JO WHILEY TO SWITCH TO RADIO 2

By NBF News

Whiley fronted the mid-morning slot on Radio 1 from 2001 to 2009

Presenter Jo Whiley is leaving Radio 1 after 17 years to begin a new three-nights-a-week show on Radio 2 as part of a BBC reshuffle.

In April, Whiley's weekend show on Radio 1 will go to Huw Stephens when she will begin her Monday to Wednesday, 2000 to 2130 slot, on Radio 2.

Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie's Radio 2 evening show will be no more as they move to digital station 6 Music.

The duo, whose show began in 2007, will front the daily three-hour 1300 slot.

'Big moment'
Whiley said she had “loved working at Radio 1″.
“It's given me opportunities I could only have dreamt of – Coldplay's first Live Lounge, Arctic Monkeys covering Girls Aloud's Love Machine, Jay-Z performing live in my own lounge.”

She said she had “even measured the distance between Bono's nipples live on air – don't ask”.

The music policy of 6 is right up our street with its blend of heritage tracks and emerging new talent'

Mark Radcliffe
Whiley had fronted the late-morning Radio 1 slot since 2001 but was moved to weekends in 2009, when she was replaced by Fearne Cotton.

Radio 2 and 6 Music controller Bob Shennan said Radcliffe and Maconie's new show was “another big moment in the history of 6 Music”.

“Mark and Stuart's arrival will help us build on the phenomenal success of the past 12 months,” he added.

Figures released by industry body Rajar in October showed 1.2 million people listened to the station each week – up from 624,000 the previous year.

In July, it was announced that a campaign to save the station had been successful after BBC director general Mark Thompson had earlier announced plans to scrap it.

Radcliffe, who is to present a new late-night Radio 2 show on Tuesdays, said he and Maconie “feel like we have signed up to the future in a big way”.

“The music policy of 6 is right up our street with its blend of heritage tracks and emerging new talent.”