Vernon Kay breaks silence on slump in Radio 2 listeners after Ken Bruce takeover
Vernon Kay has broken his silence after his BBC Radio 2 show has seen a huge fall in listeners since he took over from radio legend Ken Bruce.
The 49-year-old was handed the reigns to the coveted mid-morning radio slot back in May after a hosting shake-up at the channel, which saw Ken leave the station after 31 years. Ken has since found a new home on Greatest Hits Radio - taking his PopMaster quiz with him - where the 72-year-old has upped the audience to 3.7 million.
While Vernon is still pulling in 6.9 million listeners, it is 1.3 million less than when Ken was on the BBC airwaves, according to the latest industry figures. Addressing the dip in listeners for the first time, Vernon said it was “to be expected” when Ken left, as he had big shoes to fill. But he revealed there is no bad blood between the pair – who actually bump into each other most mornings now on the train into work.
Vernon Kay took over the mid-morning show on Radio 2 back in May (PA)Calling his predecessor an ‘icon’, Vernon told the Radio Times: “Ken’s a radio icon and there’s a lot of love for him. That’s proven by him taking some of the audience with him to Greatest Hits, which is fabulous for him.”
Saying he still sees Ken on a regular basis and has even sparked up an unlikely friendship with his predecessor, Vernon shared: “We take the same train every morning! He gets on a few stops further down the line but we bump into each other all the time – we say hello and have a chinwag.”
Radio 2 listening figures plunge as fans snub station after veteran DJs dumped
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While Ken is still on the airwaves in his 70s, delighting listeners with his old-school tunes and popular music quiz show PopMaster, Vernon has no such plans to be presenting radio shows at that age. Ken did 31 years in the mid-morning slot, but in 31 years Vernon will be 80 and joked there is “no way” he will still be sat at the same Radio 2 desk. Apart from the initial dip in figures since he took over, Vernon said he is “pleased” things have remained steady since.
Radio legend Ken Bruce has a new show on Greatest Hits - and has taken some listeners with him (PA)Listeners seem to be taking to Bolton-born Vernon’s northern charm and he has even introduced his own version of Ken’s PopMaster quiz, called Ten To The Top, which is proving to be a hit. When he is presenting the show, Vernon said he feels like he is “chatting to a load of mates”, even though he is on his “Jack Jones”.
And, despite the slight audience slump, he described having nearly 7 million listeners tuning into his show every day as “mind-blowing”. Dispelling any rivalry between him and Ken, Vernon added: “You can’t take it too seriously. It’s a precious slot that needs the utmost respect. It’s not about me or Ken, it’s about the listener.”
At the time of his departure, Ken’s Radio 2 show was the most popular radio show in the whole of the UK and regularly attracted an audience of more than 8 million listeners. After being a mainstay at the station for three decades, Ken admitted it was time for him to go and revealed being forced to play new music had started to make him feel “bitter and entrenched“. He said: “I didn't want to get to the stage where I was badmouthing some of the music [or] pretending to like it.“
Months into his new job, he confessed he was loving the new opportunity so much he should have taken the plunge and quit long before he was forced out. He 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 for the team here at my new home, Greatest Hits Radio.”
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