The world’s biggest dinosaur fossil was sold for £37.4million at Sotheby’s in New York this week.The Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, known as Gus, has dagger-like teeth, a behemoth size and is believed to be 67 million years old. Captured for eternity rearing upwards in a predatory pose, it’s a relic of a long-gone age – and I know exactly how it feels.Especially when I heard that BBC Radio 1 is getting rid of six DJs in one swoop, to replace them with a bunch of TikTokkers, influencers and stand-ins who many of us have never heard of.Oh, God. Here we go. Up on hind legs, claws out, ancient bones creaking as we – me, myself and I – try to negotiate the horrors of this ever-puzzling new broadcasting world.The fact that half a dozen veteran hosts have been sent packing – unceremoniously booted into the Jurassic boneyard – speaks volumes about the state of the nation’s once favourite station.And how it must hurt the canned hams to know that they are to be replaced by younger DJs and the kind of untrained social media stars who think that U2 is a sign above the all-gender public loos at a Green Party poetry slam.Make no mistake, the rise of influencers is surely the scourge of our times; these paid-per-click babblers who produce a cholesterol of mindless but lucrative bawl which clogs up the veins of cyberspace.They’re undisciplined and unmonitored, sailing their little ships of personal greed upon a bubbling ocean of freebies. Even micro influencers can be paid £2,000 per post for slyly advertising company wares, while the more successful celebrity influencers can be paid £50,000 per post – and more. Weekend presenter Nat O’Leary, 24, is leaving Radio 1 after four years and will be replaced by influencer Charley Marlowe In the place of seasoned DJs comes YouTuber GK Barry – aged 26 and with no experience of radio broadcasting, writes our columnist Jan MoirJust like performing dogs are motivated by sausages and circus seals will stand on their tails for a sardine, there is nothing your average influencer won’t do for a free handbag, a bit of discount from Mango or complimentary desserts at their local branch of Bella Italia.And now this prowess at flogging consumer goods and talking nonsense seems to be all it takes to secure a career on the national airwaves, too.It is a sorry day that finds experienced broadcasters Melvin Odoom, Dean McCullough, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Nat O’Leary, James Cusack and Swarzy all being booted off Radio 1 at the end of August. In their place comes YouTuber GK Barry and her pal Charley Marlowe, both aged 26 and with no experience of radio broadcasting; I’m looking forward to their debut.Joining them will be Danny Mylo and Rosie Madison (they hosted the live Gladiators shows), Newcastle local radio star Emil Franchi and social media host and dance DJ Jeremiah Asiamah.No one is begging for the beleaguered station to bring back the creepy Hairy Cornflake (Dave Lee Travis) or resurrect Simon Bates and his Our Tune – even I am not that big of a dinosaur – but this fraught safari to hunt down and snare the new and young all looks a bit desperate.These changes cannot be unconnected to falling listening figures and lack of consumer demand. For Radio 1’s live weekly audience has dropped by 6 per cent over the past year – and by around 20 per cent over the past five years.The station which once attracted over 20 million listeners in its 1970s heyday now pulls in only 7.6million – a whispering shadow of its former self. This is not entirely its own fault, being the result of more consumer choice and splintered audiences which has had its ramifications across the wider media landscape.Yet, one must wonder when BBC Radio will stop self-harming and value its prize assets instead of tossing them aside in the churn to be relevant.A station which once boasted skilful, knowledgeable and popular broadcasters such as John Peel, Annie Nightingale, Noel Edmonds, peerless Kenny Everett, Chris Evans and impish, hilarious Nick Grimshaw now seems to be anchored by nonentities.Today it is fashionable to laugh at the likes of Tony Blackburn, while forgetting his pioneering role in introducing the music of Tamla Motown to the UK. Will podcaster and reality show graduate GK Barry bring the same kind of quiet passion to the airwaves, the same kind of soft power and lightly imparted knowledge? Somehow, I doubt it.Meanwhile, does this quest for younger listeners ever work? Radio 1 bosses only need lift their eyes across to Radio 2 to see the folly of such a strategy. In 2022, for example, the BBC axed the iconic Steve Wright In The Afternoon show in a bid to ‘refresh’ the Radio 2 schedule. This not only personally devastated Wright – a dedicated and consummate broadcaster – it devastated audience figures, too.Listeners rapidly declined under Wright’s replacement Scott Mills, who was sacked by the BBC earlier this year following allegations of historical sexual misconduct. So that worked out well.Radio 2 also lost more than a million listeners when its most popular presenter Ken Bruce left the station for commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio, taking many of his fans with him. Will we ever see his like again? Social media influencers haven’t had the time to develop a skill set to compare with their predecessors – and that is sad news for everyone.Being the most intimate and socially personal of all broadcast mediums, radio is precious. It should be cherished and polished, not burnt down every few years in a bonfire of management vanities.No wonder more and more people are refusing to pay their licence fee. They deserve better than this.And that’s all from Radio Dinosaur today.Erling’s a real World Cup hero Erling Haaland and his girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen attending the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria fashion showThe World Cup already has one winner. Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland. His team may have lost to England in the quarter-finals, but America and the world have fallen in love with the 6ft 5in superstar with the Barbie bouffant.Fuelled by his physical prowess, modesty and goofy personality, Erling has become a social media phenomenon. He posted a selfie proclaiming that Shrek was his twin, bought a cowboy hat and boots when in Dallas and laughed at an online post comparing his hair to a spring onion with a luxurious root ball.Haaland — who currently plays for Manchester City in the Premier League — acknowledged what an ‘insane journey’ the World Cup has been for him.‘I think this has changed my life, to be honest,’ he said.I think he is right. This week, he was pictured living his best life on a jet ski in the Med and in white silk separates, a turtle brooch and knitted leather slippers with his girlfriend Isabel at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in Sicily. He carried it all off like a king!Haaland is 25 years old, with feet as big as skis and a natural grace and charm that makes him a winner on and off the pitch.His father – former professional footballer Alf-Inge Haaland – once advised him never to dive or fall when being tackled. ‘Always stay on your feet, son,’ he told him.As good a piece of advice for life as for football. Don’t be surprised if Erling becomes a sporting billionaire. Soon.An Emmy for Meghan and her chopped fruit rainbow The Duchess of Sussex has been nominated for an Emmy for her her With Love, Meghan Netflix series in the category of Outstanding Lifestyle showHow marvellous the Duchess of Sussex has been nominated for an Emmy. No, silly. Not for her layered performance while being interviewed by Tom Bradby back in 2019, although that was a wonderful piece to camera; heavy with portent, glinting with hints of the depth of her noble struggle to be free of the tyranny of royal privilege.‘Thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m OK,’ she told the ITV host, blinking back tears. This dignity under pressure variously reminded viewers of Lieutenant Ripley fighting the Xenomorph aboard the escape shuttle in Alien; Nelson Mandela making his long walk to freedom; and Olive Oyl hiding her quiet despair when Popeye or life ‘disgustipated’ her again.Instead, it is her With Love, Meghan Netflix series that has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle show. Tremendous achievement for the can’t-curtsey girl in the corner, sprinkling flower petals on her avocado toast while singing ‘my bacon brings all the boys to the yard’ and I’m not even joking.Do you know, many unbelievers cruelly laughed when it was first broadcast. So it is nice to know that someone was impressed with Meghan’s chopped fruit rainbow, craft barn flower arranging, sugar snap pea party gift bags for kiddies and terrified celebrity guests.In her category, Meghan is up against shows about performing pups, the trials of motherhood, gardening dilemmas and crippled animals who need prosthetic limbs. As they almost say at Wimbledon; new paws, please!While this must surely be a drop of good news in a sea of pain for the Sussexes and their myriad cancelled media deals, let’s untie the apron of compassion and tell the oven-ready truth for a moment. For surely an Outstanding Daytime Emmy is like an injection of jam in a bakery – sooner or later every doughnut is going to get one.My gin’s an oldie but a goodie Yes, I am delighted that a group of care home residents have won a prestigious award after distilling their own ‘house gin’. But no, I don’t want to drink it, thanks all the same.The Golden Hour gin was created by members of the Berkley Care Group and honoured with the top prize at the Gin Masters awards this week.Judges praised the gin for its ‘creamy texture and concentrated notes of lemon oil, coriander, juniper and buttery spice’.Fair enough. But it just goes to show that anyone with a bathtub, a wand of juniper berries and a bottle of grain alcohol can churn out any old distillation, call it gin, slap a label on the bottle and put it on the market the next day.The ‘ginaissance’ of the last few years has meant that there are now more than 1,000 craft gin brands in the UK – but do any of us really know what we are drinking when we knock it back? Thanks, but no thanks.I’ll stick to the old masters, if you don’t mind. A Tanqueray for me, please. Classic, dry, no fancy favours, no cheesy backstory, nothing but centuries of experience distilled into a bottle. Make it a double.