Mike Chaney

Mike Chaney, founding editor of Newsbeat on Radio 1, has died, aged 91. 

He was genuinely larger than life, though a little smaller than James Robertson Justice, and only a tad less nautical than Captain Birdseye. 

He'd been in and around Fleet Street, with experience at World Service, and was working at The Sun when he was appointed; their headline was "Sun staff gets top Beeb job". 

After early editions fronted by Ed Stewart, the show settled down with Laurie Mayer and Richard Skinner presenting; one Roger Gale, now Sir Roger Gale, MP, Deputy Speaker, was on the production team, having been signed from Radio London. I was there as a trainee during the elections of 1974; Newsbeat was the first Radio 1 programme to interview a Prime Minister, Edward Heath.  

Mike moved to Today in 1976; The BBC Press Office release noted"Mike Chaney is married and lives in Dulwich; they have twelve children, three from his previous marriage, four by his wife, and five from his wife's previous marriage".  Mike's job was to launch co-presentation from Manchester and London, a plan refused by the previous editor Alistair Osborne. He brought in Roger Gale and Paul Heiney (then a reporter) with him from Newsbeat; he fired Gillian Reynolds and Barry Norman from weekend presentation. 

Mike's spell was short - a new Controller R4 invented the daft 'Up to the hour', Chaney walked, and hung around till given the job of launching Radio Norfolk, which lasted until 1982, when he had a row with Managing Director Aubrey Singer over the supply of fresh razor blades for audio tape editing.

He moved to Dorset, working in press and PR for the County Council. In retirement, he campaigned successfully to save Puddletown Library in 2013; represented the interests of local NHS patients; and co-ordinated shared cars in the town.