Who Is Replacing Ken Bruce?

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What will replace PopMaster on Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 has revealed that they are launching a brand new weekday music quiz as Ken Bruce leaves the station and takes the Popmaster quiz with him to his new job. The 72-year-old has left the BBC after working there for 45 years to move over to present Greatest Hits Radio.

Ken will be replaced by Vernon Kay but he won’t start officially until May, however Gary Davies is filling in in the meantime, and the station has announced Gary will debut a new music quiz, writes The Mirror. The segment, called Ten to the Top, is an accumulator quiz, where each player will be asked ten questions about pop music, with the value of points increasing – it will be on the station at 10.30am.

Ken was supposed to present his last show at the end of March, however he announced last month that the Beeb had decided he should leave earlier. Ken spoke to the Today programme, and admitted that he was “a little surprised and disappointed” to discover he was being removed from the show early. Ken Bruce has left the BBC, and taken Popmaster with him (Image: Tim Merry) He said: “It’s entirely within the BBC’s right to ask me to step away a little early. But for the sake of 17 days, which was all that was remaining (on my contract), it seems a shame.” He added: “My belief is that, when I’m given a contract, I work to it and complete it.

Over the last 46 years, I haven’t had very much time off. I’ve attempted to turn up whenever I’m required to turn up. So my natural feeling as a broadcaster is I’ve got 17 days to do, I want to do them.” At the start of the year, Ken announced that he was leaving Radio 2, becoming the latest star to part ways with the station.

Ken follows the likes of Paul O’Grady, Graham Norton, Chris Evans, Craig Charles and Vanessa Feltz in what has been described as a ‘legends exodus’. Gary Davies launches a new pop quiz this week Before leaving, Ken said he would “always be proud” of his association with the BBC and Radio 2. In a statement, the BBC said: “Ken decided to leave Radio 2 and it’s always been known he’s leaving in March.

What is replacing PopMaster?

Ken Bruce’s long-running PopMaster will be replaced when broadcaster Gary Davies launches BBC Radio 2’s new weekday pop quiz Ten To The Top. Veteran Scottish radio presenter Bruce, who signed off from his final Radio 2 show on Friday, is moving to Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio in April to present a new mid-morning show, taking the popular PopMaster game with him.

1. Davies, host of the station’s Sounds Of The 80s, will present the mid-morning show until new host Vernon Kay takes over in May on a date which is yet to be announced.
2. On Monday, the 65-year-old DJ will usher in the new daily music trivia game, which has been described as an “accumulator quiz where it pays to answer the questions correctly in order”, the BBC said.

“Ten To The Top will test our listeners’ music knowledge as they battle for pop supremacy,” it added. The quiz will see each player asked 10 questions about pop music, with the first question worth one point, the second question worth two points, all the way up to 10.

• However, if a question is answered incorrectly, the value of the following question goes back to one point and the accumulator begins again.
• The BBC said each contestant has a joker to play on one question which will earn them double points if answered correctly, and the player with the most points wins a smart speaker.

A draw will see Davies deliver a tie-breaker question. It comes as U2’s Bono and The Edge, Depeche Mode and Cat Burns are confirmed to perform in Radio 2’s Piano Room at the Maida Vale studios in March and April. The Piano Room for U2’s Bono and The Edge will air on March 16 and their classic cover is a track by Abba.

Bono said: “We have played music in this room many times over the years. In fact, it was 40 years ago, almost to the day, that we first met our longtime creative director Willie Williams right here, in the hallowed halls of the BBC Maida Vale. You have to be at your best here.” Meanwhile, Depeche Mode’s Piano Room will be broadcast on April 6 with their classic cover of a track by Scott Walker.

The recording was the band’s first UK performance since the death of keyboard player Andy Fletcher last year. Subscribe here for the latest news where you live Singer-songwriter Burns will also perform a cover of a hit song by Ariana Grande which will air on April 20.

Who will take over Ken Bruce show

Vernon Kay to take over from Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 mid-morning show Vernon Kay has been unveiled as the new host of the mid-morning show on, although it will not launch until May. Ken Bruce, who has presented the show for more than three decades, is,

1. Based on RAJAR figures, Bruce can claim to be the nation’s most popular broadcaster.
2. His last show on Radio 2 will be broadcast on Friday, March 3.
3. The Radio 2 show has been a key platform for music and artists, including the performance slot.
4. The show had a weekly reach of 8.56 million, according to the results, putting Bruce ahead of Radio 2 Breakfast presenter Zoe Ball (7.37m).

From Monday, March 6, Gary Davies, host of the Sounds Of The 80s show (Saturday, 8-10pm), will present the mid-morning show until May. Vernon Kay said: “I’m absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone to present the mid-morning show on Radio 2, and what an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce.

1. I look forward to playing some of the best music in the world whilst in the company of the Radio 2 listeners who I feel I’ve got to know over the last 18 months.
2. It’s a dream come true to join the Radio 2 family and I can’t wait to start.”, said: “Radio 2 is home to some of the UK’s best loved presenters, and I’m thrilled to welcome Vernon to mid-mornings on Radio 2.

He’s a hugely talented, warm and witty host who has already proved himself to be a firm favourite with our listeners when he’s presented many and varied shows across the station. I can’t wait to hear his brilliant new show.” Vernon Kay will be familiar to Radio 2 listeners as he’s covered for The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Rylan on Saturday and Dermot O’Leary.

Has Gary Davies replace Ken Bruce?

Who is Gary Davies? – Gary Davies is a radio presenter and broadcaster, who currently presents Sounds of the ‘80s on BBC Radio 2. He will take over Ken Bruce’s now-vacant mid-morning slot until May, when Vernon Kay will replace Bruce on a permanent basis.

• Davies started his career in local radio, joining Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio in 1979.
• Three years later, in 1982, he joined BBC Radio 1, first presenting a late-night show on Saturdays before taking over in the weekday lunchtime slot from 1984.
• He was also a regular host of Top of the Pops.
• He remained with Radio 1 until he was dismissed by the station’s then-controller Matthew Bannister in 1993, when several long-serving DJs were sacked as part of a bid to modernise its line-up by bringing in younger presenters.

He joined Virgin Radio the following year. Davies returned to the BBC for the first time in 23 years in June 2017, when he stood in for Sara Cox for a special, extended edition of Radio 2’s Sounds of the ‘80s. He took over from Cox permanently in May 2018, and also provides holiday cover for other Radio 2 presenters.

Why is Radio 2 losing listeners?

BBC Radio 2 loses 1 million listeners since Ken Bruce departure BBC lost more than a million listeners since Ken Bruce left the station for commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio, according to official audience data. Bruce spent three decades presenting the same mid-morning timeslot on Radio 2, where his mild-mannered style and Popmaster music quiz helped build the biggest audience in British radio.

1. Yet bosses failed to nail down their most popular presenter on a new contract, enabling Bruce to jump ship to Greatest Hits Radio to present a show in a similar timeslot.
2. Bruce was also able to take Popmaster from the BBC to his new employer, after personally securing the trademark during the 1990s.
3. The move has turned out to be an enormous success for Bruce and Greatest Hits Radio, with quarterly Rajar figures showing his new show reached 3 million listeners a week between April and June.

A large chunk of Bruce’s audience appears to have followed him to the new station from Radio 2, according to analysis by radio consultancy Hallett Arendt for the Guardian. When Bruce was in the presenter’s chair the mid-morning slow on Radio 2 attracted 8.3 million listeners.

Three months later, the same timeslot – presented since May by Vernon Kay – attracts just 6.9 million listeners. Bruce said: “I’ve always said that it’s not really about the numbers and it’s not, for me at least, but I’m delighted to hear today’s news for the team here at my new home, Greatest Hits Radio.

My first four months have flown by and I’ve loved every minute of it – and there’s much more to come.” Greatest Hits Radio, which is owned by media group Bauer, was created in 2020 by taking advantage of a relaxation of Ofcom rules to combine various distinctive local radio stations into a single quasi-national network.

Other shows on the station have also seen a boost from Bruce’s arrival, with Simon Mayo’s drivetime show seeing a rise in listeners. Radio 2 remains the biggest station in the UK but its total weekly audience fell by more than 1 million listeners to 13.5 million after the departure of Bruce. A refresh of Radio 2’s presenter lineup to attract, a move which saw Scott Mills replace Steve Wright, has also enabled growth at stations such as Boom Radio that target older former Radio 2 listeners.

BBC Radio is having a torrid time across the board, with the broadcaster insisting it is focusing on providing podcasts and other audio material through BBC Sounds rather than chasing radio audiences. The BBC’s share of all national radio listening fell to just 43.2% in the last three months – well below the combined audience for commercial radio.

• Ironically, while most national BBC stations lost listeners, its local radio stations in England collectively grew their audience.
• This is despite many longstanding local radio presenters leaving their stations amid deep financial cuts by BBC management, who plan to merge many parts of the local radio stations into regional entities.

The BBC said its on-demand Sounds app saw a record 216m plays of radio and podcast content during the last three months. Yet its list of most-listened-to content is dominated by traditional BBC radio content such as Test Match Special cricket commentary and episodes of The Archers, rather than specially commissioned podcasts.

The BBC’s own annual report showed that Sounds only added 20,000 active listeners aged 16-34 in the last year, suggesting the app is struggling to cut through with young audiences. Audiences also appear to be cooling on speech-based discussion programmes after years of breakneck growth in the sector amid post-Brexit political turmoil.

LBC, TalkRadio, and TimesRadio all saw their audiences fall in the latest Rajar figures. : BBC Radio 2 loses 1 million listeners since Ken Bruce departure

Which Radio 1 DJ is moving to Radio 2?

Image caption, Dean McCullough and Vicky Hawkesworth will present Radio 1’s first weekday show from Salford Dean McCullough and Vicky Hawkesworth have been announced as the replacements for Scott Mills, who is leaving Radio 1 after 24 years. The pair’s new afternoon show will be the station’s latest weekday programme to come from outside London.

1. Legendary DJ Scott is heading to Radio 2 to take over the afternoon show from Steve Wright, while his long-time co-host Chris Stark is leaving the BBC.
2. Dean said getting the new show was a “full-on dream come true”.
3. The 29-year-old has presented his weekend morning show – the first Radio 1 programme to move out of London as part of the BBC’s Across the UK plans – from Salford since September.

Bolton-born Vicky, 26, currently presents regular shows on BBC Radio Manchester and has covered a range of shows across Radio 1. And the duo will stay in Greater Manchester when they take over Scott’s Monday-Thursday 13:00-15:30 slot in September – with the show coming from the BBC’s Salford base.

• Speaking to Scott and Chris on Radio 1 earlier, Vicky said: “It seems sort of not real.
• I actually thought maybe I was making it up, maybe I dreamt it.
• I am quite literally about to live my dream and I can’t wait to get going.” Her new co-host Dean joked that the thought of replacing Scott and Chris was giving him “borderline nightmare vibes”.

“You know when you have those dreams and you wake up and you’re like did that really just happen?” he said. “I feel like I am going to wake up tomorrow and all of this was just a dream.” Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Chris Stark, who joined Scott Mills on Radio 1 in 2012, is also leaving the station Dean and Vicky both got their break on Radio 1 as part of the 2020 Christmas Takeover, where 33 new DJs and presenters were given a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

Head of BBC Radio 1, Aled Haydn Jones, said the pair were “highly engaging presenters who made me laugh so much in their company”. It was also revealed that Katie Thistleton would take over Dean’s Friday and Saturday morning show. Nat O’Leary, who was part of the 2021 Christmas Takeover, will be joining Radio 1 to host a brand-new ’00s show on Sunday mornings.

Scott is leaving Radio 1, which has been his home since 1998, and will also no longer present his Saturday morning show on Radio 5 Live. The DJ has built up an army of fans thanks to hit games and features like Innuendo Bingo, Flirt Divert and the Who Game.

His best pal Chris, who joined Radio 1 in 2012, is also leaving the station. The pair were known for their bromance and pranking each other but also raised more than £500,000 for Comic Relief with their 24-hour LOL-a-thon show in 2021. Earlier, Chris announced he was joining the Global media company to present the Capital Breakfast Show with Roman Kemp.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In March last year the BBC said key daytime strands on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Radio 2 would be moved from London and made across the UK.

Is Radio 4 Extra finishing

– The original BBC Radio 4 Extra logo, used in 2011. The BBC announced their intention to relaunch the station on 2 March 2010 and following a public consultation, the proposal was approved by the corporation’s governing body the BBC Trust in February 2011.

1. As a result, the station relaunched as BBC Radio 4 Extra on Saturday 2 April 2011.
2. The relaunched station contained much of the same mix of programming with some new additions that reflected the new alignment with Radio 4, many of which were extended, archive or spin offs of flagship Radio 4 programmes.

On 26 May 2022, as part of planned cuts and streamlining with a greater focus on digital, the BBC announced plans to discontinue Radio 4 Extra as a broadcast station. It will be supplanted by BBC Sounds,

What will happen to PopMaster when Ken leaves?

Ken Bruce reveals fate of ‘PopMaster’ after quitting BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce. CREDIT: Getty Ken Bruce has revealed the fate of his much-loved PopMaster quiz after announcing that he’s departing Radio 2. The broadcaster, 71, confirmed on Tuesday (January 17) that he would be leaving the station in March to join Greatest Hits Radio.

1. Bruce has hosted Radio 2’s mid-morning show since 1992, following a stint in the same slot from 1986 to 1990.
2. I have been here for quite a long time now, and it possibly is time to move over and let somebody else have a go,” the DJ said in a statement.
3. Since the announcement, Bruce’s listeners have been expressing their concern over the future of PopMaster, the daily music quiz that tests two fans’ music knowledge.

The segment was introduced to Bruce’s programme in 1998 and usually airs at around 10.30am each day. Currently, the winner can choose between two prizes: Bluetooth headphones or a smart speaker.

• We have some news
• After 31 years of presenting the 9:30am-midday weekday show Ken Bruce has decided to leave.
• We’re going to miss you lots Ken and want to congratulate you on a fantastic career at the BBC. 🧡
• — BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2)

Now, Bruce has revealed that PopMaster, which he bought the rights to when the quiz debuted, will continue on his new Greatest Hits Radio show when it launches in the spring. “I say brand-new but there will still be PopMaster, me and my musings and all the great records you know and love from the 70s, 80s and 90s,” he said in a statement about his new role.

1. The DJ has released a series of PopMaster books, and hosted numerous, celebrity and live specials throughout the years.
2. You can listen back to the most recent instalments via,
3. Bruce is one of Radio 2’s longest-serving DJs, having joined the BBC in 1977 before picking up a regular slot in 1984 (via ).
4. The broadcaster’s new Greatest Hits Radio show is due to begin on April 3, and will air between 10:00am-13:00pm GMT.

: Ken Bruce reveals fate of ‘PopMaster’ after quitting BBC Radio 2

Is Radio 4 Extra going to be axed?

BBC announces raft of closures with CBBC and BBC Four to be online only

CBBC, Four and Radio 4 Extra will shut down and become online-only services, the corporation has said, as part of plans to close television and radio channels in order to focus on streaming services.The BBC director general, Tim Davie, made the announcement on Thursday, in response to the culture secretary Nadine Dorries’s decision to freeze the licence fee at £159 for the next two years.He added that many of the World Service’s foreign language services would go online only, while the existing UK-focused BBC News channel will merge with BBC World to form a single global rolling TV news service.Radio 4’s long-wave service, known as the traditional crackly home of Test Match Special and the shipping forecast, will lose its dedicated programming before being shut down altogether.There will also be cuts to local television and radio services in England, although the BBC insisted the overall budget for local journalism would be maintained – with spending instead redistributed towards hiring journalists to produce online content.The vast majority of the BBC’s spending is focused on its traditional broadcast television and radio channels while audiences are shifting online.The BBC said about 1,000 jobs will be lost at the broadcaster over the next few years, with the latest announcement after years of redundancies and cuts.Davie told staff they had to accept a need to shift away from traditional television and radio channels and invest in programmes made specifically for services such as iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

He said: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world. To do that we need to evolve faster and embrace the huge shifts in the market around us.” The licence fee freeze requires the BBC to find £285m in annual savings.

Davie has instead decided to go much further than required and cut the budget for existing television and radio services by £500m, with the extra savings being invested in new digital-only services. Many of the announcements are likely to face strong opposition from viewers, staff, and politicians. Davie has experience of this, having announced plans in 2010 to shut down the 6Music and Asian Network radio stations – only to backtrack in the face of public opposition.

The changes to the World Service may be of particular concern to the government, which views it as a key tool of British soft power overseas. However, ministers stopped funding the World Service as part of a series of funding cuts imposed on the BBC by successive Conservative-led governments, making it hard for ministers to stop the closures.

Among the other closures, shutting down BBC Four and making its content iPlayer-only could face strong opposition from its loyal audience. It has been essentially an archive-only channel in recent years, but its diet of vintage architecture programmes and old episodes of Top of the Pops has beaten youth-focused BBC Three – which only relaunched as a channel a few months ago – in the ratings.

Merging the corporation’s two existing rolling television news channels is also likely to result in a reduction in the amount of UK-focused content. Television ratings for CBBC have been hit hard as children of primary school age drift away to streaming services such as YouTube.

1. There are no plans to shut down the CBeebies television service, which is aimed at preschool children.
2. Local radio stations will share more programmes, while some local television news bulletins – including those produced in Oxford and Cambridge – will be shut down.
3. Several million Britons – often older and poorer people – do not have access to the internet, while many more do not have the home broadband required to access streaming services.

These groups could be hit hardest by any cuts to the BBC’s traditional radio or television broadcast services. Closing Radio 4’s long-wave service was last suggested in 2011, although in the end the BBC did not shut it down. The decision to end the service – which for many is synonymous with cricket commentary on hot summer days – could also cause issues for Britain’s nuclear weapons programme.

Is Vernon Kay still replacing Ken Bruce?

Vernon Kay has been confirmed as the new presenter of BBC Radio 2’s mid-morning show, replacing Ken Bruce, Bruce announced in January that he would be leaving the role after 31 years, and his first show on Greatest Hits Radio started this week. Kay, who is already a regular on BBC radio, and is best-known for presenting ITV’s All Star Family Fortunes, called taking over the show “a dream come true”.

Why is Ken Bruce quitting?

Why did Ken Bruce leave BBC Radio 2 for Greatest Hits? Published: 09:49 BST, 3 April 2023 | Updated: 10:22 BST, 3 April 2023

• It’s the start of a new era for Ken Bruce as his new radio show on Greatest Hits begins on Monday.
• The veteran broadcaster, 72, is best known for presenting his mid-morning Radio 2 show from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2023.
• Ken announced in January that he would be leaving the BBC after 31 years to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio.
• However, after bosses demanded he step down from his role 17 days early, with Gary Davies taking over his slot until permanent replacement joins in May.
• As Ken settles in to hosting a new show on a new station, MailOnline takes a look at why the star decided to leave the BBC for Greatest Hits.

Change: It’s the start of a new era for Ken Bruce as his new radio show on Greatest Hits begins on Monday End of an era: Ken announced in January that he would be leaving the BBC after 31 years to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio

1. Why did Ken leave BBC Radio 2?
2. Ken 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’.
3. However, the presenter claimed the national broadcaster asked him to leave Radio 2 before the end of his contract.

In a tweet, Ken 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.

Decision: Ken 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’ ‘Returning to Wogan House for a week after a month of broadcasting the Piano Room sessions at Maida Vale provided a natural break.

• We wish Ken all the best for the future.’ When asked how he was feeling about the move from a workplace after more than 40 years, Ken said: ‘Well, I’ve got lots of friends still working at the BBC and who worked at the BBC for a long time, and still I’m very, very warm towards the BBC.
• ‘I think it’s a great organisation.

It was just time for me to leave and now, it’s been quite a few weeks and really, I’m looking forward to doing a month or two, maybe a year or two, maybe a decade or two, on Greatest Hits Radio.’ What is Ken’s new show? His new show airs from 10am to 1pm and will feature PopMaster, which Bruce has brought over from the BBC due to him trademarking the long-standing segment, and hit songs from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The popular radio quiz is still airing at the same time from 10.30pm to 10.50pm. When asked if there are adjustments he has to make since moving to Bauer, Bruce said: ‘I’m struggling to work my day out. ‘I think I’m going to be going to bed an hour later because I just have to squeeze everything into the remaining hours of the day.

Dispute: However, the presenter claimed the national broadcaster asked him to leave Radio 2 before the end of his contract ‘Once I get my body clock, right. I think I’ll be all right, but I’m really enjoying having a half-hour extra in bed every morning.’ The radio DJ added that he will be ‘looking for lunch’ at 12.30pm when he is on-air and joked there will be a ‘problem with the microphones’ during this time.

He also said his new radio show after leaving the BBC will be ‘much the same’ and he is not looking to introduce ‘massive great bells and whistles stuff’ into the format. Bruce added: ‘It’s just going to be nice things to keep people engaged, keep people listening, and taking part in the show, it’ll just be much the same as it was before just in a different place.’ On what makes radio broadcasting special.

It’s the anonymity, the ability to just be one part of yourself and communicate only in one way with someone who’s just listening to you, it’s a very direct communication. That’s the thing that appeals most. On the secret to his popularity. If I knew that, I would’ve done it a lot earlier than this.

I don’t think you can ever analyse why something is popular. It becomes popular without you noticing or trying, and the more you try the less it will happen. A good relationship between broadcaster and listener is just something that grows and develops naturally. On what he finds most difficult. Getting up in the morning.

Once I’m up and heading to work I’m fine. I’m on air at 9.30, finish at 10 and I’ve often said I feel better at the end of a programme than I did at the beginning. I’m sorry that it’s finished. On how he’ll end the show. It’ll just be a quick goodbye, I will not be tugging at heartstrings, mainly because I don’t want to tug at my own.

I’ll just be saying that’s the end of this particular era of my life, but there’ll be a continuation. I love daily broadcasting, it’s what I’ve done for years and years. I’ve been on BBC radio five days a week since 1977 so it’s going to be different, it’s going to change me a bit but I still want to be on the air every day.

On whether he’ll be emotional. No, I’ll be looking at the clock thinking get out on timemaybe a touch, but I’m a hard bitten old Scot. On whether he knows what he’ll say. I don’t, it will come to me at the time, I might jot a note or two but I don’t like to write anything in sentences I just like to write a couple of ideas and I’ll say what comes to mind in the moment.

On if he knows what his last song will be. I do now but I’m not going to reveal that until the last moment. On his departure. It’s entirely within the BBC’s right to ask me to step away a little early. Gardening leave is a known concept in broadcasting and many other areas but for the sake of 17 days which was all that was remaining it seems a shame but you just adapt your timetable.

Instead of three weeks, it’s one week, that’s been fine. My belief is when I’m given a contract I work to it and complete it. Over the last 46 years I haven’t had very much time off ever, I’ve attempted to turn up whenever I’m required to turn up so my natural feeling as a broadcaster is if I’ve got 17 days to do, I want to do them.

1. On his best moment.
2. Talking to you, Gary.
3. I can die happy now.
4. I can’t actually pick out a moment.
5. I’ve loved everything I love every day, just a normal day.
6. Meeting special people, someone like James Taylor or Carole King when they came into the studio.
7. These were more nerve-wracking than everything so I didn’t enjoy them in the moment because I was thinking I must get this right and not say something stupid to James Taylor, for goodness sake.

Nut I love just doing a normal daily programme, trying to make myself laugh and other people. : Why did Ken Bruce leave BBC Radio 2 for Greatest Hits?

How much does Vernon Kay earn

Vernon Kay ‘teases This Morning pay’ as he works Bank Holiday with Rochelle Father-of-two Vernon Kay told fans he was getting paid a staggering amount to present ITV’s This Morning on Bank Holiday Monday alongside co-host Rochelle Humes Jeff Bezos: Vernon Kay and Matthew Wright clash on billionaire’s wealth

• Vernon Kay quipped he was getting “quadruple pay” for presenting on a Bank Holiday Monday.
• The father-of-two, 48, hosted the show today alongside former Saturdays star Rochelle Humes, 33.
• The singer told cookery expert Clodagh McKenna that fronting the show ‘wasn’t work, just so you know” as the chef rustled up some chicken for the pair.
• Vernon added with a grin: “Quadruple pay and chicken.”

Rochelle joked: “Oh, it’s gone up has it?” with Vernon joking: “Absolutely.” The Bolton-born star later made other cheeky claims about about the pair’s pay packet, which at one point he said was five times their usual rate. It’s not known how much Rochelle and Vernon – who are filling in for Phillip Schofield and during the summer holidays – are paid.

2. However, the main hosts are for fronting the show from Monday to Thursday.
3. was revealed as ITV’s ‘s highest earner in the year up to February 2021 – raking in almost £1 million despite the pandemic.

The 60-year old’s TV firm – Fistral Productions Ltd – is valued at £2,464,251, of which £1,686,171 is said to be cash in the bank. That figure was up £990,000 on the previous year with the star reportedly paid a salary in excess of £600,000, reported. He often stands in for Phil Schofield ( ITV)

• Co-presenter, meanwhile, reportedly saw her own enterprise Roxy Media Ltd’s equity documented at £1,535,218 in the same period.
• The mum-of-three has a good head for business launching her lucrative wellness site Wylde Moon last year.
• The presenter, 41, founded the brand in September 2021 and has been selling jewellery, crystals, diffusers, perfumes – and a tomato-scented candle for £65.

Phil and Holly are reportedly doing very nicely as the show’s main presenters She also has her own wellness site

1. Just like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, the site provides fans with beauty, fitness and spiritual recommendations.
2. According to the, “the pillars of Wylde Moon are about having a true sense of self; igniting your intuition, knowing your self-worth and nourishing your body and soul through music, food, laughter, sex, passion, beautiful things, or all of the above.”
3. While some have branded the brand “wacky”, it looks like Holly will be having the last laugh after a PR expert predicted the venture could earn the presenter millions.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at [email protected] or call us direct at 0207 29 330 33 You can find this story in Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. : Vernon Kay ‘teases This Morning pay’ as he works Bank Holiday with Rochelle

Who is the new host of the popmaster?

Wh at is Ken Bruce’s net worth? – Ken’s net worth is estimated to be around £4million. He was one of the BBC’s highest earners, and in 2021/22 it was reported his yearly pay packet had risen to £385,000-£389,999 up from £365,000-£369,999. However, he announced in 2023 that he would be stepping down from his role at BBC Radio 2 and hosted his final show on Friday, March 3, 2023, and was replaced by Vernon Kay.

Besides radio, he is also a well-known face on TV. One of his notable television appearances was on Countdown’s Dictionary Corner. *PopMaster TV airs on Channel 4 on Friday at 8pm Have a story we should be covering? Let us know at [email protected]. Love being across everything that’s happening on TV each day? Sign up to MyLondon’s TV Newsletter HERE.

Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.

Who owns Pop Master

PopMaster: A Case Study on Intangible Assets – ESCoE For over two decades, Pop Master has captured the hearts and minds of music enthusiasts across the UK. For those not familiar, Pop Master is a music quiz which, until recently, was broadcast every weekday morning on BBC Radio 2 by the charismatic host Ken Bruce.

After over 40 years of service to the BBC, Ken moved to Greatest Hits Radio and, to the surprise of many, took Pop Master with him! This offers an interesting (and light-hearted) case study on intangible assets and intellectual property. Background Pop Master is a radio-based music quiz show. Listeners dial in to become contestants, and the two selected play head-to-head, answering 10 questions each.

Each question scores 3 points, except for 3 bonus questions which score 6 each, for a total possible score of 39. The category of bonus questions is chosen by the contestant from two options before the start. Questions cover a range of eras and genres of music, and involve knowledge-based questions, listening to music and answering related questions, and the famous ‘guess the year’ questions (where contestants are sometimes “one year out”).

• Listeners play along at home.
• When Ken Bruce moved from the BBC to Greatest Hits Radio, I was surprised to see Pop Master move with him.
• I had presumed that the BBC owned the show, although I hadn’t thought about intellectual property.
• In fact, Pop Master is a, which is owned by Ken Bruce and co-creators: Philip Swern and Colin Martin (no relation).

The trademark was filed in 1998, around when Pop Master was first featured on Ken Bruce’s morning show on BBC Radio 2. Bruce had developed the idea with colleagues while employees at the BBC, but reportedly the BBC was not interested in filing the trademark, and encouraged Bruce to do so himself.

Often the work of an employee is by default ‘owned’ by the employer, but clearly legal protection surpasses any corporate norms. Filing a trademark is neither free nor effortless – paperwork must be filed, and registration and renewal fees apply. These costs are clearly part of the investment, along with the costs of developing the idea in the first place.

The move to Greatest Hits Radio While the name, the format, and the lingo are the same, the jingles have changed since the move to Greatest Hits Radio. Perhaps the BBC owned the jingles, or perhaps Bruce just wanted to update them. Of course, it is not the jingles that bring in the audience – the format, and Bruce’s amiable hosting style, are what the loyal fan base tunes in for.

With the show’s transition to a new platform, listener loyalty becomes a crucial factor in its continued success. Will the fans of Pop Master follow Ken Bruce to Greatest Hits Radio? Or will BBC Radio 2 manage to retain the audience through the introduction of a new host and music quiz of their own? The replacement is “Ten To The Top”, a rival music quiz played at the same time as Pop Master used to, but with a different format and name.

Audience loyalty is clearly important to the value of media assets such as this. What has all of this got to do with economic measurement? Clearly Pop Master is a piece of intellectual property, an intangible asset. But of what sort? At first listen it might sound like an “entertainment, literary and artistic originals” asset category in the National Accounts parlance, but it does not appear to meet the definition.

• Entertainment originals relate to original music recordings, TV programs, films, stories and shows.
• Instead, Pop Master is an idea, a format, and a brand.
• The asset is not a single radio show, but the format for thousands of radio shows over time.
• We don’t know much about the development of Pop Master, and whether it would meet the criteria for R&D investment (as defined in the ).

If it doesn’t, it seems unlikely it would be recorded as an asset in the National Accounts at all, under current guidance. But it does seem to fit the bill of a design asset, one of a broader set of intangible assets in a framework popularised by economists including Carol Corrado and Jonathan Haskel.

The ONS produces estimates of investment in this wider set of intangible assets, including design. For design, as for other intangibles, this includes purchases of investment-like services by businesses, and creation of design assets within businesses based on an estimate of the costs of producing such assets (so called own-account investment).

There is also clearly a brand associated with Pop Master – not only is the name trademarked, but it also has a recognisable sound and set of lingo, and a loyal fan base. I suspect that it would still be popular even with small changes in format, suggesting that there is significant value in the brand, as well as in the specifics of the quiz itself.

• How the value of the asset divides between the design and the brand is unclear.
• How long does an intangible asset last? It is also interesting to reflect on other aspects of the economic measurement question.
• In National Accounting, capital stocks are typically estimated by the Perpetual Inventory Method, which cumulates investments and discounts them according to a depreciation schedule over the assumed service life of an asset.

Useful lives of intangible assets are usually assumed to be short – a by the ONS put the average for design at just 4 years, and of branding at less than 3 years. Yet Pop Master has been on air for now 25 years and going strong. Clearly there is significant heterogeneity here, which assumptions on asset lives of intangible assets should account for.

1. It might even be said that the value of the asset has increased over time.
2. Intangible assets do not physically wear, so depreciation is due only to obsolescence as consumer trends change and ideas become out of fashion.
3. The format of Pop Master does not seem to have become outdated, with the radio show still popular and a new TV version launching soon.

If anything, the history and tradition of the show, and the growth in following over time, might suggest the value has increased. This could suggest an unusual pattern for the value of the capital stock over time. Who benefits from the asset? From a productivity perspective it is also interesting to consider which entity benefits from the capital services (the flow of productive services from the asset).

1. Clearly the BBC made use of the asset while Ken Bruce hosted on BBC Radio 2.
2. When Bruce was unavailable, other radio presenters would sometimes host the quiz, suggesting that Bruce allowed the BBC to use his trademark, and the BBC benefitted from the capital services.
3. Whether they paid for this or not is unclear, I suspect not.

Now that Bruce has moved to Greatest Hits Radio (GHR), clearly they are now benefitting from the capital services. In real terms, this means more listeners for GHR, at least for half an hour on weekday mornings. That said, GHR also benefits from Bruce’s human capital, as his hosting style might also attract fans – if they had acquired the rights to run Pop Master, without Bruce as host, I suspect it would not have been so successful.

Over the years, the Pop Master brand has generated additional capital services in the form of merchandise – a quiz book and board game, and plenty of unofficial mugs, t-shirts, and the like. A new TV adaptation of the quiz offers a new stream of income. Clearly Ken Bruce was onto something when he and colleagues trademarked the idea and name of Pop Master in 1998.

I’m sure they didn’t think it would still be top of the charts a quarter of a century later. But intangible assets can have tremendous value in the modern economy – we aren’t living in a material world any longer (sorry Madonna). We might benefit from more case studies like this in future.

The views expressed here are those of the authors, and should not be taken as the views of the Bank of England or any of its committees. ESCoE blogs are published to further debate.  Any views expressed are solely those of the author(s) and so cannot be taken to represent those of the ESCoE, its partner institutions or the Office for National Statistics.

: PopMaster: A Case Study on Intangible Assets – ESCoE

How many listeners has Radio 2 lost?

Image source, PA Media Image caption, Ken Bruce left Radio 2 in March to host the mid-morning programme on Greatest Hits Radio BBC Radio 2 lost a million listeners in its first quarter without Ken Bruce, after he left the station to join Greatest Hits Radio (GHR).

• In his first three months, Bruce attracted just below three million listeners to his GHR mid-morning show.
• That is around 1.25 million more than the show’s previous host Mark Goodier.
• However, it is a much lower audience than Bruce attracted on Radio 2, where his was the most popular radio programme in the UK.

The latest figures from radio industry body Rajar reflect a difficult quarter for Radio 2, which lost more than a million listeners between April and June following Bruce’s exit in March. Zoe Ball dropped by 533,000 listeners compared with the previous quarter, bringing her audience down to 6.7 million, but her programme remained the most popular breakfast show in the UK.

The second quarter of the year saw Bruce’s former Radio 2 mid-morning show hosted by stand-in presenter Gary Davies for several weeks, before his permanent replacement Vernon Kay took over the slot. Kay presented his first show on 15 May – which was half way through the audience measuring period for industry body Rajar.

That means the radio industry will not get a true representation of Kay’s figures until the next quarter – which will reflect a full three months for him in the role. Image caption, Zoe Ball’s breakfast show dropped by 533,000 listeners, while the station as a whole lost more than a million The decrease in audience for BBC Radio 2 constitutes a loss of around 7% for the station on the previous quarter.

1. However, Radio 2 remained the UK’s most listened to station by a comfortable margin.
2. Station boss Helen Thomas said: “Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station with 13.5 million loyal listeners who tune in each week to the best music from the past seven decades, presented by some of the country’s most loved presenters.

“Congratulations to the brilliant Zoe Ball who continues to host the most listened to Breakfast Show in the country,” she added. The last year has seen several big names on Radio 2 either leave or have their number of programmes reduced – including Bruce, Steve Wright, Vanessa Feltz and Craig Charles.

Greatest Hits Radio now has nearly six million listeners overall, with its drivetime host Simon Mayo, another former Radio 2 presenter, attracting 2.3 million listeners. In a statement, Bruce commented: “I’ve always said that it’s not really about the numbers and it’s not, for me at least, but I’m delighted to hear today’s news for the team here at my new home, Greatest Hits Radio.

“My first four months have flown by and I’ve loved every minute of it – and there’s much more to come. wouldn’t be what it is without its listeners so your company is always much appreciated.” On Thursday, parent company Bauer announced Bruce would front a new GHR spin-off station dedicated to music from the 1960s.

Image caption, Vernon Kay (left) replaced Ken Bruce in May, while Scott Mills (right) replaced afternoon host Steve Wright last year Bruce also recently launched a TV adaptation of his popular quiz PopMaster, which he took with him from Radio 2 to GHR. The Scottish presenter’s GHR show is currently being investigated by Ofcom over the station’s campaign calling for offenders to be prevented from refusing to attend sentencing hearings.

Elsewhere, Radio 4 continued its recent decline, with a loss of a further 428,000 compared with the previous quarter. Over the course of a year, the station has dropped from 10.2 million listeners to 8.9 million. Partly reflecting a decline in speech radio as a whole, the station’s flagship Today programme lost 266,000 listeners on the previous quarter, while 5 Live Breakfast dropped by 27,000.

1. A BBC spokesman said: “Today remains one of the most listened to breakfast radio programmes, providing listeners with trusted in-depth reporting and agenda setting interviews.
2. BBC Radio 1 was up slightly, to 7.7 million, but there was a small drop for breakfast host Greg James, whose average weekly audience this quarter was 3.9 million.

There was better news for BBC Local Radio stations, which jointly increased their total audience from 7.38 to 7.65 million, despite a period of significant upheaval and job cuts. However, a more detailed look at individual local radio stations shows 24 of them actually lost listeners this quarter, while 13 improved their reach.

How is Radio 2 ratings since Ken Bruce left?

Following the recruitment of Radio 2’s Ken Bruce to Greatest Hits Radio, the hugely popular broadcaster has now inspired a brand extension. Bauer Media Audio has launched Ken Bruce’s Secret 60s. And to maximise the publicity for the announcement, it’s been unveiled on the day that RAJAR issued the first results for Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio following his surprise move from BBC Radio 2 earlier this year.

In his first RAJAR quarter (Q2 2023) for radio listening, Ken Bruce has pulled in three million listeners to his Greatest Hits Radio show, an increase of 93% year-on-year for that time slot. Overall, the Greatest Hits Radio Network now reaches 5.93m listeners every week – its highest ever and up 47.6% from last year.

Greatest Hits Radio London saw an increased reach of 47.7% year on year to a record 1.14m. Ken Bruce said: “I’ve always said that it’s not really about the numbers and it’s not, for me at least, but I’m delighted to hear today’s news for the team here at my new home, Greatest Hits Radio,

• My first four months have flown by and I’ve loved every minute of it – and there’s much more to come.
• We’ve got the launch of my new radio station, Ken Bruce’s Secret 60s, tomorrow and other exciting projects towards the end of the year – they’re certainly keeping me busy! So thank you for listening, playing along to PopMaster and taking the time to write, email and message in to the show.

It wouldn’t be what it is without its listeners so your company is always much appreciated.” Ben Cooper, chief content & music officer, Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “The arrival of Ken Bruce and PopMaster means Greatest Hits Radio now has nearly six million listeners – with success shared across the station as Simon Mayo’s Drivetime is now the UK’s biggest commercial drivetime show with 2.3m listeners.

Along with big gains for Absolute Radio’s Dave Berry at Breakfast, who has increased his audience to a record 2.3m, Bauer Media Audio has achieved incredible success this RAJAR, posting its fourth increase of record-breaking audiences in a row.” Ken Bruce’s Secret 60s will only be available to Greatest Hits Radio premium subscribers.

As a taster, Bruce’s regular Greatest Hits Radio show will be shaking up its usual playlist and adding some 1960s songs tomorrow (August 4) as he kicks off a 60s Summer Weekend on the network. Elsewhere, Bauer Media Audio stations reported strong results in Q2.

Absolute was up 6.1% year-on-year to 2.36m (though down on the quarter); Hits Radio Network was up 5% year-on-year to 6.56m; and Magic was up 12.1% to 3.03m. Absolute Radio Country soared by 30.7% year-on-year to 358,000, though Scala was down 16.4% to 245,000. Kiss and Kiss Fresh were stable (2.49m and 298,000, respectively), while Kisstory was up 20.6% to 2.54m – making it the biggest commercial digital network.

I’ve always said that it’s not really about the numbers but I’m delighted to hear today’s news for the team here at my new home Ken Bruce Simon Myciunka, CEO of Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “What a time to join the Bauer UK team. It’s incredible to see such strong performances across the board, not only for Bauer and each of its networks but commercial radio overall.

Radio is thriving, delivering excellent value and return on investment, while growth in digital listening presents even more opportunities for the future there’s never been a better time to partner with us.” BBC Radio While the Ken Bruce result may put some pressure on BBC Radio 2, his replacement Vernon Kay actually started six weeks later so he’s yet to have a full quarter (and it remains to be seen if his ratings are made public for Q3 later this year).

Under the previous RAJAR measurement system, Bruce pulled in audiences of around 8.5m and could claim to be the nation’s most popular broadcaster. The Guardian today reported that Kay has an audience of 6.9m in the same time slot. Following the departure of Bruce, Radio 2 was down 7.4% year-on-year to 13.46m.

1. While it remains comfortably the most popular radio station in the country, that’s a loss of 1.074m listeners compared to a year ago.
2. The loss of Bruce and surrounding media coverage appears to have negatively impacted the network, with exactly one million listeners switching off since the beginning of April to the end of June.

Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show on Radio 2 was down to 6.72m, a loss of more than half a million (549,000 in a year; 533,000 on the quarter). A difficult quarter, then. But Radio 2 does have a live extravaganza to look forward to in Q3 in the form of Radio 2 In The Park featuring Kylie Minogue and Tears For Fears,

Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station with 13.5m loyal listeners Helen Thomas Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station with 13.5m loyal listeners who tune in each week to the best music from the past seven decades, presented by some of the country’s most loved presenters.

Congratulations to the brilliant Zoe Ball who continues to host the most listened to Breakfast Show in the country.” There was better news in the RAJAR numbers for BBC Radio 1, with ratings up 2.9% year-on-year to 7.69m (and up 1.6% on the prior quarter).

Aled Haydn Jones, head of BBC Radio 1, said: “Radio 1 adding well over half a million listeners in a year to the station is a fantastic moment, as we are laser-focused on young audiences across radio, mobile and socials. Along with the success of Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee this year, Greg and the Breakfast Team continue to be the Number 1 youth show in the UK.” BBC 1Xtra continues to grow in terms of the year-on-year comparison (up 1.7% to 762,000) but it was down 30,000 on the quarter.

Asian Network was up 6.8% to 505,000. Meanwhile, Music Week Award winners 6 Music were down 6.4% year-on-year to 2.67m (still comfortably the No.1 digital station) but only showing slight decline compared to the prior quarter. Schedule changes in June, including evening show New Music Fix Daily, are not represented in the latest RAJAR figures.

1. Global There was good news for Capital Dance, which passed a million listeners for the first time.
2. The station was up 32.3% year-on-year to 1.04m.
3. Heart Network increased by 9.7% year-on-year – it now stands at 8.52m (although that was down on the prior quarter).
4. Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston & Amanda Holden remains the biggest commercial radio show in the UK and commercial breakfast show with 3.9m weekly listeners.

Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp has 2.5m listeners, adding 50,000 since the prior quarter. Overall, Capital Network was up 6.1% to 6.01m. Capital XTRA was up 5.9% year-on-year to 1.45m, with Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie on 558,000 listeners.

• Capital XTRA Reloaded reached a new high of 450,000 (up 10.6% year-on-year).
• Meanwhile, new station Capital Chill opened its RAJAR account with 178,000 listeners.
• Radio X was up 4.1% year-on-year to 1.97m, with breakfast presenter Chris Moyles up 33,000 to 1.12m.
• Brand new station Radio X Classic Rock launched with 275,000 weekly listeners.

James Rea, Global’s director of broadcasting & content, said: “I’m delighted that we have delivered another very strong set of results for Global – it’s fantastic to see huge increases for Heart and Capital across the year, which is testament to our talented teams.

The massive growth in listening hours shows that we have a highly-engaged, loyal audience who love our brands. I’d like to thank every single listener and everyone involved for their hard work and dedication.” Ashley Tabor-King, Global’s founder & executive president, said:? “Commercial radio is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and it’s therefore fitting that commercial radio has its highest ever listening figures today, underlining the strength and resilience of the sector, and the medium.

It’s a phenomenal achievement and brilliant news for listeners, advertisers and the thousands of extraordinarily talented people working in the magnificent UK radio industry today.” Meanwhile, another former Radio 2 presenter, Chris Evans, now has 863,000 listeners on Virgin Radio, unchanged from a year ago but down almost 40,000 on the prior quarter.

Is Radio 1 or 2 more popular?

In the second quarter of 2023, the station BBC Radio 2 ranked first in terms of listener reach with roughly 13.46 million listeners tuning in on a weekly basis. BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1 ranked second and third, each with over seven million listeners per week.

Who is replacing Radio 2?

Vernon Kay confirmed as new host of Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 slot.

How much does Greg James get paid?

Who has climbed, dropped and disappeared? – Image caption, Radio 2 breakfast host Zoe Ball is the second-highest earner on the list Andrew Marr exited the corporation in December 2021, and as a result he has dropped off the list entirely. His long-running weekly politics programme was replaced by Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg in September.

1. She earned £305,000 from that programme and her appearances on Newscast, TV documentaries plus her work as political editor until May 2022.
2. The list also reflects a period of significant change for BBC Radio 2, which has seen several presenters leave the station or reduce the number of shows they present.

Steve Wright was taken off his weekday afternoon programme in September, and as such his earnings dropped by nearly £100,000. He made £360,000 in the financial year, for his last seven months hosting the afternoon programme, as well as his continued presenting of Sunday Love Songs and other occasional programmes for the network.

Image caption, Some stars, such as Vanessa Feltz, have dropped out of the list after leaving the BBC Wright was replaced in the daytime schedule by Scott Mills, who halfway through the financial year moved from hosting weekday afternoons on Radio 1 to the same slot on Radio 2. Mills earned £300,000 from the BBC last year, a drop of £100,000 from last year.

This is likely to be a reflection of the Radio 2 afternoon show being cut by an hour, as well as Mills’ exit from his 5 Live Saturday programme. Vanessa Feltz left her early breakfast show on Radio 2 and her BBC Radio London morning programme in September for a new job on Talk TV, and as such she too has dropped off the star salaries list.

• Her former colleague Ken Bruce left his mid-morning programme in March to join Greatest Hits Radio, but as he stayed with the BBC virtually until the end of the accounting period, his salary for last year was steady at £390,000.
• He will drop off next year and his replacement Vernon Kay will almost certainly feature instead.

News personalities Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel also left the BBC for the commercial sector at the end of the previous financial year, which means they no longer feature on the list. Image caption, Scott Mills’ salary dropped by £100,000 after he left 5 Live and took on a shorter programme on Radio 2 But there are also new entries.

• Rick Edwards made £178,000 after replacing Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show.
• His co-host Rachel Burden ‘s salary has gone up slightly to £195,000 – but she also guest-presented some editions of BBC Breakfast.
• Today programme presenter Justin Webb earned £25,000 more than last year, taking his salary to £280,000, after he took on a new role presenting Americast.

Victoria Derbyshire has also been given a raise of £50,000, bringing her salary to £295,000, as she took on a new role presenting Newsnight. The threshold for appearing on the salaries list is £178,000. The only Radio 1 presenter whose salary was above that was Greg James, who earned £335,000 for hosting the station’s breakfast show as well as Radio 4’s Rewinder.

Image caption, Amol Rajan made £335,000 from presenting roles including Radio 4 Today and his BBC Two interview programme BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent appeared to make slightly less (between £178,000-184,999) than her co-presenter Jon Kay (£185,000-189,000), despite hosting more editions of the programme than him.

However, it is not a like-for-like comparison because Kay’s salary does not constitute a full year in that role, as he only took over from Dan Walker in July, and his earnings will include work undertaken in his previous job as a news correspondent. The salary list shows four women are in the top 10 this year, an improvement on last year’s three despite the departure of Feltz.

Why is Arielle free not on Radio 1?

BBC Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free back on air after suspension for incident which saw her tell host her choice of music was bad during live Ibiza broadcast.

Who will take over Radio 2?

Image source, BBC/Comic Relief Image caption, Vernon Kay has filled in for the likes of Zoe Ball, Steve Wright, Rylan Clark and Dermot O’Leary on Radio 2 Vernon Kay will replace presenter Ken Bruce on his weekday mid-morning slot on Radio 2, the BBC has confirmed.

Bruce announced on air in January that he would be leaving the station after 31 years in the role. “Vernon is a lovely bloke and I wish him all the best,” Bruce told BBC News, adding that he “wouldn’t dare give anyone else tips about broadcasting”. Kay, who is known for presenting ITV’s All Star Family Fortunes, said taking over the show was “a dream come true”.

“And what an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce,” he added in a statement. “I’m absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone.” Bruce, who has worked for the BBC for 46 years, announced on Twitter that he would be presenting his final show on 3 March.

• He tweeted on Friday: “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!” Kay has previously had his own shows on Radio 1 and Radio X, and currently presents Radio 2’s Dance Sounds of the 90s – with his “Back to Bolton Cheesy Bangers”.

The 48-year-old, who is married to Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly, will start his new show in May. DJ Gary Davies will fill the gap between Bruce’s departure and Kay’s first show. The mid-morning show, famous for its daily Popmaster quiz, is Britain’s most listened to radio programme and currently has more than 8.5 million weekly listeners, according to data from industry body Rajar.

Bruce will take the Popmaster format with him when he moves to the rival commercial station, Greatest Hits Radio. His departure comes shortly after Steve Wright left Radio 2, ending a 23-year stint as the station’s afternoon host. Wright stressed he was not retiring, and would keep his Sunday morning show.

Other popular presenters who have also left the station in the past year include Paul O’Grady and Vanessa Feltz, Wright was replaced by Scott Mills, while O’Grady’s slot is now hosted by Rob Beckett. Weather presenter Owain Wyn Evans took over from Feltz to host the early breakfast show from Cardiff.

What is the new pop quiz on Radio 2?

PopMaster, the popular music trivia quiz hosted by DJ Ken Bruce for a quarter of a century, is being turned into a TV show. Six hour-long episodes are being created for Channel 4 by 12 Yard Productions, the company behind BBC1’s Unbeatable and Channel 5’s Eggheads.

Bruce, 72, hosted the quiz on BBC Radio 2 for more than two decades before leaving the corporation last month, However, he struck a deal to retain the rights to the quiz, which he co-created with radio producer Phil Swern who wrote the questions. The TV series will air on More4, with a date for the series yet to be announced.

Bruce joined Bauer Media’s Greatest Hits Radio this month, having fronted his mid-morning Radio 2 show since 1992. Testing contestants’ knowledge of music and artists from across the years, the quiz sees two players asked a series of 10 questions based on popular music from the 1950s to the present day.

Questions cover a variety of genres of music and range from naming artists based on the titles of songs or clips of tracks, as well as identifying the year certain songs were hits. After both players have answered 10 questions – with a total of 39 points up for grabs – the winner goes on to play three-in-10, in which they have 10 seconds to name three hits from one particular artist or group.

Promising to honour the format of the show, with “a few surprises thrown in”, episode winners will advance to a grand final, where one will be crowned overall champion. ‘I might have a face for TV after all’ Bruce said he is looking forward to “challenging music lovers from around the country.

Under the glare of studio lights and with the added pressure of television cameras”. He added: “I can’t wait to get started – and find out whether I might have a face for TV after all!” Channel 4’s head of features and daytime Jo Street said bringing PopMaster to the TV was her “mission in life”. When Bruce announced in January he would be leaving the BBC after 45 years at the corporation, the presenter stressed it was his own choice, saying “some new opportunities have come up and I would like to continue my career in a slightly different way in the next few years”.

He now hosts a show from 10am to 1pm on Greatest Hits Radio, joining fellow ex-BBC presenters Simon Mayo at drivetime and Jackie Brambles in the early evening. Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies.

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To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only. Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts Presenter Vernon Kay will replace Bruce as host of Radio 2’s mid-morning show in May, with a new quiz, Ten to the Top, taking the place of PopMaster.

Who is replacing Radio 2?

Vernon Kay confirmed as new host of Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 slot.

What changes are being made to BBC local radio

These plans included a commitment to focus the BBC’s local radio programming to where it has the most impact. In October 2022 the BBC announced more detailed proposed changes to local radio output: All 39 BBC Local Radio stations will continue with their own dedicated local programming from 6am to 2pm on weekdays.