Radio Broadcaster David Hamilton has accused the BBC of “pinching listeners” from beloved station Boom Radio, amid plans to expand its own station, Radio 2.
The BBC announced plans to launch a Radio 2 spin-off station, focusing on music from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s – aiming to provide a “distinctive take on pop nostalgia”.
However, Hamilton highlighted how the BBC had hired “younger presenters” and “reduced the play of 60s and ’70s music”, in favour of appealing to “younger listeners”.
Boom Radio, which launched in 2021, has acquired a loyal listening base and Hamilton told GB News it is “aiming for a million listeners” – having attracted three quarters of a million so far.
Discussing the plans on GB News, Hamilton explained: “Boom Radio is a station that was set up for the boomers – that’s people born between 1946 and 1964 – and it’s been very successful.
“It’s filled a void for people that Radio 2 just didn’t want anymore, they were getting rid of a lot of older presenters and a lot of old music, and so the listeners have embraced us.”
Expressing concern for the plans, Hamilton made clear that the new spin-off station will become “virtually the same” as Boom Radio, and may “pinch listeners” just as it was reaching a significant milestone.
Hamilton stated: “It’s been so successful that now Radio 2 wants those listeners back, and it wants to have a station which is virtually the same as ours.
“I think the boss Phil Riley is concerned that they may pinch a few of our listeners. We’ve got about three quarters of a million and we’re aiming for the million, so I hope that they don’t pinch many.”
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Citing his earlier career with the BBC, Hamilton pushed back on host Bev Turner’s claims that there can be a “silver lining” in Radio 2 creating another station for “older listeners”, and questioned “where the money is coming from” to fund it.
Hamilton told GB News: “I used to work for the BBC, and years ago it was an organisation you were very proud to work for. But I think now in many cases it’s run by, quite frankly, people who just don’t know what they’re doing.
“They have until now been making lots and lots of cuts, so I’m wondering, are they going to spend Gary Lineker’s fee on this new radio expansion? The money must be coming from somewhere.”
He added: “At the end of the day it comes from us, the licence payers.”
When asked by host Andrew Pierce how he “keeps so young and agile” in his extensive radio career, Hamilton joyfully admitted: “I always say that if you find a job that you love, you never work a day in your life.
“And music has been my love and my hobby and my work as well, and I’ve actually been in the industry now for 65 years.
“And of course, you’ve got to remember it was a wonderful era for music. The 60s, we know it was fabulous with the Beatles and the Stones – the 70s music was great as well, and overall it’s got a very happy vibe.
“We all know about the the problems in the world, so we get away from it. We’re living in a wonderful time warp where there were no mobile phones, we were living in much simpler and much happier times and that’s what we’ve captivated with the music and the presenters.”