Radio 2 fans vow to switch off with Vernon Kay, 48, ‘set to take over’ from Ken Bruce

The decision by BBC bosses to hand over Ken Bruce’s mid-morning slot to Vernon Kay upset listeners and further deepened the storm of ‘ageism’ engulfing Radio 2, but becoming ‘younger and cheaper’ it could save the corporation £100,000 a year, MailOnline can reveal today.

The veteran DJ, 72, will leave his show in just over a month before moving to rival radio Greatest Hits, with Kay signing a two-year deal.

But industry insiders have said Vernon is unlikely to receive Ken Bruce’s £389,999 a year salary due to his age and lack of radio experience compared to the veteran who draws 8.2 million followers. listeners every week.

The source told MailOnline: “Vernon’s agents would have used Ken’s salary as a starting point, but would probably have negotiated him between £250,000 and £300,000, reflecting that he is much less experienced than Ken.” He is younger and probably cheaper.’

Ken Bruce is the latest in a long line of veteran DJs to leave Radio 2 and his loyal fans have vowed to follow him and his beloved Popmaster contest. His mid-morning show is the most popular in the UK.

So-called ‘Radio 2 refugees’ are annoyed by younger and younger DJs playing increasingly modern hits with Ken, reportedly also said to share concerns about the station’s edgier playlist.

Radio 2 has bled 580,000 listeners in the last year after his dismissal older stars. Former fan of the station Fiona Rees tweeted: ‘This has had a huge impact on me. All negative… Vernon Kay now replaces Ken Bruce. Radio 2 is totally unrecognizable.

The BBC has been accused of age discrimination the summer Paul O’Grady left Radio 2 after Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, left and were replaced by a lineup younger. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, also moved in, and Ms Feltz said her departure was due to her being a woman over 60.

This marginalization of older baby boomer DJs and the pursuit of younger listeners and ‘Gen Z’ with presenters under 50 playing fewer classic hits and more modern pop has coincided with listeners moving to other places.

Dan Tappin wrote: ‘I have been very supportive of the changes to Radio 2 because the station has to change to reflect the 40-year-old today. But Vernon Kay isn’t the right replacement for Ken Bruce.

Dan Rowley added: ‘Vernon Kay to replace Ken Bruce. poor boy. It’s like when Moyes replaced Fergie.

Bruce’s slot has been hailed as the “biggest and most coveted” job in radio.

A source said: “Ken’s show is the most listened to in Europe so Vernon has a lot of shoes to fill.” But he’s such a warm and easy presenter and the listeners have really taken to it.

“Vernon has a lot of fresh, new ideas and content, but he won’t try to reinvent the wheel here – he knows how important this show is to listeners and wants them to feel welcome and safe.

“Everyone on the Beeb is very excited to have him on board.”

A formal announcement is expected to be made in the coming days, while the contracts are understood to have been signed last week.

Kay, who is married to Strictly host Tess Daly, will host his first show on April 3.

Radio 2 has been accused of age discrimination after the mass departure of some of its best-known presenters.

Steve Wright, 68, Paul O’Grady, 67, Vanessa Feltz, 60 and Simon Mayo, 64, have said goodbye to the station in recent months.

A source told the Sun: ‘Ken is the most listened to DJ in Europe and has nothing more to prove on the BBC.

He has had an amazing time working there and is so grateful for the loyalty of all his listeners.

“But in recent years, there has been a noticeable change in direction, with a push to appeal to a younger audience.”

Last month, it was reported that Bruce resigned from Radio 2 because he felt “unloved” by bosses, who failed to reassure him about a new contract even though they wanted to keep him, BBC insiders say.

A source claimed that despite wanting to hold on to the DJ, Britain’s most popular radio host, a “mix-up” meant they didn’t tell him. This is said to have helped convince him to join its business rival Greatest Hits Radio.

The unexpected announcement of the 71-year-old presenter’s departure is now said to have caused discord at the BBC, as many see it as entirely avoidable.

A well-placed source said: ‘They definitely wanted to renew his contract, but due to a mix-up, no one told him. He is a proud man and he didn’t want to ask. When he told them that he was leaving, they all said: ‘but we were about to offer you a three-year contract’… A little late.’

But another source close to the station disputed the contract claims, saying: “Ken was assured on more than one occasion that his future at Radio 2 was safe.”

The Scottish star is believed to have been unsettled by the way the corporation removed host Steve Wright’s long-running show last year amid a push to appeal to younger listeners.

Bruce is also said to have pleaded with his bosses to stop making him play “off-key dance music”, but received no proper response to his pleas.

The Radio 2 insider told the Mail: ‘Ken didn’t feel loved. Part of the problem was that we were told our target audience is ‘humor moms’, but we never really hear who they are or what they want! We started playing a lot of off-key dance music and Ken had begged them to stop making him play but apparently his emails were never answered.

The source, who accused bosses of being ‘asleep at the wheel’, added: ‘(Wright’s departure) just focused his mind. When Steve was fired, they didn’t consider the effect he might have on the rest of the presenters.

Bruce has been with the BBC for 45 years, 31 of those years presenting his mid-morning show on Radio 2. But loyal listeners are growing fed up with what they see as a shift towards a younger audience.