Too old for West Sound

Jun 26 2009 by Stuart Wilson

A RADIO presenter claims he was sacked for being too old.

Popular DJ Jack Bennie was given his jotters and replaced by a younger man.

Mr Bennie, 61, was axed from West Sound after five years at the Ayr station.

Now he’s claiming age discrimination, and will take his former bosses to an employment tribunal.

He insists West Sound had no reason to sack him – and merely wanted a fresh face in his seat.

Bennie was replaced by former BBC TV presenter Kevin Devine in April.

Ironically, Mr Devine also lost his job last week as West Sound made cuts at their Holmston Road base.

Now the station face a legal fight over their decision to axe Jack.

Speaking this week, he said: “I had no idea why they let me go at the time.

“Maybe they thought I was a bit too old for radio and they wanted someone younger.

“All I was told was that there were going to be 'lots of changes' but my show continued in the same slot but with a different, younger presenter.

“There was no reason to get rid of me. They kicked me out the door but my show was still the same.

“I loved my work on radio. Radio was a huge part of my life. I couldn't understand why they would do this to me.'

And Jack, who hosted the 10am until 2pm show, insists discipline was his strong point.

He said: “There was no reason to sack me, I had never been disciplined and I had never turned up late.

“I was quite angry at the time and very hurt. I was given the shock news I was to lose my job shortly before I was due to go on air.

“I strongly believe no company has the right to take a worker into the office and say 'you're fired' without any compensation.

“They just destroy lives putting profit before people.''

The axe fell at a meeting with station controller James Plu on March 17 where Jack was told his contract would be cancelled 11 days later.

The station's scheduling has since been restructured by parent company Bauer, with most of the output networked from across Scotland.

Jack, who earned £330 per week, will argue his dismissal was automatically unfair as there was no form of disciplinary, consultation or redundancy procedure used.

He was also given no chance to appeal the decision.

A spokesperson for the station said: “West Sound 1035am is constantly looking at new ways to delight and entertain our listeners, and this includes revamping the line-up of presenters from time to time to ensure we continue to deliver the best talent and programming for our listeners and commercial partners.

“We freshened up our schedules in April and as a result decided to replace Jack Bennie's show.

“All at West Sound would like to thank Jack for his contribution to the station and wish him well for the future.

“We are aware that Jack has sought legal advice over the cancellation of his contract but we cannot comment further until the issue is resolved.”