EXCLUSIVE: Sangita Myska is unlikely to be restored to influential UK news radio station LBC after being taken off air in opaque circumstances, sparking a revolt among listeners.
The former BBC journalist was abruptly removed from her LBC weekend show on April 20 and was replaced by Ali Miraj, a former Conservative Party parliamentary candidate.
Myska being “disappeared” has stoked anger among LBC’s 3M listeners, with more than 22,000 people signing a petition demanding she be reinstated in her 1-4PM slot on Saturday and Sunday.
Her treatment has also surprised some colleagues, with supporters arguing that LBC’s parent company Global had mishandled how her departure had been communicated. Global and Myska declined to comment.
The lack of explanation about her exit has fueled viral online speculation that she was suspended for her robust interview with Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman on April 14.
Global insiders downplayed this suggestion, pointing to the fact that the full interview was posted to LBC’s YouTube channel and remains available to view.
Sources familiar with Global’s thinking argued the that truth is somewhat more mundane: LBC is planning to replace Myska amid a wider weekend schedule shakeup.
On Monday, Labour MP David Lammy was replaced in his Sunday morning slot by Lewis Goodall, who co-hosts the popular Global podcast The News Agents. A replacement for Myska is set to be unveiled imminently.
Three sources said Global bosses had cited Myska’s falling hourly audience as motivation for the refresh, despite the presenter growing her reach by 12.5% to 465,000 in the most recent round of listening figures. Hours are a better measure of how long listeners stick with a show.
Still, there is confusion as to why Global has not articulated this and allowed Myska to bid farewell to her listeners. One insider said Global should just “fess up publicly,” while a second person said the company can be “very bad” at handling schedule changes.
The information vacuum has allowed listeners to offer their own theories on Myska’s absence, with people aggrieved that LBC has lost a progressive voice.
Dominic Minghella, the screenwriter behind Robin Hood and Doc Martin, was among those who voiced concern. He tweeted: “A few weeks ago I was so moved by Sangita Myska talking about the racism tolerated by the Tory Party, and how it made her and people she knows feel, that I had to stop the car to listen and weep. So yes, I ask the same question others are asking of LBC: #WhereisSangitaMyska.”
Myska has won plaudits for calling out racism, including against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and for calmy handling a caller who told her to “shut up” because she wasn’t born in the UK.
“The audience trusted her implicitly to explain how and why the world works and what questions need to be raised in a responsible way. Her disappearance has caused widespread shock and upset at the station,” said an LBC source. “The feeling is the station has badly mishandled her apparent exit.”
Owned by millionaire Ashley Tabor-King, Global is quietly one of the UK’s most influential media companies. Its 26.6M weekly listeners makes it second only to the BBC in terms of audience reach on radio, while news station LBC can set the political agenda, with listeners regularly given the chance to grill political leaders, including the Prime Minister.