BBC Radio 2 is axing their After Midnight show to cut costs ‘in line with the rest of Beeb’
Bosses are replacing the 12am to 3am programmes with re-runs of other shows
RADIO 2 is axing its After Midnight weekday shows to cut costs “in line with the rest of the BBC”, it said yesterday.
The station launched the late night 12am to 3am programme in October 2014 with hosts Janice Long, 61, and Alex Lester, 60, who the station has insisted will continue to broadcast on BBC Radio.
The Monday to Friday slots will now be replaced with re-runs of other shows, while playlists will be broadcast from 2am until 5am as they are unable to afford the running costs.
Lewis Carnie, Head of BBC Radio 2, explained: “Radio 2 has had to make extremely tough decisions to reduce programming costs in order to make savings in line with the rest of the BBC.
“As a relatively small percentage of our audience listens to Radio 2 through the night, changes need to be made to ensure that our programming spend reaches the most listeners.
“I’d like to thank both Janice Long and Alex Lester for their contributions to the programme.”