The stations have always evolved; Radio 2 has gone through tremendous upheavals over the years.  I really struggle to hear it as “cool”; it’s still to me (a person in my early 20s) pretty jarring to listen to in terms of style, even though I love presenters like Scott.  It’s gone younger quite clearly, but it’s always done that and if it never did all its listeners would die.  I think in terms of listenership drop that’s probably an unavoidable trend for big national networks; Radio 1 also in long term decline, it’s a fragmenting landscape where 8 million audiences for a single show are probably a thing of the past.  But working to remain relevant to the young end of your target (Radio 2 starts targeting at 35, remember, so not too old) probably stands you in better stead medium term even if it does cause a big drop short term.

Ken Bruce has stirred things up again with his comments about Radio 2’s direction. In a recent interview he warned the BBC against trying to make the station “cool”, saying there should always be a clear divide between Radio 1 and Radio 2. In his view, Radio 2 is a “state of mind”, not just a playlist, and people over 35 are generally comfortable being “uncool”. His blunt line was: “Radio 2 thinking it’s cool is the worst thing we can do.” At the same time, there’s no ignoring the drop in listeners since he left – 8.1m down to 6.6m for the mid-morning show. Bruce says he’s aware of the fall, and admits some listeners followed him to Greatest Hits Radio, where his own audience has apparently doubled. But the BBC is adamant everything’s fine. They’re still calling Radio 2 the UK’s most-listened-to station, and point out that Vernon Kay’s show is still attracting 6.6m people a week. They’re clearly trying to adapt the station, refresh it, and keep it relevant. And to be fair, times do change. Audiences shift, music moves on, and younger Gen X listeners don’t necessarily want the same tone or sound that older listeners did ten years ago. So is Ken right that Radio 2 should stop chasing “cool” and stick to what made it work for decades? Or, is he simply holding onto an era that’s gone, while Radio 2 genuinely needs to evolve to stay alive?

Lauren on with Mollie again today.

Jaguar in for Sarah on Friday 21st December

Lauren Layfield on with Mollie today, Matt poorly apparently.

Lorraine Kelly sitting in for Jeremy Vine from Monday 22nd to Wednesday 24th December. That's a R2 presenting debut for Lorraine Sunday 28th December from 3pm-5pm has a Celebration of Johnny's Walker NYE from 12pm onwards is identical to last year.. 12-2pm Sophie's Kitchen Disco, then Sounds of the 60's from 2-4, 70's from 4-6, 80's from 6-8 (a busy day for Gary Davies if he's in for Vernon as well), 90's until 10pm with Owain, then Michelle Visage from 10pm to 1am.  

Welcome back! I agree with all of the above.