Capital Network fire Steve Penk
 

Capital axe 'risky' Penk

Julia Day
Friday May 30, 2003


Capital Radio DJ Steve Penk has lost his job having been told his "risky" show was "not working" just a year after he joined the network following a bitter bust-up with his bosses at Virgin Radio.
Penk was told by Capital Radio bosses that his late night show was being axed after it had pushed Capital "as close to the edge" as it was prepared to go.

"Steve is a big personality and a talented broadcaster who was brought in to create a unique interactive late night show for the Capital FM network," said a spokeswoman for Capital Radio.

"The show was about as close to the edge as we could comfortably go. It was always going to be a risky business and unfortunately it hasn't worked to its full potential.

"We are currently looking in to other opportunities for Steve to pursue within the Capital FM network," she added.

Penk - who is believed to have had a month left on his year-long contract - will remain on air presenting the 10pm to 1am show from Sundays through to Thursdays until the third week in June, when the show will be taken off air.

The failure of the show to take off since its first broadcast on June 24 2002 will reinforce the impression that Penk's style of broadcasting is hard for mainstream radio stations to handle.

In January 2002 the DJ was axed from Virgin Radio following rows over the format of his breakfast show and rumours that Daryl Denham was being lined up to take over his slot - which he promptly did.

Penk himself had been parachuted in to take over the breakfast show in a period of crisis, replacing Chris Evans in June last year after the star failed to turn up to work for six days in a row.

The move to Capital's late night show was a return to the network where he made a name for himself by winding up the unsuspecting public on his lunchtime show. Previously he presented the breakfast show at Manchester's Piccadilly Radio for five years.

Penk is currently pursuing a career in TV as well as radio, and is presenting the TV's Naughtiest Blunders clips show on ITV.

Disaster!!
 

I listen to Steve Penk all the time online when Im in. I think,as anyone who was at the radiowaves pissup will have heard me say(garv, ahem) several times over, that he is one of the best presenters on the dial between the 2 rocks of the UK and Ireland...When people like him get fired it makes me glad that I have to be a solicitor, hopefully they wont fire me 11 months into my contract for being 'too risky' (way to tempt fate eh?) He better turn up somewhere else that has a web-stream I can listen to in the near future, otherwise I might be forced to listen to........Irish radio:eek: GOOD GOD NOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo (I jest, eh, sort of):D

I remeber us both in the chatroom listening to a stream of Steve and thinking how boring most of Irish radio was in comparison Ryan. He'll be back soon Im sure

KJ

sad to hear about steve. ive just started listening to him recently. he pushes boundries and takes risks. he sounds like someone whos having lots of fun and knows his audience. hope he gets sorted with a new gig soon.