After 31 years of entertaining listeners on BBC Radio 2, Ken Bruce has announced that he will be leaving the station and joining rival station Greatest Hits Radio.
Ken’s mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 2 was the most listened-to show on British radio, and he will be taking his daily Popmaster quiz with him to his new program on Greatest Hits Radio, which begins on April 3rd.
Ken’s departure from BBC Radio 2 comes after other popular presenters, such as Steve Wright, Paul O’Grady, and Vanessa Feltz, have also left the station in the past year. Ken joined the BBC in 1977 and took his first regular Radio 2 slot in 1984.
He moved to mid-mornings in 1986 and then to late nights and early mornings before moving back to his permanent slot in 1992.
Ken has stressed that this decision to leave was entirely his own, but new opportunities have come up and he wants to continue his career in a slightly different way in the coming years.
He will remain at BBC Radio 2 until the end of March and will always be proud of his association with the station.
Ben Cooper, chief content and music officer at parent company Bauer Audio UK, said that Ken is “a broadcasting legend, with the biggest radio show in the UK”.
Ken’s former colleague Simon Mayo, who left Radio 2 in 2018, will also be joining him on Greatest Hits Radio.
Lorna Clarke, director of BBC Music, described Ken as “an extraordinary broadcaster with an exceptional career over many decades”.
She added that he has been part of every significant occasion marked by BBC Radio 2 and will be missed by his faithful audience and the Radio 2 all-star lineup. Ken has also been Radio 2’s voice of the Eurovision Song Contest since 1988.
Ken’s fans will undoubtedly be sad to see him go, but we wish him all the best on his new venture and look forward to hearing his familiar voice on Greatest Hits Radio. And his fans also know,Popmaster will be there too, which is a good news for them.
