Jenny Collins, a beloved BBC radio personality, passed away earlier this month amid a battle with cancer. She was 83 years old.
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According to the BBC, the late on-air presenter helped launch BBC Radio Merseyside in 1967. She hosted shows such as Junior Spin and was a producer for Jazz Panorama and Write Now. She eventually moved into more senior editorial roles, such as program controller.
Collins had stepped away from on-air duties years before her passing.
Speaking about the late radio personality, her former colleague Roy Corlett said she had helped to “build something that is still here, still going strong nearly 60 years on.”
“She was a very caring and understanding person,” Corlett said. “And I think people identified with that.”
BBC Radio Merseyside, Mick Ord, also spoke about Collins, describing her as a “wonderful, warm-spirited woman who played an integral role at Radio Merseyside for many years.”
Former sports editor Charlie Lambert further shared that Collins was “one of the best people I ever met in broadcasting and a really positive influence when I was at Radio Merseyside.”
Former presenter Roger Lyon then remembered Collins as having a “great broadcasting voice” and being “a genuinely lovely person”.
Jenny Collins is preceded in death by her husband, BBC Radio 2 and Jazz Journal columnist Steve Voce. He passed away in 2023.
BBC Radio Merseyside Broadcaster Roger Lyon Pays Tribute to Jenny Collins
In a lengthy post on Facebook, BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Roger Lyon paid tribute to Jenny Collins.
“Very sad to hear today of the passing of one of the founding members of Radio Merseyside, the lovely Jenny Collins,” he wrote. “She was there at the start in 1967 and performed many duties both in front of and behind the [mic].”
He then reflected on his friendship with Collins, stating that he still had letters they had swapped in the mid-’90s, when he was living and working in Oz. She had also been acting program controller at the time.
“The last time I saw her was about 4 years ago,” Lyons continued. “When she was my guest on RM, chatting about her career working there. She was married to Steve Voce, who for many years presented a Jazz Programme called Jazz Panorama.”
He went on to add, “She had a great broadcasting voice and was a genuinely lovely person. RIP.”