EXCLUSIVE: Sangita Myska is unlikely to be restored to influential UK information radio station LBC after being taken off air in opaque circumstances, sparking a revolt amongst listeners.
The previous BBC journalist was abruptly faraway from her LBC weekend present on April 20 and was changed by Ali Miraj, a former Conservative Occasion parliamentary candidate.
Myska being “disappeared” has stoked anger amongst LBC’s 3M listeners, with greater than 22,000 folks signing a petition demanding she be reinstated in her 1-4PM slot on Saturday and Sunday.
Her remedy has additionally stunned some colleagues, with supporters arguing that LBC’s mother or father firm International had mishandled how her departure had been communicated. International and Myska declined to remark.
The dearth of rationalization about her exit has fueled viral on-line hypothesis that she was suspended for her sturdy interview with Israeli authorities spokesperson Avi Hyman on April 14.
International insiders downplayed this suggestion, pointing to the truth that the complete interview was posted to LBC’s YouTube channel and stays obtainable to view.
Sources conversant in International’s pondering argued the that fact is considerably extra mundane: LBC is planning to switch Myska amid a wider weekend schedule shakeup.
On Monday, Labour MP David Lammy was changed in his Sunday morning slot by Lewis Goodall, who co-hosts the favored International podcast The Information Brokers. A alternative for Myska is about to be unveiled imminently.
Three sources mentioned International bosses had cited Myska’s falling hourly viewers as motivation for the refresh, regardless of the presenter rising her attain by 12.5% to 465,000 in the newest spherical of listening figures. Hours are a greater measure of how lengthy listeners follow a present.
Nonetheless, there may be confusion as to why International has not articulated this and allowed Myska to bid farewell to her listeners. One insider mentioned International ought to simply “fess up publicly,” whereas a second individual mentioned the corporate might be “very dangerous” at dealing with schedule adjustments.
The knowledge vacuum has allowed listeners to supply their very own theories on Myska’s absence, with folks aggrieved that LBC has misplaced a progressive voice.
Dominic Minghella, the screenwriter behind Robin Hood and Doc Martin, was amongst those that voiced concern. He tweeted: “A couple of weeks in the past I used to be so moved by Sangita Myska speaking in regards to the racism tolerated by the Tory Occasion, and the way it made her and other people she is aware of really feel, that I needed to cease the automotive to pay attention and weep. So sure, I ask the identical query others are asking of LBC: #WhereisSangitaMyska.”
Myska has received plaudits for calling out racism, together with in opposition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and for calmy dealing with a caller who advised her to “shut up” as a result of she wasn’t born within the UK.
“The viewers trusted her implicitly to elucidate how and why the world works and what questions should be raised in a accountable method. Her disappearance has prompted widespread shock and upset on the station,” mentioned an LBC supply. “The sensation is the station has badly mishandled her obvious exit.”
Owned by millionaire Ashley Tabor-King, International is quietly one of many UK’s most influential media corporations. Its 26.6M weekly listeners makes it second solely to the BBC when it comes to viewers attain on radio, whereas information station LBC can set the political agenda, with listeners frequently given the possibility to grill political leaders, together with the Prime Minister.