R2OK!

Ian Robinson · Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:06 pm Post subject: Frances Line

Former Radio 2 Controller Frances Line has died aged 81. She was the first female boss of the station, running it from 1990 to 1996, having previously been Head of Music. When she took over she positioned the station as being for over-40s. Imagine that! David Hamilton left in a huff, and Derek Jameson came in.

She also brought back Terry Wogan, brought in Sarah Kennedy, and had Arts on the station. Those were the days.

She retired in 96 but I believe has been quite active ever since.

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1189 Location: London

Ive just read her Wiki...very interesting stuff. Including this...

Line knew that her network lost around 200,000 listeners annually to what was called in the BBC "Radio Grim Reaper" and she aimed to attract younger people to Radio 2 by scheduling "access points" for "the Beatles generation" – itself, of course, growing older – while retaining the loyalty of its core audience. She could still, however, sometimes anger segments of that core audience. Her temporary substitution of a Gilbert and Sullivan season for programmes by two much-loved Sunday presenters – Benny Green and Alan Dell – provoked a phalanx of elderly listeners to picket Broadcasting House in protest, bearing banners declaring "LINE IS OUT OF ORDER".

Hate mail was frequent, as Line recalled: "I've lost count of the number of letters which began 'You cow... ' or 'Are You completely mad...'". Once when she moved David Jacobs's programme, she received a picture of herself, cut from a newspaper, with her eyes poked out.
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19380 Location: Cheshire

She must have been in charge when I first started listening to certain shows in the very early 80s. Got sick of hearing Steve Wright when I drove home after an early shift at the airport and loads of flight delays. Needed something calmer!!

H
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