BBC Radio Cambridgeshire mid-morning presenter Jeremy Sallis is the latest familiar voice to leave BBC local radio.
‘Jezza’ as he’s become known has been a regular on the local radio station for many years but with the planned reduction of broadcasting hours from the Cambridge station, he has decided to leave.
Perversely he hinted at his own fate last month when, tweeting about the Elton John concert at Glastonbury, he commented “the final gig has been a triumph, bowing out in style on top form”.
He began his broadcasting career as a station assistant, later moving to presenting before landing his own daily show.
Jezza has presented most of the programmes at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire during the course of his career.
He announced his departure to staff today and may refer to it during his next live show, which is tomorrow from 10am to 2pm.
Under the BBC local changes, it is likely that Dotty McCleod will retain her early morning slot and afternoon presenter Chris Mann will move to late mornings and lunchtimes before the station switches to regional output in the afternoon.
Referring to the changes to local radio, a BBC spokesperson told CambsNews recently: “Many of our presenters will continue to present on local radio at the end of this process in new presenter/producer roles but we appreciate change like this is really difficult and we are supporting our teams closely through this.
“Our aim is to achieve a better balance between our local online and broadcast services at a time when millions of people increasingly turn to their mobile first for news and information.
“The changes see no reduction in funding or overall staffing levels across our 39 local bases in England.”
When changes to local BBC broadcasting were announced last year, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner was among those urging the corporation to re think its proposals.
“I understand the pressure that the BBC is under, but the essence of local news is that it is local, and this is a step backwards,” he said.
“Cambridge and the area surrounding is the fastest growing region in the country, with real interest in local stories.”
