BBC Radio 2 sheds a million listeners as veteran Ken Bruce replaced

BBC Radio 2 has lost one million listeners since veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce left the station, new figures show.

The station saw its average weekly listeners drop by 7 per cent from 14.5 million in January to March 2023 to 13.5 million in April to June – the largest quarterly fall for Radio 2 since audience research body Rajar resumed collecting data in September 2021 after it was paused at the start of the pandemic.

Scottish broadcaster Bruce left Radio 2 on 3 March, having presented his mid-morning programme for more than three decades, and began a new show on Greatest Hits Radio in April.

Vernon Kay took over the role as Bruce’s permanent replacement on 15 May.