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BBC legend’s devastation after ‘heartless’ axing of radio show and fears network’s future

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Bill Rennells local radio programme was axed on New Year’s Eve.

The 92 year old, who has been working for the BBC for more than 70 years, hit out at the broadcasters in a new statement.

BBC local radio show Harmony Night – a call-in programme allowed listeners in Oxford, Kent and Berkshire to request their favourite songs and was broadcast every Sunday night between 10pm and 1am.

The radio programme had long been fronted by Bill before the BBC announced its decision to axe the show. The final broadcast was aired on 31 December.

The presenter has shared updates on his life on the Harmony Night website and his latest entry on March 3 where he slammed the BBC.

Bill said in a post that he and his partner Rita had listened to the last-ever Harmony Night episode together, with “mixed emotions”.

“The uppers were the heart-warming messages we received from you, the downers were in the incredulity that the BBC should be so heartless as to destroy such a jewel in the crown as Harmony Night and to cause such heartbreak in the process,” he wrote.

He went on to say: “I find no joy in predicting that within 10 years or so, there will be no BBC.”

A BBC spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “We are grateful for the commitment, time and energy that Bill put into the presentation and production of Harmony Night and the years he worked as a sports reporter and commentator at BBC Radio Oxford.

“We have consistently said that we are committed to providing a strong, creative, local radio service for listeners across England and we have maintained all 39 Local Radio Stations.”

After eight years at Radio Oxford, Bill joined Radio 2, initially on the Thursday night graveyard slot as well as fronting Music From The Movies.

By early 1984, he was hosting the early morning programme, and by the end of the year he took over late night show Nightride, which started a 14-year run until 1993. He rejoined Radio Oxford in 2011.

At the time of his Harmony departure, Bill told listeners on January 6: “Dear family, Here it is… Saturday Jan 6 2024 and I still find myself thinking of things to do in Harmony. I have to pinch myself to tell myself we are no more as a radio family.”

Bill noted that he was proud to work with the BBC and would look back on his career with “pride,” but had some reservations about the future of the broadcaster.

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Source: NewsFinale

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