Pilots of the Airwaves - Voices of a Generation Podcast

Melbourne born, but an icon of Sydney radio through the 70’s and 80’s and the man responsible for taking Triple J to the nation, Barry Chapman’s career in radio has been anything but mainstream. Great stories and a history lesson rolled into one! Enjoy!

65 years in the media doesn’t happen by accident, it takes talent, persistence and maybe an ounce of luck every now and again. Whether it’s through television or radio, so many of us have grown up with Philip Brady, an Australian media icon. Enjoy!

From the highlands of Scotland,  to country Western Australia before eventually settling east, the journey to become the first woman in Australia to rate No 1 for a talk-back program on prime time radio, was an exciting one for our guest Muriel Cooper. Enjoy!

From living in the Middle East and relying on Radio Australia for his ‘radio fix’ to becoming the youngest drive time announcer in the history of Sydney radio, Mike Hammond has stories aplenty that span over 17 years of quality broadcasting. Enjoy!

From travelling through the country selling flair and body shirts to becoming  part of one of Melbourne’s most loved breakfast duos, today’s guest has had a unique radio journey that continues as strong as ever today. It’s Peter “Grubby’ Stubbs! Enjoy!

Ian Nicholls is a radio journeyman clocking up almost 70 years in the business. He has skipped across the Melbourne radio dial, as well as working in country Victoria, Tassie and his first appointment in Young NSW. A man of many talents and a load of stories!!  Enjoy!

He went from being one of the most influential music jocks in the 70’s and 80’s, putting together the famous 3XY Top 40 charts,  hosting the station's legendary Album Show and playing a part in the introduction of FM radio in Australia, to joining a Buddhist community in a Victorian country town. The journey (so far) of Chris Maxwell McGlone really is unique. Enjoy!

If you have been involved with 5 or 6 diverse formats, worked at both AM and FM stations and successfully transitioned between commercial radio and the ABC, you are a survivor! George Danes ticks all the boxes! Enjoy! (Tnx to Wayne Mac and David Oaten for some Mellow Music treasures!)

He's a Brisbane boy who paid his dues in the bush and eventually made his way to the big time in Sydney, before settling back in his home town. Even spending an hour with Graham Roberts for the first time, you really do feel like you are chatting with "your old mate, Robbo!" Enjoy!

He was born in Tasssie, became a 'Starr' on Melbourne radio, was part of the DB Music! revolution in the mid 70's then developed into one of this country's most astute program directors. He is, of course, commercial radio hall of famer, Greg Smith! Enjoy!

Besides serving his apprenticeship in Newcastle and helping to kick start 2JJ, Alan McGirvan made the Brisbane radio marketplace his own in the mid 70's to early 80's. He came, he saw, he conquered.......then moved on! Plenty of stories! Enjoy!

He started off spinning the discs and honing his broadcasting skills in the middle of N.S.W. in the mid 60's. However, it wasn't long before he became one of the most influential radio news reports in the country. He is a doyen of the industry....he is Denis O'Kane!

He roamed up and down the east coast of Australia presenting his special brand of broadcasting on 16 different stations throughout his career. He wasSydney's  Triple M  first breakfast jock and he even raced around the world in four days as part of a station promotion! He is Pete Rudder! Enjoy!

From being the office boy at 2UW, to having his voice booming across centre court at Melbourne Park or the MCG, Craig Willis is the voice of voice overs,  the master of MCs ......and has accumulated a very broad and successful body of work in broadcasting! Enjoy!

He started as a panel operator at 3DB, presented a top rating breakfast program in Melbourne but it was in Newcastle where David Jones really made his mark. A great jock? Yes! A ‘Derro’? Only sometimes!! Enjoy!

He started his radio career way back in 1976, has been involved in some of Sydney's top rating stations, has kept us company on many of our overseas trips, has even had his voice preserved for posterity....and he's still going strong today. He's Trevor Sinclair! Enjoy!

He has many strings to his media bow in both radio and television, including sport, news anchoring and talkback radio, but Tim Webster is still a music jock at heart  with many tales to tell! Almost 50 years in the biz and still going strong!  Enjoy! 

For Laurie Atlas it all started in his home state of Western Australia, then moved onto Melbourne and the Surf Coast of Geelong, and finally up north to the Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton! Along his journey, he also helped farewell one the most iconic radio stations in Australia. Enjoy!

He started off in Kalgoorlie, made his way across to north eastern Victoria, then down to Tassie before he dominated almost every teenager's transistor radio in Melbourne..... and then moved over to Adelaide. Monday to Friday, 7 - 10 pm, on 'The Greater',  there was no one bigger than Big Sam Anglesey! Enjoy (I certainly did!)       

This week's guest has worked at some of the most influential radio stations, in the biggest market places in Australia. However, no matter how far he roamed, Keith Harris always seemed to find his way back home to Launceston, 8 times in fact! Some great stories. Enjoy! 

As well as a Pilot of the Airwaves, Ian MacRae was also a Pirate of the Airwaves in the late 60s in the UK before returning to Australia to dominate breakfast radio in Sydney for almost decade. A great story from a legendary jock!  Enjoy!

He has one of the most familiar voices and faces in Australian television, but it was in radio that Pete Smith had his initial media experience, first at the ABC, then as a 3AK Good Guy. His versatility behind the microphone continued at 3UZ and even more so on FOX FM in the mid 90s. It's a great 55 minutes of reminiscing with "Pete Smith Speaking". Enjoy!

He kept us company at night, introducing us new music and the latest album tracks. He's dabbled in production, writing and stand up comedy........and his is also the first voice we heard on commercial FM radio in Australia. He is Peter Grace. Enjoy! 

Whether he was warming up a game show audience, using his dulcet on a voice over or spinning the discs at one of Melbourne's top radio stations, John Deeks always did it with passion, enthusiasm and a smile on his face! Enjoy!

Trailblazer, innovator, trendsetter, ground-breaker, influencer, achiever ...... and very very good at her job.  Spend an hour chatting with Cherie Romaro and if you haven't had the pleasure of working with her, you certainly wish you had!  Enjoy!