John Peters | |
---|---|
Born | Ashford, Middlesex, United Kingdom |
Career | |
Station | Currently on Boom Radio |
Time slot | Friday 6–8pm, Saturday 4–7pm and Sunday Vintage Charts 12–2pm |
Show | Gravity FM (2009–present Radio2XS (2009–present) |
Station(s) | 106.6 Smooth Radio (2007–2010) Saga 106.6 FM (2003–2007) GEM-AM (1988–1999) Radio Trent (1975–1988) |
Style | Presenter |
Country | United Kingdom |
John Peters (born in Ashford, Middlesex) is a British disc jockey and long established personality in the East Midlands region. Known for his distinctive voice, he has presented shows on many of the region's radio stations, including Radio Trent, GEM-AM, Saga 106.6 FM and 106.6 Smooth Radio, Radio2XS and Gravity FM in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
He currently presents three shows on Boom Radio: a Friday show at 6pm, a Saturday show at 4pm called John's Jukebox and also The Vintage Charts on Sunday at 12 noon.
Early career
[edit]Peters sent a demo to Radio One in 1968 which got a favourable response from the producers panel, although it did not lead to a job. In 1972 he applied to Radio Luxembourg (208) and performed live in front of the programme director Ken Evans. It came down to two contenders and Mark Wesley got the job.[citation needed]
United Biscuits Network and Radio Trent
[edit]Peters was contacted in 1974 by UBN's programme director Adrian Love (son of Geoff Love) while working at a Relay Station operated by the Post Office through which UBN broadcast to factories in Osterley (studio base), Liverpool, Manchester and Tollcross in Glasgow. Peters had already met Roger Day on air and was keen to work there. Peters joined in April 1974.
In 1975, Radio Trent were looking for presenters and Bob Snyder (Radio 270) who was also in the UBN line up, was to become Trent's programme director. Peters left UBN in May 1975 and moved to Nottingham to help set up the area's first commercial radio station. The station, Radio Trent, was launched on Thursday 3 July 1975, and he hosted its first programme. He spent several years with Trent and hosted many shows including Trent Top 30, which was also later broadcast on Leicester Sound and Derby's Trent 945 (later called Ram FM) before moving to its medium wave service, GEM-AM, when this was established in 1988 as a result of Radio Authority requirements over the simulcasting of programmes on both the AM and FM frequencies.
After several years with GEM, one of his Trent colleagues became involved in the management of a new station, Century FM based in Nottingham, and he was given the chance to return to FM broadcasting. However, he maintained his links with GEM, and eventually became its sole local weekday presenter after the station's purchase by GWR Radio. At Classic Gold GEM (as it was then renamed), he presented the afternoon drivetime show and voiced local announcements.
Freelance Career and Saga 106.6 FM
[edit]In 1999, Peters became a freelance presenter, hosting shows for a number of stations in the East Midlands region, as well as also doing some behind the scenes engineering work. But in 2003, he made a return to regular presenting after joining Saga 106.6 FM. He became Saga's breakfast presenter and hosted the station's inaugural programme.
He was with Saga throughout its time on air, and was part of the launch team of the station's replacement, 106.6 Smooth Radio. When Smooth Radio began in March 2007, Peters initially presented its weekday drivetime show. In October 2007, he became a night time and weekend presenter. He left Smooth Radio at the beginning of 2010.
In 2010, Peters also presented a show on Saturday afternoon with community radio station Gravity FM in Grantham. He also could be heard presenting '60s2XS' on Radio2XS. He also presented a morning show on Radio Trent, a reformed online station, with other former Trent Presenters. It was launched on 3 July 2011 to coincide with the launch of the original Radio Trent. Peters made a return to breakfast programming from 3 January 2012 on Gravity FM.
During his spare time, Peters is involved with broadcast electronics, and has built his own station at home. He also enjoys restoring classic cars.
In February 2021, he joined Boom Radio.
External links
[edit]- John Peters on Boom Radio
- The Vintage Charts on Boom Radio
- A biography Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Article about John Peters (which includes recordings of him launching Radio Trent and GEM-AM, and presenting on the stations)