‘It saddens me’: Radio legend David Hamilton blasts BBC for ‘copying’ his music station and putting its future at risk
Legendary radio presenter David Hamilton has lashed out at the licence fee-funded BBC, accusing them of putting his music station’s future at risk.
Boom Radio, a station set up in 2021, has garnered a great deal of popularity in appealing to older audiences while the BBC increasingly focuses on younger listeners.
Now presenters at the UK’s fastest growing commercial station are hitting out at the broadcaster’s plans for an additional digital service, Radio 2 Extra, claiming it is a blatant “rip-off” which could spell bad news for its future.
Speaking on GB News, Hamilton, who worked at the BBC for 25 years, said the broadcaster is seeking to ‘claw back’ the listeners it lost to Boom.
“Some time ago, Radio 2 let their older presenters go aiming for a younger audience”, he said.
“Boom Radio came along four years ago and has been a great success. Now, the BBC wants to do its own version of Boom Radio and claw those listeners back.
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“They are saying they will have a completely different station, they will be celebrating important musical anniversaries and have the story behind the song.
“That’s what we do. We’re doing that anyway. They are just going to copy what we’re doing.”
GB News’s Andrew Pierce said it’s unfair competition given the BBC’s status as a licence fee funded organisation.
He told Hamilton the BBC has “had its chance” with the older generation and “blew it”, adding they should let Boom Radio have the space.
Hamilton said: “You’re absolutely right. It’s like David and Goliath. We’re a tiny station.
“Everybody is broadcasting from home. This is my studio from home studio and where I broadcast from every day.
“They have the facilities to promote their new station on all the television stations and they don’t need advertising. The funny thing is, they have been making cuts on BBC local radio and pleading poverty. Where has the money come from? That’s what I would like to do.
“It’s a very uneven playing field and it’s unfair.”
Hamilton worked for the BBC for 25 years and he says the corporation has a very different feel to it now compared to when he was presenting there.
“I worked for the BBC for 25 years in the ‘60s, ’70s and ‘80s and those days, it was a wonderful place to work”, he said.
“Its news service around the world was regarded as the most impartial and unbiased. I don’t think people would say that today.
“There’s been such a change in the BBC, it saddens me. With this particular thing, they’re better than that and bigger than that.”
In a statement, Lorna Clarke, the BBC Director of Music, said: “Our music extensions allow us to support new music, showcase British talent, resurface performances from our unrivalled archive, and help audiences discover a greater range of music than what’s available on the market.”