Pete Myers (radio broadcaster)
Pete Myers (18 April 1939 – 5 December 1998) was an
Biography
Myers was born to
While in
On the strength of his success at Radio Ghana, he was hired in 1963 by the BBC External Service (BBC World Service since 1965) as the first host of Good Morning Africa for the BBC African Service. On the programme, he "anarchically scattered jokes, competitions and fictional guests like the American Vietnam commander 'General Wastemoreland' between the 'pop, politics and personalities' of the programme's sub-title." Myers's success gave him celebrity in Africa, with fans gathering in the thousands to greet him at airports.[3]
Myers was in the cohort of DJs who launched BBC Radio 1 in 1967[5] sharing duties with Terry Wogan presenting Late Night Extra, while also continuing on the BBC Africa Service. He was constrained on his Radio 1 show by the station's restrictive playlist and policies, denying him the on air freedom he had on the World Service.[1] He also began presenting a weekend programme on BBC Africa, PM, named after his initials, where he would interview celebrities such as Shirley Bassey, Carol Channing, David Lean, Stephen Sondheim, Ingrid Bergman, and Sophia Loren.[3][1] In the early 1970s, the success of Good Morning Africa promoted the World Service to make it the flagship morning programme across the English section as The Good Morning Show, also presented by Myers.[1]
He left the BBC in 1974, after 11 years, and moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where he opened a nightclub called the Crazy Horse Saloon, only to close it down a few weeks later when the Lebanese Civil War broke out.[3][1] He moved to Turkey, where he attempted to start another nightclub, before returning to broadcasting in 1976 when he joined Radio Netherlands, where he produced and presented English-language documentaries, features, and other programming aimed at Africa and Asia, as well as for the English section generally, presenting and producing programmes such as Afroscene, Mainstream Asia, Asiascan, Rembrandt Express, and 50+.[6] From 1993 to 1995, he hosted Radio Netherlands' venerable Happy Station Show.[3][1]
Myers died at 59 of
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Popham, Michael (20 February 1999). "Obituary: Pete Myers". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- The Ghanaian Times. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Raynor, William (1 February 1999). "Pop go the airwaves". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ a b c Marks, Jonathan. "Much more than a Talent to Amuse". Medium. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "RADIO ONCE UPON A TIME", by Tammy Hughes, The Daily Mirror, 30 September 2017
- ^ "A talent to amuse: A tribute to Pete Myers". Radio Netherlands Archive7. Jonathan Marks. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
External links
- "Much more than a Talent to Amuse", recollections of Pete Myers by Jonathan Marks (18 April 2019)
- "A Talent to Amuse" - Radio Netherlands tribute to Pete Myers (18 December 1998)
- "Siren Song: Interview with Pete Myers after 40 years of making radio", Radio Netherlands Archives (18 May 1997).