Radio 2’s Steve Wright takes on Pick of the Pops from Paul Gambaccini
RADIO 2’s Steve Wright is taking over the station’s ‘Pick of the Pops’ show, while Paul Gambaccini is moving to a new Sunday night show.
Steve, 68, will launch the Saturday slot on October 21 and will continue to showcase his Sunday Love Songs.
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He was replaced by Scott Mills on his weekday show last September after 23 years.
He said: “Pick of the Pops is such an iconic show. Gambo has embraced it brilliantly over the past seven and a half years – and now it’s my chance to try it.”
In Paul’s new show he will rediscover forgotten titles from the 1950s.
The 74-year-old said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to showcase neglected jewels from the past century.”
Radio 2 will celebrate Paul’s 50th anniversary as a national broadcaster with a special in October.
The move follows official viewership data showing BBC Radio 2 has lost more than a million listeners since Ken’s Bruce left in March.
Meanwhile, quarterly Rajar figures show that his new show on Greatest Hits Radio reached three million listeners a week between April and June.
The guard carried out an analysis of viewership with the help of radio consultancy Hallett Arendt.
It turns out that the morning show on Radio 2 drew 8.3 million listeners during Ken’s tenure.
However, since new presenter Vernon Kay took over, the numbers have dropped to 6.9 million listeners.
