Tony Blackburn has criticised Ofcom’s decision to block a proposed Radio 2 spin-off aimed at older listeners.
The veteran broadcaster called the decision “a disgrace” and said the regulator was “totally out of touch”.
Tony has publicly supported the idea of a second Radio 2 service throughout the consultation period, despite differing views from some in the industry.
Alongside fellow Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris, he reportedly wrote to Ofcom backing the proposal.
“I am really annoyed and think this decision is a disgrace and shows how out of touch the authority is,” Tony said.
Most responses to Tony’s post on social media have disagreed with him, with users pointing to existing services like Boom Radio, Radio Caroline and Greatest Hits Radio as already serving older audiences. See the replies.
So there you have it, because @BBCRadio2 is so sucessful we are not allowed to have a Radio2 extra. This is a disgraceful decision from an organisation which is totally out of touch and refuses to listen to those of us who broadcast. pic.twitter.com/Ir41rpDJOF
— Tony Blackburn OBE. (@tonyblackburn) July 2, 2025
Meanwhile, Boom Radio has welcomed the outcome. Co-founder Phil Riley said the BBC’s proposed station posed an “existential threat” to Boom. He added: “We always felt this BBC proposal lacked any real incremental public value but did conversely pose a critical threat to our future.”
Phil said Boom made it clear to Ofcom that a BBC service with similar output would split audiences and potentially force Boom to close. “No amount of archive repeats could reasonably justify that in our view,” he said.
Responding to Tony and Bob’s support for the new BBC service, Phil told RadioToday: “We sympathise with Tony and Bob… they were both no doubt part of the BBC’s future plans… If they ever want to come and join Boom Radio, the door is always open.”
Radiocentre has also responded positively to the final decision. Chief Executive Matt Payton said: “It is good to get final confirmation that the Radio 2 spin-off service has been blocked by Ofcom. The BBC’s plans should always have been a non-starter.”
However, he expressed concern about the other BBC spin-offs that have been approved, including Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind, saying they lacked “distinctiveness or news output”.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Ofcom has approved Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind. The extensions with their brilliant programming have already proved popular on BBC Sounds and will now reach even more listeners on DAB+.
“However, we are disappointed that in a thriving audio market, we are not able to launch the new Radio 2 extension or expand the content offer on Radio 5 Sports Extra. They would have provided audiences with a unique BBC take on the music, stories and archive performances from 1950s, 60s and 70s, and helped more listeners across the UK discover our diverse sports podcasts.
“We believe our plans for Radio 2 and Radio 5 Sports Extra were distinctive and formed an important way for us to reach those audiences who currently get less from the BBC. We significantly redeveloped the proposals following an extensive consultation with the industry, so that they would complement the offer across the market for the benefit of listeners.”
The National Union of Journalists also welcomes Ofcom’s final decision over proposed BBC spin off stations.
Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said: “We welcome this decision by Ofcom. While a Radio 2 spin off might have benefited audience in terms of archive music performances, the BBC already has a network of 39 Local Radio stations which are perfectly placed to serve an older demographic.
“This would be an ideal time for the corporation to think again about how best to spend money from the licence fee, and perhaps channel the investment that had been earmarked for Radio 2 back into restoring some of the local programming already lost around the country.”
Ofcom said in its final report that while the BBC can proceed with three of the five new proposed DAB+ stations, it could not approve the Radio 2 extension and 5 Sports Extra due to concerns over competition and a lack of clear public value.