[Archive 2009-01-28] New BBC Radio 2 boss announced
Historical Wikinews report from 2009-01-28. The BBC have announced the appointment of Bob Shennan as controller for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. Shennan was previously c
Historical archive — originally published 2009-01-28. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.
The BBC have announced the appointment of Bob Shennan as controller for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. Shennan was previously controller at news and sports station BBC Radio Five Live and head of Channel 4's abortive 4 Digital Group radio venture. Channel 4 had won a licence to launch three digital radio stations but dropped the plans at an advanced stage in the face of the economic downturn.
At Five Live Shennan increased listening figures to 7 million. Critics claimed that this was achieved through the introduction of phone-in shows and a decline in coverage of harder news. He also launched the part-time digital-only station BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra.
Radio 2 is Britain's most popular radio station with 13.06 million listeners and a 16% share. 6 Music is the network's digital-only sister station. The post of controller became vacant last year when Lesley Douglas resigned following the scandal over crude phone calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to actor Andrew Sachs during a pre-recorded music programme.
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Text adapted from New BBC Radio 2 boss announced by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.
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