Ken Bruce Quits BBC Radio 2

[yorksrob]

Nice to hear that Sir Ken of Bruce is in the King's honours list

 

[dk1]

Nice to hear that Sir Ken of Bruce is in the King's honours list

Well deserved. I do miss his voice each morning but not enough to deflect to commercial radio.

 

[yorksrob]

Well deserved. I do miss his voice each morning but not enough to deflect to commercial radio.

Indeed. I quite like Vernon anyway.

 

[dk1]

Indeed. I quite like Vernon anyway.

He’s slowly growing on me.

 

[duncanp]

Nice to hear that Sir Ken of Bruce is in the King's honours list

It was amusing this morning hearing the BBC referring to him as a "veteran broadcaster" rather than a "veteran BBC Radio 2 presenter"

 

[12LDA28C]

He’s slowly growing on me.

I find him rather annoying. Too loud and with an unpleasant habit of 'singing' at any given moment. Rather tiresome.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Vernon is great. Shows how bland Bruce was.
Coincidently vernon said he was on the same train going into work as ken last week.
Not sure if vernon gets on train at wycombe after dropping off his kids, Denham or Beaconsfield.
Bruce probably Oxford or Haddenham

 

[dk1]

I find him rather annoying. Too loud and with an unpleasant habit of 'singing' at any given moment. Rather tiresome.

Steve Wright did that but somehow it was always acceptable to me. Miss him very much and afternoons will never be the same.

 

[Jamiescott1]

afternoons will never be the same.

Thank god

 

[yorksrob]

Steve Wright did that but somehow it was always acceptable to me. Miss him very much and afternoons will never be the same.

Indeed. Wrightey should be in the honours list as well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jun 2023 ==

It was amusing this morning hearing the BBC referring to him as a "veteran broadcaster" rather than a "veteran BBC Radio 2 presenter"

Well, the BEEB ought to be a bit more gracious, considering.

Vernon bumped into Ken on the bus and it was lovely to hear about the catch-up

 

[dk1]

Indeed. Wrightey should be in the honours list as well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jun 2023 ==

Top radio DJ. There’s not many of them left. I still think of him every time I hear Witchita Lineman (end of show) but sadly I’m no fan of Sunday Love Songs.

 

[JonathanH]

I still think of him every time I hear Witchita Lineman (end of show) but sadly I’m no fan of Sunday Love Songs.

Yes, that was a classic ending for many years, but for the final ten years he had a different closer, written by Anthony James.

 

[dk1]

Yes, that was a classic ending for many years, but for the final ten years he had a different closer, written by Anthony James.

It’s coming up to 17:00 and the chippy is open. All comes flooding back.

 

[Bobdogs]

Kay is not a proper DJ. I cannot stand his boring monotone droning, which does nothing to make the quiz (?) worth listening to.
Gary Davies is a proper DJ and should have got the job, not some monosyllabic Z list "celebrity".

 

[dosxuk]

not some monosyllabic Z list "celebrity"

Bit harsh to describe someone who's celebrity entirely comes from being a radio and television presenter, especially in the context of being appointed as a radio presenter.

 

[Purple Train]

PopMaster is going to be a tv programme on channel 4 according to the BBC. PopMaster: Ken Bruce music quiz to become TV show on Channel 4

six hour long episodes just seem ludicrous to me, i mean the actual quiz must be 5-10 minutes long.

They could at least have cut it to four hours...

Steve Wright did that but somehow it was always acceptable to me. Miss him very much and afternoons will never be the same.

Hear hear. I do find it really jarring watching videos of him speaking - hearing that voice coming from a face feels really strange!

 

[yorksrob]

I've often decried the trendyfication of Radio 2, however over the last couple of weeks I've been listening to a local community radio station with an absolutely superb range of music. Even the advertising isn't obtrusive.

Might listen to it on t'interweb when I'm back up north.

 

[Jimini]

Just spotted this from a few days ago:

BBC Radio 2 sheds a million listeners since Ken Bruce departure

BBC Radio 2 has lost one million listeners since veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce left the station, new figures show.

www.thenational.scot

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Aug 2023 ==

“ The station saw its average weekly listeners drop by 7% from 14.5 million in January to March 2023 to 13.5 million in April to June – the largest quarterly fall for Radio 2 since audience research body Rajar resumed collecting data in September 2021 after it was paused at the start of the pandemic.

Scottish broadcaster Bruce left Radio 2 on March 3, having presented his mid-morning programme for more than three decades, and began a new show on Greatest Hits Radio in April – taking with him his popular music radio quiz PopMaster.

Veteran BBC DJ Gary Davies filled in as mid-morning host until May, when Bolton-born broadcaster Vernon Kay took over permanently.

At the same time, Greatest Hits Radio saw a 13% jump in its average weekly audience, from 5.1 million in January-March to 5.8 million in April-June, along with a 59% increase year-on-year.“

 

[dk1]

Veteran BBC DJ Gary Davies filled in as mid-morning host until May, when Bolton-born broadcaster Vernon Kay took over permanently.

I still stand by my original decision that Gary would have been the best fit for Ken’s replacement.

 

[duncanp]

Just spotted this from a few days ago:

BBC Radio 2 sheds a million listeners since Ken Bruce departure

BBC Radio 2 has lost one million listeners since veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce left the station, new figures show.

www.thenational.scot

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Aug 2023 ==

“ The station saw its average weekly listeners drop by 7% from 14.5 million in January to March 2023 to 13.5 million in April to June – the largest quarterly fall for Radio 2 since audience research body Rajar resumed collecting data in September 2021 after it was paused at the start of the pandemic.

Scottish broadcaster Bruce left Radio 2 on March 3, having presented his mid-morning programme for more than three decades, and began a new show on Greatest Hits Radio in April – taking with him his popular music radio quiz PopMaster.

Veteran BBC DJ Gary Davies filled in as mid-morning host until May, when Bolton-born broadcaster Vernon Kay took over permanently.

At the same time, Greatest Hits Radio saw a 13% jump in its average weekly audience, from 5.1 million in January-March to 5.8 million in April-June, along with a 59% increase year-on-year.“

The only shows on Radio 2 I listen to now are Sounds Of The Sixties with Tony Blackburn on Saturday mornings, and Jeremy Vine (depending on what topics he is discussing)

The Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo shows on Greatest Hits radio are almost identical to their Radio 2 incarnations.

 

[dk1]

The only shows on Radio 2 I listen to now are Sounds Of The Sixties with Tony Blackburn on Saturday mornings, and Jeremy Vine (depending on what topics he is discussing)

The Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo shows on Greatest Hits radio are almost identical to their Radio 2 incarnations.

Got to say that Pick of the Pops, Ryland, Michelle Visage & Sara Cox are also a must for me. It’s Scott Mills & Rob Beckett that get me switching channels in no time.

 

[12LDA28C]

Got to say that Pick of the Pops, Ryland, Michelle Visage & Sara Cox are also a must for me. It’s Scott Mills & Rob Beckett that get me switching channels in no time.

Sara Cox is tedious beyond belief. She literally sounds like she's reading her lines from cue cards and she's bored sh!tless whilst doing so. She repeats the same words to introduce her banal quizzes and phone-ins every single day. Can't stand her. And as for Vernon 'I'm so northern and so loud' Kay, he's even worse.

 

[dk1]

Sara Cox is tedious beyond belief. She literally sounds like she's reading her lines from cue cards and she's bored sh!tless whilst doing so. She repeats the same words to introduce her banal quizzes and phone-ins every single day. Can't stand her. And as for Vernon 'I'm so northern and so loud' Kay, he's even worse.

I recall you saying something similar about her before. I quite enjoy listening to her but preferred Simon Mayo if I’m honest.

 

[12LDA28C]

I recall you saying something similar about her before. I quite enjoy listening to her but preferred Simon Mayo if I’m honest.

Agreed, much prefer Simon Mayo.

 

[Purple Train]

Got to say that Pick of the Pops, Ryland, Michelle Visage & Sara Cox are also a must for me. It’s Scott Mills & Rob Beckett that get me switching channels in no time.

Rylan is very entertaining, except when he's reading out awful poetry. And the dramatic pauses....................................................................... are really annoying.

 

[dk1]

Rylan is very entertaining, except when he's reading out awful poetry. And the dramatic pauses....................................................................... are really annoying.

All made up for when Mummy Linda comes on at 16:51 lol

 

[Blindtraveler]

I do sound at the 60s on catch up at a time that suits me during the week as I either don't see six o'clock on a Saturday morning or if I do I want something a little bit more chilled out, but other than that radio 2 just does not figure in my listening habits and this should say something to the BBC as I am their prime target audience in terms of age and taste

Honestly it's just so bland and beige and boring and soupy that I can't stand

 

[Ashley Hill]

I hardly list to R2 anymore as I no longer feel it represents my age group. The music and DJ style is becoming tedious. More often i listen to either Absolute 80s or DevonAir Gold.

 

[Jamiescott1]

I listen to vernon and Scott mills live and usually listen to spoony on sounds. All excellent shows and bang on their target audience

 

[dangie]

Even after all these years I still think Tony Blackburn is the best Radio 2 presenter.