Aircheck Tracker
Profile: John Peters: Born in Ashford, Middlesex, and educated in Sunbury-on-Thames. He went after a career in telecommunications as a main job but always had a fascination for radio, his early influences were Radio Luxembourg, Pick Of The Pops and Alan Freeman (whom John later got to know quite well) and Big L, Radio London. John first got into radio following advice from Kenny Everett and Dave Cash (Radio London) to whom he is eternally grateful. Radio London broadcast from a radio ship off the coast of Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex and started broadcasting on Christmas Eve 1964. The station was based on KLIF, Dallas, Texas with slick operation and presentation - another of John's influences. Many ideas and broadcast methods were learnt from Big L and many friends too including Kenny & Dave but also Dave Dennis who later became John's boss. On Kenny, John said 'Kenny was such an innovator-although he didn’t know it at the time. He and Dave (Cash) always encouraged me to go for it - I’ll always be grateful for that.'
He considers that the business has always been his calling and is determined to stay with it, keeping it tight, bright, brief and real in what he describes as 'exciting and changing times'. His most embarrassing moment on air 'happens every day', so says John, but his best memory is of working on Radio London's 1997 30th anniversary broadcast in the North Sea recalling fondly the 'Fab Forty' show. The 30th anniversary broadcast cam from an old grain carrier, MS Yeoman Rose, again off Walton and Frinton in Essex. John said 'I wouldn’t have missed this for the world-it gave me a chance to say thank you to Big L for my start in Radio. Many of the old boys came back-although some were sadly missed of course.'
In 1975, John moved to Nottingham to set up the commercial radio station - and it was on 3rd July 1975 that he launched Radio Trent. Most of John's more recent time in radio has been at Radio Trent in Nottingham and Derby, latterly moving to GEM-AM to launch upon it's creation by now-former station owners Midlands Radio plc in 1988 and after RA requirements to cease simulcasting on FM and AM as had been done for some time previously. John was a regular op on the Music Jam, 'continuous quality hit music' which featured on Radio Trent in both areas from 9:00-10:00am and 1:15-2:00pm weekdays. John is known for his distinctive voice and, some would say, (but not necessarily John himself) for a catchphrase used by other presenters forwarding selling his shows of 'Whooa-yey'
Following the management involvement of ex-Trent colleague David Lloyd at Century 106, John made a welcome return to local FM radio, presenting daytime programming along some familiar names who previously worked alongside him at Trent, however he maintained links with GEM whilst at Century.
When he's not on the air, his other work involves broadcast electronics (he built his own studio at home) and is often asked to repair equipment for many radio stations, but the skills have always been part of a hobby too. He is also a craftsman at restoring classic cars such as Healeys and Jensens, but does not get a lot of time for that particular hobby nowadays.
John particularly enjoys Mediterranean and Indian food, along with good wine and plentiful amounts of beer! As you might expect working in radio, he doesn't really have a favourite song as he has so many, but is fond of the music of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole.
His biggest loves though are his family, his friends and good health - he lives in Leicestershire, quite close to Belvoir Castle, with his wife Chrissie.
Whereabouts: Current RA requirements state that a local radio
service must remain local by the inclusion of local programming for a couple of
hours a day! If all programming was networked, this would mean the station
could be taken as a national network! John is the only presenter
broadcasting locally during weekdays on what is now the GWR owned 'CLASSIC
GOLD DIGITAL GEM' 945 & 999 on the drivetime show. He also voices
pre-programmed and recorded 'what's on' information played in automatically on
the station.
Since 1999 John has been freelancing around many local stations-not only broadcasting, but engineering - including The Lincs FM Group and now Compass
FM for North Lincolnshire, another of the Lincs FM group stations. 'I particularly enjoy our Sunday Collection
(Sundays 3:00pm-6:00pm) – it gives me a chance to play and relate to, some of my early influences and recordings that, as a family, we used to sit around the Wireless to
enjoy!'
LATEST NEWS: John is currently voicing test announcements on SAGA 106.6 (101.4 for Derby) which launches February 11th 2003 - John launched Nottingham's Radio Trent in 1975, GEM-AM in 1988, and will complete the hat trick with SAGA this year, 2003. He's the station's weekday breakfast show host.