but also stated his desire to continue his career ‘in a slightly different way in the next few years.’
However, he revealed that he was ‘surprised and a little disappointed’ to learn that his final show had been brought forward to Friday by the BBC.
A Radio 2 spokesperson said that Ken decided to leave Radio 2 and it was always known he would be leaving in March. Vernon Kay is scheduled to take over Bruce’s slot in May, and Gary Davies will present the mid-morning show from March 6 until Kay takes over.
Industry giants, including Paul O’Grady, have criticized the BBC’s shift towards a younger audience. O’Grady left Radio 2 in 2021 after being asked to share his slot with comedian Rob Beckett and criticized the approach taken by bosses.
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