“After 34 years of presenting a daily show here on BBC Radio York, I really didn’t appreciate being told that the only way to keep my job was to make a demo tape and go through an interview.”
Jonathan Cowap has told listeners to BBC Radio York that next Thursday’s show will be his last on the station.
He is the latest in a series of BBC staff to take voluntary redundancy as a result of changes to the BBC local radio network.
During the emotional segment on the show, he explained that he had asked for someone from BBC management to appear on the programme to explain the changes, but their initial offer “was withdrawn.”
£19m is being reallocated from local radio budgets to digital and investigative journalism, meaning in York local programming would only run 6am to 2pm on weekdays, with shared content outside of these hours – with the exception of sports broadcasting.
“As part of the change process, existing presenters here at Radio York and right across the BBC’s local radio stations were told we could, if we wished, apply to keep out own jobs,” he said.
“As you might understand after 34 years of presenting a daily show here on BBC Radio York, I really didn’t appreciate being told that the only way to keep my job was to make a demo tape and go through an interview, it just didn’t seem fair, it didn’t seem right to me.
“So I’ve decided not to go through that process.
“I have decided to take the voluntary redundancy that has been offered to me. I can’t pretend that this was an easy decision to take. It feels rather wrong, rather disloyal to you, for which I apologise.”
He added:
“I have enjoyed my working life here, working alongside some amazing and hugely talented people across 3 and a half decades.
“There’s no question I’m going to miss life here at Radio York tremendously and I do wish this wasn’t happening now and wasn’t happening in this way, but those decisions are out of my hands.
“What I’m going to miss most is chatting to you, reading your emails, texts, WhatsApp messages. You have been tremendously generous over the years, sharing your views, your opinions, your stories and your experiences.”
He said that he had “no idea” what he was going to do next.
A BBC spokesperson said:
“Jonathan has been at the centre of life in York and North Yorkshire for three decades. He has led the local conversation and been a trusted guide and constant for audiences in the area. We respect his decision to leave and thank him for his service.”
