Popular BBC Radio Devon presenter to quit

Managers at BBC Radio Devon have been dealt a bitter blow after one of their most popular broadcasters told them he was quitting the station.

Although no formal announcement has been made, the Daily understands Bill Buckley is on his way out.

A station insider has told us that he has been signed up by BBC Radio Berkshire.

He will join other big-name broadcasters Paul Ross, brother of  Jonathan, and Anne Diamond, who became a household name on TV-am.

Mr Buckley’s departure will be a serious concern to BBC Radio Devon managing editor Mark Grinnell.

The station has shed thousands of listeners since he decided to axe the popular Judi Spiers mid-morning show and bring in former Radio One DJ Simon Bates whose acerbic style has spilt opinion.

Radio Devon Stalwart Matt Woodley was moved to one side to make way for Mr Bates but soon after listener figures plummeted.

A reshuffle saw another popular presenter, David Sheppard, moved from the drive-time show to the graveyard shift.

He was replaced by former gardening show presenter, Pippa Quelch, who was later joined by Mr Woodley to form a double act.

The station had an average of 180,000 listeners a week from July to September 2015, down 34,000 from the previous three months.

The number of listeners went up by 24,000 between September 2014 and April 2015, but dropped 7,000 in the following three months.

This represents a fall of 17,000 over the past year and 88,000 since September 2005.

Latest figures show no sign of improvement.

The insider told the Daily: “This is a big concern for all of us. Bill was known as the last serious broadcaster on the station.

“The Bates effect is yet to kick in, yet he has been given a contract for another two years and there are tensions over his reported salary.

“The consensus is that if Bill was happy he would have stayed. It isn’t a happy ship here at the moment and the catalyst for all that is quite obvious.”

Bill started as a print journalist, training at the Wolverhampton Express & Star.

"I still use the skills I learnt back then every time I'm on the radio," he told the BBC Devon website on joining.

At 23, Bill made the leap into broadcasting, presenting That's Life!, BBC1 TV's much-loved consumer affairs show, with Esther Rantzen.

"After three years, I left to travel the world as a reporter on BBC1's Holiday Programme for six years.

"I spent a very happy summer - in the late 80s - presenting Spotlight and the rest of the South West's regional news output, in Breakfast Time (as it was then called) or after the Nine O'Clock News.

"You had to do all the technicals yourself in those days. Opting out of the network involved turning a key like the ignition key in a car.

"And you had to put the pictures up on screen using your foot! Scary but great fun.

"It was lovely because my parents had retired to Bude just across the border in North Cornwall, so I got to live with them for six months and commute.

"They are now both long gone, but I'm so pleased to be back in a part of the world of which I have the happiest memories."

Since 1990, Bill has presented (and often produced) just about every kind of radio show imaginable at BBC and commercial stations all over the country.

On BBC Radio Devon's Lunchtime show he invited comments on the important stories of the day.

At the time of his appointment, Mr Grinnell said: "Every time he has been on the radio we have had a great response from the audience. He is warm, friendly and accessible but can put challenging questions, just what we want from our presenters."