The BBC mess with Tony at their peril
I AM disappointed Tony Blackburn and Gary Davies’s Radio 2 shows are being moved from Friday nights. Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour will be on Sunday from 7pm to 8pm while Sounds Of The 80s with Gary Davies will move to Saturday from 8pm to 10pm. When will the BBC management learn that DJs are masters of their craft and their deep love of music has been honed over many years? By contrast, the knowledge of many celebrity presenters is pretty shallow.
Tony Blackburn was a must listen for me on a Friday night, particularly since the excellent music content on BBC4 is becoming digital only.
At least these shows will not be lost, but no doubt this is a precursor to other changes. It was bad enough when Alex Lester and the late, great Janice Long were axed from their excellent late-night programmes, to be replaced by boring, so-called curated playlists. The BBC management needs to think more about the audience it is meant to serve rather than making hare-brained decisions that alienate listeners.
GRAHAM DAY, Stowmarket, Suffolk. TONY BLACKBURN is a brilliant presenter and few other DJs can touch his in-depth knowledge of music. His dedicated listeners will still tune in now his show is moving to Sunday.
I expect some new listeners will be attracted to his Friday replacement Michelle Visage, due to her choice of music and the format of the show, but my family will be turning off.
I don’t believe BBC bosses have a clue about what people want. Radio 2 is not Radio 1 plus. The only decent presenters besides Tony Blackburn are Ken Bruce and Steve Wright. Losing the Friday evening slot is a blow to fans who don’t feel he has been treated well by the BBC. But I don’t think Tony will be too worried as his shows on independent networks are easily accessible.
MARIAN McNULTY, Newport, Gwent.