BBC’s music stations risk losing their groove
Ken Bruce is latest DJ to quit as the Beeb battles to stem falling listenership and an exodus of talent,
Ken Bruce’s departure came as a shock not only to listeners, but also to bosses at the BBC. “It’s a big defection that caught people unawares,” says one industry insider. “Nobody was expecting Ken Bruce to go. He’s 71, he’s an old man, [but] we assumed he’d be on Radio 2 forever.”
A staple of British radio for more than four decades, Bruce is one of the best-known DJs in the industry, entertaining several generations of listeners with music and his hit quiz PopMaster.
Yet the BBC should not have been caught out. Bruce’s departure is not isolated, but rather the latest in a long line of recent exits from the public service broadcaster’s music stations. High-profile names such as Simon Mayo, Vanessa Feltz and Paul O’Grady have all announced their exits over the last year, while Graham Norton left BBC Radio 2 in 2020.
The turmoil in part reflects a concerted effort by the BBC to replace its ageing talent with more youthful presenters as it tries to drag a new generation away from social media giants such as TikTok.
But the shift threatens to ostracise older people and open up a gulf in the broadcaster’s listenership – and in doing so calls into question its remit to deliver for all audiences.
The exodus also signals fresh competition from commercial rivals, who have been unshackled by regulation and are muscling in on the traditional audiences for BBC Radio 1, 2 and 3. The most recent changes, rolled out by regulator Ofcom in 2018, relaxed the requirements for commercial companies to produce local shows, paving the way for the creation of powerful nationwide stations capable of challenging the BBC’s dominance of the national airwaves.
While DJs – and listeners – were once limited to a paltry selection of rivals outside the BBC, power in the industry has now consolidated with the two major players: Global, which owns stations including Capital, Heart, Classic FM and LBC; and Bauer, which owns Jazz FM, Absolute and Magic, among others. Commercial radio now accounts for 51pc of all listening, according to the latest figures from industry body Rajar, with the rise of the private players helped in part by more and more audiences tuning in digitally.
As a result, established presenters are no longer limited to the BBC if they want to reach large audiences. Fortune, as well as fame, is also enticing the top talent: commercial radio stations tend to pay more than the BBC, and DJs have more flexibility to take outside work. Matt Deegan, founder of radio consultant Folder Media, says: “Obviously there’s more rules at the BBC and it’s more complicated to do a cheeky corporate job for £10,000. It’s the nature of the beast, it’s not as flexible as other employers.”
Stars at the BBC are also said to be annoyed by the annual publication of its highest-paid presenters’ salaries, which often leads to a barrage of headlines about overpaid presenters.
The league table is nicknamed the “poacher’s charter” in the industry, giving rivals an easy guide on where to pitch pay when trying to lure talent away from the Beeb. In March last year, Simon Mayo and
Mark Kermode ended their weekly film review show on Radio 5 Live, opting instead to go it alone and relaunch the programme in podcast form. Meanwhile, in current affairs, BBC heavyweights Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall recently defected to Global, where they present the News Agents podcasts.
James Cridland, a radio expert, says: “My suspicion with the big names that we have seen leaving the BBC is, yes, there may be some money in there, but I think mainly the reason why they are leaving is creative freedom to be able to do more.”
A BBC spokesman rejected the claims, saying: “People come and work at the BBC as they know they’ll have creative freedom with us, and can pursue their ambitions and passions.”
The tussle over talent is symptomatic of wider troubles at the corporation. Auntie is struggling to win over young audiences who are more drawn to TikTok or Netflix than Radio 1 or BBC Three.
The organisation also faces a squeeze on its licence fee funding, with Richard Sharp, the BBC chairman, this week warning that the future of the World Service is under threat. The BBC is moving Radio 1 and Radio 2 closer together in a bid to stem the flow of listeners elsewhere. It is also investing heavily in Sounds, its streaming app for music, radio and podcasts.
One senior radio industry source describes this as a “land grab” to attract younger listeners, who are crucial to the survival of radio stations in the advertising-funded commercial sector.
“The challenge for the BBC is getting the replenishers – younger audiences – in the door,” says Deegan.
The strategy has left the BBC open to furious criticism. Vanessa Feltz, a former presenter, accused the corporation of “ageism” in the wake of Bruce’s departure.
The BBC has denied the claim, saying Radio 2 “will continue to be a multigenerational radio station”. It added that its audience age range has not shifted from the over-35s for decades.
Radio 2 remains a dominant force for the over-35 audience and is still Europe’s most popular radio station by listener numbers. However, listeners are voting with their ears and the commercial sector is starting to close the gap.
Rivals such as Greatest Hits are hoping to poach Ken Bruce’s loyal fans, while Boom Radio, a fledgling venture aimed specifically at baby boomers, has become Britain’s fastest-growing station.
Sensing blood in the water, the major groups are freeing up more cash in the hopes of luring more talent. Bauer has been switching off its AM transmitters for Absolute Radio, creating a saving one source said would pay for “three or four Ken Bruces”.
The competition raises difficult questions for executives in W1A over how the BBC can continue to serve older audiences. The gradual shift of Radio 2 down the demographic ladder has also sparked speculation that the BBC could launch a new station to plug the gap, though analysts dismiss the move as too costly and politically challenging.
In the meantime, the broadcaster recently hired Sam Jackson, a former Classic FM chief, as the new controller of Radio 3 to help inject some vigour. Cridland describes the appointment as a “clever move”, adding that it was “exactly the right thing to be doing”.
For BBC bosses, the challenge will be to balance the broadcaster’s push for younger audiences with the need to not alienate its older, more loyal listeners.
But with budgets squeezed, Deegan warns this might just be a sacrifice Aunty is forced to make.
“The BBC can’t do what it used to do, which is be everything to everybody,” he says. “It has to make some bets.”