BBC Radio Manchester’s managing editor has told Jewish listeners that she does not support dedicated Jewish programming.

In a heated interview on the station’s Jewish Hour show, which is being axed after next Monday’s edition, Kate Squire said: “If I was starting Radio Manchester from scratch with a blank piece of paper, I would not be running a Jewish hour.

“We can properly and fairly represent Jewish matters on our mainstream output,” she maintained.
Jewish Hour presenter Jeff Lewis dismissed Ms Squire’s arguments as “corporate mumbo jumbo” and said the Jewish community had been left confused by the BBC’s decision to end the long-running show.

Defending the station’s Jewish output, Ms Squire said it had commissioned five three-minute slots on the history of the Jewish community which would reach a quarter of a million listeners on its breakfast show. She also listed a number of Jewish interest pieces which had aired recently.