Legendary DJ Ken Bruce says Radio 2's urge to 'think of itself as being cool' is damaging the station as listeners plunge by more than a million after his departure
- Veteran presenter's Greatest Hits Radio shows boasts 3.8m weekly listeners
Legendary DJ Ken Bruce has said that his former employer Radio 2's urge to 'think of itself as being cool' is damaging the station.
The channel has continued to haemorrhage listeners after the veteran host's fraught departure last year, with more than a million tuning out.
And Bruce, whose new show on Greatest Hits Radio draws in some 3.8 million weekly listeners, has called on the BBC to change tack, arguing that being untrendy was the station's unique selling point.
He added that the channel should leave being cool to Radio 1 and avoid appealing to anyone under the age of 35.
The 73-year-old told the Beyond The Title podcast: 'I think there should be always a clear division between Radio 1 and Radio 2.
Ken Bruce pictured with three TRIC awards after a successful night on June 25. The DJ has said his former employer Radio 2's urge to 'think of itself as being cool' is damaging the station
Bruce announced in January 2023 that he would be leaving the BBC after 31 years to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio
'There should be clear blue water, as they say in politics, between what each station is doing.
'Radio 1 should be serving 15 to 30 age group, and Radio 2 should be serving 35 plus - not really any younger than that.
'It's a state of mind, Radio 2, it's not so much about the music that's being played, I don't think.'
The Scottish presenter, who spent 39 years at the station, added that whenever the channel started thinking of itself as being cool he'd put a halt to his tenure.
He added: 'You move from being a youngster who's interested in going to clubs and meeting people and having a great time, to becoming somebody with a career, very often a family, and responsibilities - and it's a state of mind.
'And you're also more comfortable with yourself so you don't mind being uncool when you're over 35.
'Whenever Radio 2 started to think of itself as being cool, I always said, stop, stop, stop, stop. That's the worst thing we can do.'
A Radio 2 spokesperson said: 'Radio 2, the UK's most listened to radio station with 13.2m listeners each week, continues to target an audience aged 35+, a target that has remained unchanged for decades.
'Vernon Kay, who presents Radio 2's mid morning show, remains the UK's most listened to radio programme with 6.75m listeners each week.'
Bruce's latest outspoken remarks come after he attracted the ire of 'Swifties' for refusing to play Taylor Swift songs on his Greatest Hits Radio show until 'she writes something that isn't about her ex-boyfriends'.
After announcing his move to Greatest Hits Radio, Bruce later took a swipe at the BBC after bosses demanded he step down from his role 17 days early
The broadcaster took his PopMaster Quiz show from the BBC to the station last year but has made it very clear he will not bend to Taylor Swift mania and play the 34-year-old's music.
He told The Mail on Sunday: 'All her songs are the same. I'll play her on my station when she writes something that isn't about her ex-boyfriends. Great radio songs have three beats and then they're straight into the song, not these long intros that she does.
'We're a 70s, 80s and 90s radio show as our core audience is older.'
The radio broadcaster was best known for presenting his mid-morning Radio 2 show from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2023.
However in January 2023, Bruce announced he would be leaving the BBC to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio.
After announcing his move to Greatest Hits Radio, Bruce later took a swipe at the BBC after bosses demanded he step down from his role 17 days early, with Gary Davies taking over his slot until permanent replacement Vernon Kay joined in May 2023.
Bruce told his fans that after decades with the BBC, he wanted to continue his career 'in a slightly different way in the next few years'.
However, the presenter claimed the national broadcaster asked him to leave Radio 2 before the end of his contract.
Bruce pictured leaving Wogan House in London after presenting his final Radio 2 show on March 3, 2023
The broadcaster has made it very clear he will not bend to Taylor Swift mania and play the 34-year-old's music (pictured: Swift at an Eras Tour concert in Dublin on June 28)
In a tweet, Bruce said: 'I had intended fulfilling my contract until the end of March but the BBC has decided it wants me to leave earlier. Let's enjoy the week ahead!'
He later told the Daily Mail that he 'wasn't given any real reason that I understood' by the BBC for the decision to move his final programme.
However, sources told The Sun: 'The BBC believe that every second he is on air is just free advertising for his new show on Greatest Hits Radio.
'They became frustrated by the rival station launching a marketing campaign for his show. It leaves a sour taste.'
In response to Bruce's comments, a Radio 2 spokesman said: 'Ken decided to leave Radio 2 and it's always been known he's leaving in March.'
Meanwhile the star recently criticised the BBC over a 'lack of support' following his shock radio exit.
Bruce has claimed his programme didn't get a mention or any form of promotion when it became the biggest show on air.
He told The Telegraph earlier this month: 'I didn't want any hoo-ha, so when my show became the biggest show on radio, I didn't want to say anything about it but I kind of thought the BBC should.
'I wasn't expecting to be carried on a litter with people strewing palms in front of me, but I thought, surely that's worth a mention? As far as I'm aware, it wasn't mentioned by the BBC at all. Ever.'
Vernon Kay pictured ahead of his first day taking over Bruce's slot in May 2023. The channel's listenership has plummeted by more than one million over the last year
Meanwhile, Greatest Hits Radio which boasts Simon Mayo (pictured) as a host has recorded a 50 per cent increase, with more than 2.5 million new listeners taking its total to 7.69 million
Mayo pictured in the BBC radio booth in 1999. He also moved on from the broadcaster and has ended up at Greatest Hits Radio
Weekly audience figures for the BBC's most popular radio service between January and March were down by 1.23 million from 14.46 million to 13.23 million – nearly 9 per cent – on the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Greatest Hits Radio, which Bruce joined in April last year after 31 years at the BBC, has recorded a 50 per cent increase, with more than 2.5 million new listeners taking its total to 7.69 million.
The Rajar listening figures show that Greatest Hits Radio, which also counts ex-BBC DJ Simon Mayo as a host, now has a larger audience than BBC Radio 1, which recorded a 266,000 drop in its audience to 7.31million.
