HERE'S JOHNNY....

18-04-2008

Local radio legend John Platt has just completed 30 years at BBC WM. Danny Reddington pays tribute to one of our best loved broadcasters.

John Platt has just completed 30 years at BBC on 11 April and celebrated his day with an office party gathering where he gave a little speech –“the most scary moment in my 30 years was standing there in front of all my friends and colleagues -shaking whilst making that thank you speech”

John joined Les Ross from 2 to 3 pm live on air to talk about his time with BBC - taking phone calls, reading out good luck messages from while Nick Owen called in to wish John all best.

Robert Plant who listens regular to John’s Network Gold Show on Saturdays phoned live from Nashville to wish John all best and thank him for playing those Golden Oldies. He said helps him as he’s travelling home from another depressing performance by Wolves on Saturday Evenings.

Nick Owen also read out a mail from the Head of BBC who also congratulated John on his 30 years.

Birmingham born and bred, John Platt went into the electrical contracting trade after leaving school. He spent five happy years with a company, before finding himself unemployed. It was always his dream to get a job in Radio.

John started his broadcasting career with Birmingham Hospital Radio in 1976. It proved to be an excellent training ground, and two years later, he wrote to Nick Owen, who was then Sports Editor at what was BBC Radio Birmingham.
 
Within a matter of weeks he was answering competition calls and reading racing results. The rest, as they say, is history, and John's been there ever since.

To begin with, he was working behind the scenes and off microphone until Tim Russon, Nick Owen's successor, offered him the chance to present the early morning sports bulletins, something he still does.

In 1988, John had a chat with the Managing Editor at the time, Tony Inchley, and told him: "I want to present a show based around the pop music of the '50s, '60s and '70s".

He liked John's plan, and his assistant, Andy Wright, came up with the title Network Gold. It started at 6pm on Saturday, the 12th of November 1988, and John says: "I'm proud to say it's still going strong".

Well done John – keep up the good work.

Pay tribute to John Platt on The Stirrer Forum.