Richard Spendlove’s ‘open’ letter to BBC director Jason Horton

With the end of BBC Radio Cambridgeshire as we know it looming large, one of its most regular broadcasters has penned a letter to BBC bosses.

Here is the open letter to Jason Horton, acting director BBC England, from veteran broadcaster Richard Spendlove, MBE,

Jason Horton has a short memory.

Let me just remind him (with the greatest respect of course) that all those years ago, when we sat across a desk from each other, ‘co-presenting’ a Christmas Auction Special.

As I remember we were not being supported by ‘yoof’ Jason.

Your early efforts (and mine) were not listened to by ‘yoof’ young man; the words we spoke, at that time were enjoyed by an older audience.

The folk who turned out to see us.

The folk who bought things at those auctions.

The good people who did us the honour of asking for our autographs.

The people who trudged across the field to support us at ‘outside broadcasts’.

A listenership who – over the ensuing years – have been the constant lifeblood of local radio.

Advertisements

They relied on it, and they rewarded us by offering us their loyalty.

I catered for that audience for 34 years, 28 years of them on one show.

One of your managers rang me one day and said, “Dick, the interesting thing is that your figures never really drop – it’s because as fast as we lose any of them, through age, someone younger climbs on the other end to take their place – and stays!

Why not stop listening to newbies and continuing streams of ‘statisticians’ and think what you are doing.

You are destroying something special – very – special. Some of us can remember ‘the day before yesterday.

We owe these people, and most particularly YOU owe them.

Richard Spendlove, MBE
Former BBC Regional Radio, South & East of England