“It’s quite possible radio will die out”: John Knox on The World In Social

Retired radio broadcaster John Knox is this week’s special guest on The World In Social podcast with Chris Rieger.

From splicing tape to playing grabs off carts, Knox’ career has spanned across many decades and a number of  key technological advancements. Adapting has not always been easy for the radio veteran, who while working with Rieger at 4KQ in Brisbane, would often call on him to get out of a jam.

“When we got a little bit more sophisticated in the area of computerised technology, I was a hell of a mess,” he recalled. “You’d come running and press a couple of buttons and it’d be back.”

While starting his career in regional radio at 2RG in Griffith, Knox detailed how much radio programming and the prestige of the industry has changed over the years.

“In those days, the night shift was considered to be pretty special because more people listened at night than any other time,” he explained. “The radio announcers were the stars back then…there was a degree of glamour associated with it.”

Knox adopts a firm stance on the current state of journalism and the ways in which radio broadcasting has suffered as a result of a shift in attitude and skill sets.

“There’s a lack of understanding about the game, he told Rieger. “The majority of broadcast news operators have never been exposed to broadcasting prior to learning the journalism business. They don’t know how to communicate vocally.”