Veteran broadcaster Linda McDermott has told the ECHO she feels 'used and abused' after leaving Liverpool Live radio station, claiming she is among a group of presenters cumulatively owed thousands of pounds. The group, including Billy Butler, Roger Lyon, and Frankie Connor, have all exited the local station over recent months.
Background of the station
Liverpool Live was established in 2020 as a competitor to BBC Radio Merseyside, recruiting several DJs who had recently left the BBC. Billy Butler, who has been on air since 1971, was approached by managing director Rod Keay in 2020. He was enticed by the prospect of building a local media operation from scratch. The 84-year-old said: 'I had left Merseyside for about a year when Rod approached me about this new station. We had a long chat, and he told me who else was going to be on the station, so I thought what a bloody good idea. Radio Merseyside have got it all to themselves. There's no competition. This one had the plans and the presenters to be able to do that.'
Mr Butler hosted weekend shows for five years, during which he built a listenership and received regular payment. However, he claimed things changed in 2025. 'There seemed to be no pushing the station, and we weren't doing anything to make sure that the people of Liverpool knew anything about us anymore. It made you lose faith. All of a sudden, our money stopped coming. That was sudden as well because I'd been paid quite regularly for five years. Suddenly, there was no money available for wages.' He put up with it for so long due to loyalty but eventually left in November to join In Demand, owned by his son Lee Butler. He claims he is still owed around £1,000 after not being paid for five months.
Linda McDermott's experience
Linda McDermott joined Liverpool Live in late October 2024. She said her experience mirrored Mr Butler's. The DJs had verbally agreed to an informal invoice process, being paid on a show-by-show basis. Ms McDermott, known for hosting Under the Duvet Club on BBC Radio Merseyside for 16 years, accepted the 'unconventional setup' because she believed in the station's vision. She told the ECHO: 'Things started to go awry when we stopped being paid in about the late spring of 2025. We bided our time out of loyalty and belief in the product. Thinking it would all come right, but there was no communication whatsoever as to why and what was wrong. We were always paid on an ad-hoc basis anyway, but we accepted the situation because we were building something. I was only paid three times in my time there. It didn't cover what I was owed.'
Ms McDermott quit at the end of 2025, feeling her loyalty had been exploited. She said: 'I was effectively owed seven months wages when I decided to step back. You can only go so far without feeling exploited that your own kindness and generosity of spirit was being abused. Things were extremely friendly from the outset so it's disappointing when you're repaid like that with what amounts to a lack of respect. We were lending our names and hard earned reputations to the business to build it and that's what we got in return. A disrespectful silence and no explanation whatsoever. Used and abused really.' She claims she is still owed thousands and has lost confidence in receiving payment, frustrated by the lack of correspondence.
Ms McDermott joined the station after the death of her husband, Johnny Kennedy, in 2024, while still in grief. She said: 'Being back on radio was the furthest thing I could think to cope with.' She wanted to reconnect with colleagues and listeners after leaving BBC Radio Merseyside in 2023. She added: 'I keep meeting loads of listeners out and about at events. People come over to me with no idea of what's gone on but heartbroken that they can't all get together for the show the way we've always done. After leaving BBC Radio Merseyside, it was a lifeline. I was able to go back, so it's a heartbreaking situation really.'
Roger Lyon and Frankie Connor's departure
Mr Connor and Mr Lyon were the last of the former BBC presenters to leave Liverpool Live in April. Mr Lyon joined in 2024 and said the final straw came when Mr Connor could not access the studio due to a broken lock. Mr Lyon, who presented on BBC Radio Merseyside for 36 years, was due to host a show the next day. He contacted Mr Keay and was told the problem would not be resolved in time. He said: 'That turned out to be our final weekend. We haven't done a programme since.' Mr Lyon claimed the studio is no longer in use, leading him to quit as he had no interest in broadcasting from home. He told the ECHO: 'Frankie and I said, "That's not what we signed up to do." We haven't got the facilities at home to do it, nor have we got the inclination. So I said we're not carrying on. What we would like is for you to pay us what you owe us and then we'll say thank you very much. Since then I've heard nothing from him. Clearly we haven't had any money from him. Even though I sent him a reminder.' Mr Lyon claims he is still owed £1,450 but is more disappointed that the station did not fulfil its potential.
The 71-year-old said: 'We worked out the other day that the four of us have got 140-150 years broadcasting experience at the Beeb. If he had promoted it properly and targeted the station as a replacement for Radio Merseyside, he would have done well with it. I honestly believe that. The downside for me was that it was such a massive missed opportunity. That was the tragedy for me.' Liverpool Live has been approached for comment.
