Steve Wright to leave Radio 2 Afternoon.

[Kite159]

Nothing lasts forever regarding Steve Wright doing the afternoon show on radio 2.

 

[Eyersey468]

It's a long time since I have listened to Radio 2 but I did used to like Steve Wright's show.

 

[duncanp]

How old is he ? Pushing 80 ?

Wikipedia says he was born on 29th January 1943, so pushing 80 is correct.

Regardless of age, I still think he is one of the better presenters on Radio 2, and one of the few I still listen to regularly.

 

[Butts]

Wikipedia says he was born on 29th January 1943, so pushing 80 is correct.

Regardless of age, I still think he is one of the better presenters on Radio 2, and one of the few I still listen to regularly.

Does wikipedia say what happened to "Arnold" ?

 

[johncrossley]

It is more that the government would like to switch off the FM signal. It keeps on getting delayed, most recently in 2020, to be pushed out to 2032.

There is no real need to switch off FM, as the frequencies don't have any other future application. They can't be sold off to mobile operators.

There is a case for national radio to leave FM to make space for more local stations on FM.

FM is going nowhere. They are still struggling to get approval to switch off AM.

Who are 'they'? Stations don't need approval to switch off AM. Commercial stations can switch them off at any time if they feel they are no longer commercially viable. A lot have been shut down already. The BBC has also shut down a lot of AM transmitters. BBC local radio and Radio Wales only have a few left. Radio Ulster has switched off AM entirely.

I would agree that FM has years left. It may even outlast DAB.

 

[satisnek]

Never was a fan of Steve Wright myself, and the time he got the daily slot marked the beginning of the end of Radio 2 for me, the first nail in the coffin. When I was young, Radio 2 was an old fogey station which subsequently moved younger; nowadays I've long outgrown it. Our paths crossed mainly in the late 1990s.

But I did listen to a bit of Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour last Friday. Only a bit, mind. It's clearly his own, undiluted choice of music, being almost all soul/disco stuff (rather like Johnnie Walker's Sounds Of The Seventies is a rock snob's view of the decade) and then he laid on some truly stomach-churning sycophancy regarding the BBC Sounds App. Why on earth he (and Gambo, for that matter) continues to do work for the BBC after the way they treated him back in 2016 is beyond me.

I believe Arnold died some years back, having lived well into his forties - something like 300 dog-years

 

[Butts]

Never was a fan of Steve Wright myself, and the time he got the daily slot marked the beginning of the end of Radio 2 for me, the first nail in the coffin. When I was young, Radio 2 was an old fogey station which subsequently moved younger; nowadays I've long outgrown it. Our paths crossed mainly in the late 1990s.

But I did listen to a bit of Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour last Friday. Only a bit, mind. It's clearly his own, undiluted choice of music, being almost all soul/disco stuff (rather like Johnnie Walker's Sounds Of The Seventies is a rock snob's view of the decade) and then he laid on some truly stomach-churning sycophancy regarding the BBC Sounds App. Why on earth he (and Gambo, for that matter) continues to do work for the BBC after the way they treated him back in 2016 is beyond me.

I believe Arnold died some years back, having lived well into his forties - something like 300 dog-years

Thanks for that.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Nothing lasts forever regarding Steve Wright doing the afternoon show on radio 2.

Clearly not, have you heard its finishing?

 

[HuggyB87]

Used to love the morning ramblings of Chris Evans, skipped Ken Bruce, moved on to (sometimes hilarious) arguements on Jeremy Vine, followed by Steve Wright, then rounding the day off with Simon Mayo - switching off before Jo Whiley bored the life out of me.

Simon is on Greatest Hits, Chris Evans is on Virgin Radio - gonna miss Wrighty

 

[duncanp]

Never was a fan of Steve Wright myself, and the time he got the daily slot marked the beginning of the end of Radio 2 for me, the first nail in the coffin. When I was young, Radio 2 was an old fogey station which subsequently moved younger; nowadays I've long outgrown it. Our paths crossed mainly in the late 1990s.

But I did listen to a bit of Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour last Friday. Only a bit, mind. It's clearly his own, undiluted choice of music, being almost all soul/disco stuff (rather like Johnnie Walker's Sounds Of The Seventies is a rock snob's view of the decade) and then he laid on some truly stomach-churning sycophancy regarding the BBC Sounds App. Why on earth he (and Gambo, for that matter) continues to do work for the BBC after the way they treated him back in 2016 is beyond me.

I believe Arnold died some years back, having lived well into his forties - something like 300 dog-years

Yes, the way Tony Blackburn continues to ram the BBC Sounds App down our throats is very irritating

It is, of course, part of the BBC strategy of getting everyone to listen online, in one form or the other.

Then they can start charging us a subscription fee when the licence fee is abolished.

Similarly with all the <bleeping> trails on Radio 2 for items on BBC I Player, or the one that is currently being broadcast (06:20 Monday) for people to say "..Play BBC News.." to their smart speaker.

Give it a rest, will you

 

[adc82140]

Who are 'they'? Stations don't need approval to switch off AM. Commercial stations can switch them off at any time if they feel they are no longer commercially viable. A lot have been shut down already. The BBC has also shut down a lot of AM transmitters. BBC local radio and Radio Wales only have a few left. Radio Ulster has switched off AM entirely.

I would agree that FM has years left. It may even outlast DAB.

They being the BBC. They were allowed to switch some AM off, but it still requires government approval to migrate 5 live, Radio 4 LW and the remaining BBC LR stations to FM or digital platforms. There will certainly be some pushback from the Senedd about switching off Radio Wales 882 AM given the difficult terrain for FM/DAB in its coverage area.

 

[johncrossley]

They being the BBC. They were allowed to switch some AM off, but it still requires government approval to migrate 5 live, Radio 4 LW and the remaining BBC LR stations to FM or digital platforms. There will certainly be some pushback from the Senedd about switching off Radio Wales 882 AM given the difficult terrain for FM/DAB in its coverage area.

The closure of Radio 4 long wave was announced as early as 2011. It is only being kept on at the moment because it is being paid by the electricity industry. The long wave frequency currently broadcasts the Radio Teleswitch service with the Radio 4 signal which some Economy 7 meters require. There was a recent announcement about the end of Radio 4 Long Wave and Five Live's AM transmitters and the imminent ending of separate programmes for long wave.

Tim Davie’s full speech to BBC staff on a digital-first future

Tim Davie's full speech to BBC staff on a digital-first future on Thursday afternoon.

radiotoday.co.uk

We do plan to stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 Long Wave, consulting with partners, including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, ahead of the closure of the Long Wave platform itself. 5Live on Medium Wave will also close no later than December 2027, in line with a proposed industry-wide exit from the platform.

Radio Wales historically only covered the main population areas on FM, but in 2018 many of the Radio 3 FM transmitters in Wales were switched to Radio Wales, so FM coverage is now largely comparable to the Welsh speaking Radio Cymru which isn't on AM at all.

There are only a few BBC local radio stations left on medium wave. It should be noted that the BBC were forced to hand over many of the local AM transmitters to commercial radio in the early 90s, especially ones covering big cities such as Manchester and London. The ones in the Midlands were converted to the Asian Network. The AM and FM coverage areas were not always the same, meaning that some people at the edge of coverage lost their station when those stations went FM only, and there wasn't the plethora of alternative ways to listen like there are now. In the recent rounds of AM switch offs, some communities lost their AM service without a FM or DAB replacement. For example Lynmouth and Lynton in Devon could only get Radio Devon on AM and there is no FM or DAB reception there either. Most places can listen to BBC local radio through their TV on Freeview (which is the usual fallback in areas that have no AM or FM reception) but in Lynmouth and Lynton, their local relay transmitter comes from Somerset and so does not provide Radio Devon as it is in a different TV region.

It is clear that the BBC isn't obliged to provide replacement FM transmitters to replace lost AM reception.

This enthusiast has provided a commentary regarding the various issues regarding the remaining AM transmitters, including BBC local radio stations, with speculation as to what might happen.

http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/Opinion_AM.pdf

• The Radio Guernsey and Radio Jersey AM transmitters were originally retained to provide opt-outs from the main service covering the island assemblies. These opt-out services are now available on DAB, so these transmitters are likely to be switched off in the BBC’s next closure round.

• The Radio Cumbria (North and South), Radio Derby, Radio Norfolk (West) and Radio Somerset transmitters serve similar FM and DAB coverage gaps to the AM transmitters that have already been switched off. Consequently, they are also likely to be closed in the next round.

• The Radio Gloucestershire (West) transmitter serves areas with very poor FM and DAB coverage. This area is the most likely candidate for additional FM transmitters, in which case AM would be retained until they are installed. If no improvements to FM coverage are planned, the AM transmitter could be closed in the next round or it could be retained until the final Five Live AM transmitters are switched off.

• The original Radio Wales (South) transmitter was replaced by a new lower power transmitter in 2021. This makes it unlikely that the transmitter will be switched off in the near future. However, it could be transferred to Five Live, enabling closure of the Clevedon transmitter. The BBC might consider an additional FM transmitter to serve Monmouth. Alternatively, Radio Wales could be added to the BBC National DAB multiplex (probably using DAB+), plugging both the Monmouth and Garth coverage gaps.

• The Radio Scotland transmitter at Westerglen serves significant FM coverage gaps in the road network, so may be retained until the final Five Live AM transmitters are switched off, potentially with a power reduction. The FM coverage gaps served by the Burghead transmitter have much lower traffic/population levels, so Burghead is more likely to close in the near future. However, Burghead does provide coverage of sports opt-outs in places unserved by DAB. Thus, closure may be delayed until improvements in coverage to the Inverness DAB multiplex that are due to be made before the licence renews in August 2023.

 

[trebor79]

Good riddance. In the article he spouts about how the BBC have allowed him to be so creative. But his show hasn't changed at all for over a decade!
Lazy, fairly talentless individual paid way too much and thinking way too much of himself for playing some records and making the same inane "gags" day after day, week after week, year after year.

 

[yorksrob]

Good riddance. In the article he spouts about how the BBC have allowed him to be so creative. But his show hasn't changed at all for over a decade!
Lazy, fairly talentless individual paid way too much and thinking way too much of himself for playing some records and making the same inane "gags" day after day, week after week, year after year.

I must admit, I only really started listening to the show regularly during lockdown, so I can't comment on it ten years ago, but if the format hasn't changed, so what ? Jeremy Vine's show has been the same format since the 1970's (so I'm told by my family).

In the absense of Steve, my personal choice would be OJ Borj - hillarious and far too good for the graveyard shift.

 

[martin2345uk]

I also think OJ should get more prime time work, being a train driver I quite often get to listen to him on the drive to or from work and he’s much more natural with callers for example than Scott Mills ever is.

 

[roversfan2001]

The real tragedy here is Mills & Stark leaving Radio 1. A lot of the content was very puerile but it was very good listening.

 

[nlogax]

Good riddance. In the article he spouts about how the BBC have allowed him to be so creative. But his show hasn't changed at all for over a decade!

From a couple of listens it's the very same format as the R1 show I used to hear when getting home from school..thirty five years ago. There's evidently still an audience for this stuff, no doubt the podcast will retain some sort of listenership if the full SWitA format doesn't find a new national radio home elsewhere.

 

[trebor79]

I must admit, I only really started listening to the show regularly during lockdown, so I can't comment on it ten years ago, but if the format hasn't changed, so what ? Jeremy Vine's show has been the same format since the 1970's (so I'm told by my family).

He's another one I can't stand. Sanctimonious twerp.

From a couple of listens it's the very same format as the R1 show I used to hear when getting home from school..thirty five years ago. There's evidently still an audience for this stuff, no doubt the podcast will retain some sort of listenership if the full SWitA format doesn't find a new national radio home elsewhere.

Is there an audience for it though or do people just have it on out of habit. I used to listen to Radio 2 for the variety of music, but I just can't stand Steve Wright and it got to the point I decided it wasn't worth putting up with him for the music. I listen to Absolute Radio now, which seems to play "my" kind of music without too much daft chatter and fake corpsing at co-presenters gags.

 

[yorksrob]

I listen to Absolute Radio now, which seems to play "my" kind of music without too much daft chatter and fake corpsing at co-presenters gags.

Ah, but is it riddled with adverts !

 

[trebor79]

Ah, but is it riddled with adverts !

This is true. But apparently if you listen through their app there are no adverts. Might try it as for some reason many of the streaming websites (including their own!) no longer work.
And in any case the adverts are far less irritating than Wright or Vine.

 

[nlogax]

I listen to Absolute Radio now, which seems to play "my" kind of music without too much daft chatter and fake corpsing at co-presenters gags.

Scala here. No more R4, no more talk radio, no more people spouting daft opinions, just classical stuff that gently washes over me in a presentation style that doesn't take itself too seriously. If I want to listen to music that's more up my street Spotify is always there.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Scott Mills to replace Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 afternoon show

The broadcaster and DJ's longstanding midweek afternoon slot will be filled by Radio 1's Scott Mills.

www.bbc.co.uk

Knew the ******* BBC were up to something.

Don't get me wrong, Mills is a nice enough lad, but he's filled in for Wright before and it was a litany of modern music, barely anything before the 1980's. This seems to be part of the damned BBC's conspiracy to turn Radio2 into Radio1 "lite".

Good riddance.

His format was annoying on Radio 1 and equally annoying on Radio 2. And I’d hardly call 80’s, 90s and even early 2000s radio 1 lite.

 

[yorksrob]

Good riddance.

His format was annoying on Radio 1 and equally annoying on Radio 2. And I’d hardly call 80’s, 90s and even early 2000s radio 1 lite.

It is to me, I expect some 60's and 70's in the mix for an acceptible range of popular music.

 

[DarloRich]

one smarmy unfunny so and so replaced by another smarmy unfunny so and so. nothing to see here.

Steve Wright was funny in 1986. His time has come and gone.

 

[Cowley]

one smarmy unfunny so and so replaced by another smarmy unfunny so and so. nothing to see here.

Steve Wright was funny in 1986. His time has come and gone.

Right @yorksrob. Stop fighting your age, it’s Radio 4 for you now and then when that feels a bit too lively it’ll be on to Radio 3 to calm things down into your retirement years…
We’ll have none of this new fangled ‘Indie’ music at your age.

 

[yorksrob]

Right @yorksrob. Stop fighting your age, it’s Radio 4 for you now and then when that feels a bit too lively it’ll be on to Radio 3 to calm things down into your retirement years…
We’ll have none of this new fangled ‘Indie’ music at your age.

The Grundy love triangle on The Archers is far too raunchy for me I'm afraid

 

[flymo]

Steve Wright was a breath of fresh air when he hit the Radio 1 airwaves, at least to me anyway. Being brought up on Radio 1 when it was the station to listen to I've kind of grown with some of the DJ's migrating to Radio2. One day, (couple or 5 years ago?) whilst out driving there was Simon Mayo, Mark Goodier, Gary Davies, Steve Wright and Noel Edmonds all in a row (must have been holiday week on R2) and it was glorious, my formative years listening to radio 1 then presented to me on radio 2. lol. Today however if listening to R2 now, Zoe Ball is not a bad show in the morning, Ken Bruce is half decent and is Radio 2 personified, Jeremy Vine just makes me laugh and the drive time show with Sarah Cox is painful. Steve Wright is the only decent thing to listen to for me, once he's gone then the allure of R2 will be much less.
Each to their own of course but the radio 2 of a few years ago was the Radio 1 of my teens.
Thanks Steve for all the laughs and fun over the years.

 

[Cowley]

The Grundy love triangle on The Archers is far too raunchy for me I'm afraid

It was always my bedtime at the end of The Archers theme tune when I was little. I still can’t listen to it without the involuntary onset of narcolepsy.

 

[Trackman]

Does wikipedia say what happened to "Arnold" ?

Gawd, this should be in the 'You know when you're old when.. ' thread.
---
Going slightly OT, I stopped listening to R1 after Mark and Lard retired.

 

[yorksrob]

It was always my bedtime at the end of The Archers theme tune when I was little. I still can’t listen to it without the involuntary onset of narcolepsy.

The accordion version always reminds me of Sunday lunch with the family in my youth.