Liverpool songwriter Ian Prowse and Punk Pop raconteur and Louder than War editor John Robb have joined forces to try and save the overnight DJ jobs of Janice Long and Alex Lester on BBC Radio 2.
They've setup an online petition on www.change.org, which has already had over 1000 signatures in 48 hours as the pair raise awareness to last weeks decision from the BBC.
You can access and sign the online petition HERE
Using repeats in place of real human DJ's after midnight on Radio 2 is shortsighted. Both Janice Long & Alex Lester provide a beautiful service to the people of our country that can't be measured in finances.
Night workers, insomniacs, students, lorry drivers, music lovers & the lonely NEED that human touch.
There is a night time world and a nighttime economy that should not be forgotten about, many of us take great solace & enjoyment from Janice & Alex's shows. Replacing them with a loop of repeated shows is culturally myopic and not what the BBC should be about and shows a lack of imagination from a creative body and disrespect to the idea’s brought to the airwaves by the two broadcasters and their producers.
To the outside world, the UK = Music, we should be providing more outlets for our bands & songwriters not axing a treasure like Janice with her vast music knowledge. Are Radio 2 saying because shows in the small hours have obviously smaller audiences than those listeners aren’t as important and daytime show listeners?
I'm sure people can suggest other ways Radio 2 can make these cuts ...
You can find out more on the story, plus statements from BBC management HERE
Find out more about each presenter below.
And here's some background on the people who have created the online petition
Ian Prowse
Merseyside hero Ian Prowse has formed two successful bands Pele and Amsterdam. Pele released 3 albums on Polydor/M&G Records. Abroad they scored hits in Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Holland and most notably a Number One in South Africa with 'Megalomania'.
Possibly best known for his single 'Does this train stop on Merseyside' also. The song regularly elicited an emotional response from Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Peel's widow Sheila Ravenscroft went on the station after the DJ's death and confirmed that 'He was not capable of playing it without crying'. Lead off single 'Home' was played on 21 consecutive days by Radio 2's Janice Long. Janice is a huge fan of the band having had them in no less than 4 times for live sessions. Ian also has a long standing friendship with Elvis Costello who used Amsterdam as his backing band on the Jonathan Ross television show as well as opening act on several occasions. The relationship was blessed on record when Prowse performed a duet with Costello on a cover of The Searchers 1964 hit 'Don't throw your love away' for the Liverpool Number Ones Project on EMI Records.
John Robb
John Robb is the boss of one of the UK’s leading music and culture websites, Louder Than War, which has just been turned into a bi-monthly magazine.
He is a regular radio and TV pundit with regular appearances on BBC Breakfast, music and culture documentaries and also on channel 4 news on cultural and political issue. He has also presented and acted on TV. He is also a regular on radio with Radio 5 and 6 music and radio 4.
He fronts the critically acclaimed post punk band the Membranes whose 2015 double album about the Universe, life and death’Dark Matter/Dark Energy’ has been getting great reviews worldwide.
He also runs the UK’s leading music and literally festival Louder Than Words and has written several best selling books on the likes of punk rock, the Stone Roses and is working on an upcoming book about the darker side of post punk and chairs panels on music, policies and culture all over Europe and is a leading presenter of in conversation events and is in demand as the on stage interviewer for the likes of Patti Smith, Viv Albertine, Wilko Johnson and many others.