Douglas Muggeridge

Douglas Muggeridge (* 1928 in Harrogate, Yorkshire, † 26 February 1985 in London ) was a head of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 from February 1969 until 1976.

Life

Muggeridge first worked as a reporter for the Liverpool Post and joined the BBC in 1956 as a radio producer on. He was appointed in February 1969 as Head of Radio 1 & 2. On Robin Scott, the first head of the two networks, following, Muggeridge tried to update via pop music radio thinking of BBC. Although he was not a great Popmusikfan, he was responsible for giving the two radio stations their individual identity and introduce a twice daily news magazine on Radio 1. Under the title Newsbeat this show runs until today on Radio 1 in 1971, he appointed Rodney Collins - through its weekly music columns in the daily newspaper known as a supporter of pirate radio stations - to the publicity officer for the two networks, and thus tried a larger share of coverage for Radio 1 to get into music magazines like New Musical Express, Melody Maker, disc and Record Mirror. 1971 equipped Muggeridge leading BBC broadcasters such as Tony Blackburn, Jimmy Young and Pete Murray with long-term contracts because the new private radio stations challenged the state radio. Muggeridge later was the program director and deputy general manager of the radio before he Managing Director of External Broadcasting in 1981 and the BBC World Service oversaw. He was a nephew of Malcolm Muggeridge.

Muggeridge died on 26 February 1985 at St Thomas' Hospital, London.