It’s the start of a new era for Ken Bruce as he kicks off his new radio show on Greatest Hits on Monday.
The veteran broadcaster, 72, is best known for presenting his mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2023.
Ken announced in January that he would be leaving the BBC after 31 years to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio.
However, the star later hit the station after bosses demanded he resign from his post 17 days earlier, with Gary Davies taking over until permanent replacement Vernon Kay joins in May.
As Ken settles in to present a new show on a new station, MailOnline looks at why the star decided to leave the BBC for Greatest Hits.
Change: It’s the start of a new era for Ken Bruce, as his new radio show on Greatest Hits kicks off on Monday.
End of an era: Ken announced in January that he was leaving the BBC after 31 years to join rival commercial station Greatest Hits Radio.
Why did Ken leave BBC Radio 2?
Ken told his fans that after decades with the BBC, he wanted to continue his career “in a slightly different way over the next few years.”
However, the presenter claimed that the national broadcaster asked him to leave Radio 2 before his contract was up.
In a tweet, Ken said: “I had intended to serve out my contract until the end of March, but the BBC decided they want me to leave earlier.” Let’s enjoy next week!’
He later told the Daily Mail that “the BBC gave him no real reason that I understood” for the decision to move his final show.
However, sources told The Sun: “The BBC believes that every second it is on the air is just free publicity for its new show on Greatest Hits Radio.”
‘They were frustrated that the rival station launched a marketing campaign for their show. Leaves a sour taste.
In response to Bruce’s comments, a Radio 2 spokesperson said: ‘Ken has decided to leave Radio 2 and it has always been known that he will be leaving in March.
Decision: Ken told his fans that after decades with the BBC, he wanted to continue his career “in a slightly different way over the next few years”
“Coming back to Wogan House for a week after a month of broadcasting the Piano Room sessions in Maida Vale was a natural break. We wish Ken all the best for the future.’
When asked how he felt about moving to a workplace after more than 40 years, Ken said: “Well, I have a lot of friends who still work at the BBC and have worked at the BBC for a long time, and still I’m still very, very horny towards BBC.
‘I think it’s a great organization. It’s about time I left and now… it’s been quite a few weeks and really, I’m looking forward to a month or two, maybe a year or two, maybe a decade or two, on Greatest Hits Radio. .’
What is Ken’s new show?
His new show airs from 10am to 1pm and will feature PopMaster, which Bruce brought over from the BBC due to recording the long-running segment and hit songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
The popular radio contest continues to be broadcast at the same time from 22:30 to 22:50.
Asked if there are any adjustments he has to make since moving to Bauer, Bruce said: ‘I’m struggling to work my day.
“I think I’ll go to bed an hour later because I just have to squeeze everything in the remaining hours of the day.
Dispute: However, the presenter assured that the national broadcaster asked him to leave Radio 2 before finishing his contract
‘Once I have my biological clock, right. I think I’ll be fine, but I really enjoy having an extra half hour in bed every morning.
The radio DJ added that he’ll be ‘looking for lunch’ at 12:30pm when he goes on the air and joked that there will be a ‘microphone issue’ during this time.
He also said that his new radio show after leaving the BBC will be “very much the same” and that he is not looking to introduce “big bells and whistles” to the format.
Bruce added: “It’s going to be nice things to keep people involved, keep people listening and participating in the show, it’s going to be a lot like it was before, just in a different place.”