{"id":537930,"date":"2026-04-18T15:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/537930\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:05:12","slug":"boom-radio-nicked-radio-2s-older-listeners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/537930\/","title":{"rendered":"Boom Radio nicked Radio 2’s older listeners"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rival station has been able to scoop up Radio 2 listeners because the BBC was complacent about its older audience, an insider has revealed.<\/p>\n

As it shifted its approach to younger music fans, Radio 2<\/a> may have relied on research which said its core older audience had nowhere else to go, according to a programme producer who worked there for two decades.<\/p>\n

Since its launch five years ago, challenger station Boom Radio<\/a> has built a loyal audience of 750,000 listeners, targeting the BBC\u2019s neglected over-65s.<\/p>\n

Malcolm Prince, who worked with presenters including Paul O\u2019Grady, Steve Wright, Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman<\/a> over 20 years, claimed the BBC is now desperately trying to reverse course to win those people back.<\/p>\n

New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n

Boom was given a \u201cchance to nip in and devote a portfolio of stations to that audience\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the BBC says, \u2018Bugger it, let\u2019s go back to those people with a new archive Radio 2 spin-off for older listeners.\u2019 But Ofcom said \u2018No.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s most listened-to station with 12.7 million weekly fans, Radio 2 has been rocked by the shock sacking of Breakfast host Scott Mills. Former executives have said the station needs to bring in new star presenters and demonstrate a clearer strategy about who its audience i<\/a>s.<\/p>\n

Listeners over 55 dismissed<\/p>\n

Speaking to The i Paper, Prince recalled a BBC strategy meeting he attended in 2021. \u201cRadio 2 was doing market research. They said there were four new age groups they were aiming for \u2013 one was the \u2018mood mums\u2019 (a 90s-music loving demographic of busy mothers, aged 35-54). I raised my hand and said \u2018They don\u2019t exist.\u2019 They never did.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe age groups stopped at 54,\u201d Prince continued. \u201cA brave colleague put her hand up and asked \u2018What about those 55 and older, aren\u2019t we interested in them?\u2019 The research manager said: \u2018Don\u2019t worry about them, they\u2019ll listen anyway.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince, who produced O\u2019Grady\u2019s Sunday afternoon show for 14 years and wrote a book about his close friend after his death in 2023, said: \u201cTherein lies the problem. Five years ago there was a lack of interest in those people. They overlooked and neglected Paul\u2019s audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Malcolm Prince produced programmes with Kylie Minogue at Radio 2 (Photo: Malcolm Prince)<\/p>\n

Last year Ofcom blocked BBC plans for a Radio 2 \u201cgolden oldies\u201d spin-off<\/a> station which would feature music from the 60s and 70s and archive shows presented by the likes of Tony Blackburn. The regulator said the proposal would have an unfair impact on commercial competitors already serving its target audience, like Boom.<\/p>\n

BBC 6 Music, the hit digital station which serves 2.4 million alternative music fans who have outgrown Radio 1, could have been the \u201cgolden oldies\u201d station now thwarted, Prince said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a number of concepts for 6 Music before its launch (in 2002).<\/p>\n

\u201cOne was a station for senior citizens over 65. 6 Music was going to be that. Then they decided to go a different way. The BBC now does neglect that older audience and just raiding the archives is not the way to tackle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BBC said Radio 2 is \u201ccommitted to the 55+ audience. The station continues to target a multi-generational audience over 35, a target audience which hasn\u2019t changed in decades, and Radio 2 continues to have the largest 55+ audience in UK radio.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Grady \u2018furious\u2019 at BBC<\/p>\n

Former colleagues say Prince\u2019s view of the BBC is clouded by the circumstances of O\u2019Grady\u2019s departure from Radio 2. The presenter was told to share his Sunday slot with comedian Rob Beckett, cutting his episodes.<\/p>\n

\"\"Paul O\u2019Grady was upset at the way the BBC cut his Sunday Radio 2 show, Prince says (Photo: Malcolm Prince)<\/p>\n

\u201cRadio 2 wanted to do things in new ways on Sundays,\u201d Prince said. \u201cThe draft press release said Rob Beckett was going to \u2018save Sundays,\u2019 Paul was furious. They did apologise but the damage was done.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo this day, I don\u2019t know why they wanted to cut Paul\u2019s show. He fulfilled his contract and left. They were probably happy he did. They said the door was always open to Paul, which is exactly what they said when Liza Tarbuck left this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Wright \u2018distraught\u2019<\/p>\n

Prince, 61, who was executive producer on Steve Wright\u2019s afternoon show, said the late broadcasting legend was also upset after he lost his Radio 2 show.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve was distraught to lose his afternoon show. He phoned me after Paul O\u2019Grady\u2019s last show went out and asked \u2018What have we done wrong, Malcolm?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve couldn\u2019t understand it, he was extremely supportive of Radio 2, he did everything they wanted him to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norton was another Radio 2 star who felt the winds of change, said Prince. \u201cHis weekend show was the single most listened-to programme on the station. Then they said instead of the producer picking the music, which was my job, they were introducing a computer-generated playlist. Everything was changing. Graham quit and went to Virgin Radio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince, who followed O\u2019Grady out of Broadcasting House, has found a new home at Boom Radio, where he makes his presenting debut with a new weekly show focused on stage and screen music.<\/p>\n

New Boom musicals show<\/p>\n

The former producer of Elaine Paige\u2019s Radio 2 musical theatre show, Prince\u2019s selections, ranging from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Hamilton, will be his personal choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadio 2 wanted to lose the older people in production teams because experience is expensive,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you take out a producer who knows music and let a computer pick the music, you can afford to have less experienced teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

The atmosphere at Boom, where presenters like David Hamilton broadcast from their kitchen or garden sheds, is very different from Radio 2\u2019s \u201cdysfunctional family\u201d, claims Prince. He believes Sara Cox or Nick Grimshaw \u2013 \u201che\u2019s terrific on 6 Music and appeals to young and old alike\u201d \u2013 would be excellent choices to take over Breakfast at his old home.<\/p>\n

A BBC spokesperson said: \u201cWe are proud that BBC Radio 2 remains, by far, the UK\u2019s most popular radio station, attracting 12.7 million loyal listeners each week with its wide-ranging eclectic mix of content and music from across the decades, which is the secret of its success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malcolm\u2019s Musicals & Movies begins Wednesday May 6 at 9pm on Boom Radio, with a Saturday repeat on Boom Light<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A rival station has been able to scoop up Radio 2 listeners because the BBC was complacent about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[5063,243,106686,14772,96,71736,128,115245,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-537930","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-baby-boomers","9":"tag-bbc","10":"tag-bbc-radio","11":"tag-bbc-radio-2","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-graham-norton","14":"tag-music","15":"tag-radio-2","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}