Gary King (radio presenter)
{{Short description|British radio presenter}}
{{AfDM|page=Gary King (radio presenter) (2nd nomination)|year=2025|month=May|day=16|substed=yes|origtag=afdx|help=off}}
Gary King is a British radio presenter. He presents the weekday early breakfast show across the UK on Smooth Radio, as well as two syndicated radio shows on non-BBC local radio stations, Totally 80s and Totally 90s.
Career
King abandoned plans to become an actor and then became a mobile DJ before transitioning to being a radio DJ.{{Cite web |title=Gary King - Energy FM {{!}} Isle of Man |url=https://www.energyfm.net/cms/presenter_profile_36674.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.energyfm.net}} King's radio presenting career started at Radio Top Shop in London, before he worked at Radio Luxembourg and the British Forces Broadcasting Service.{{Cite web |title=Radio Rewind - BBC Radio 1 People - Gary King |url=https://www.radiorewind.co.uk/radio1/gary_king_page.htm |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.radiorewind.co.uk}} King was the first presenter on Atlantic 252, a radio station based in the Republic of Ireland playing pop and rock music, when it launched on the 1st of September 1989.{{Cite web |last=Burke |first=Diane |date=2021-10-09 |title=The rise of Atlantic 252 and what happened next |url=https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/history/rise-atlantic-252-what-happened-21787530 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Dublin Live |language=en}} For a period which was prior to King's time at Atlantic 252, King presented on the Superstation, a radio service providing overnight programming to commercial radio stations across the UK.
In early 1990, King moved to BBC Radio 1, initially as weekend early show presenter{{Cite news |date=17 March 1990 |title=RADIO 1 |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_one/1990-03-17 |access-date=29 December 2024 |work=BBC Programme Guide}} before moving to the weekday early show.{{Cite news |date=3 May 1990 |title=RADIO 1 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005085/19900503/119/0011 |access-date=21 November 2024 |work=Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser |pages=11}} In 1992, King left the station.{{Cite web |title=Search - BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/460/20?order=first&q=%22Gary%20King%22#top |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk}}
Between 1989 and 1999, King was voiceover for Fun House, a TV gameshow aimed at children and hosted by Pat Sharp.{{Citation |title=Fun House |date=1989-02-24 |type=Family, Game-Show |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457240/?ref_=nm_flmg_knf_eps_t |access-date=2024-11-20 |others=Pat Sharp, Martina Grant, Melanie Grant |publisher=Scottish Media Group (SMG), Scottish Television Enterprises}}
From 1992 until 1994, King worked at Key 103 in Manchester. In 1994, he presented the breakfast show on Virgin Radio in the UK on Saturdays{{Cite web |title=The Television & Radio Database - Listings for Saturday, 12th February 1994 |url=https://tvrdb.com/listings/1994-02-12#virgin1215 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=tvrdb.com}} and Sundays.{{Cite web |title=The Television & Radio Database - Listings for Sunday, 13th February 1994 |url=https://tvrdb.com/listings/1994-02-13#virgin1215 |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=tvrdb.com}} In 1995, King began presenting on Heart 106.2 in London. In 1999, King was presenting on 95.8 Capital FM in London. In 2002, King left the weekend breakfast show on 95.8 Capital FM, which he had been presenting, and Chris Brooks took over the show.{{Cite web |date=2002-06-28 |title=Capital's New Controller Makes Breakfast Appointment - The Media Leader |url=https://uk.themedialeader.com/capitals-new-controller-makes-breakfast-appointment/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |language=en-GB}}
In 2006 at the latest, King began presenting Totally 80s, a now long-running syndicated radio programme focusing on pop music from the 1980s.{{Cite web |date=2006-09-20 |title=Award nomination for Gary King |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2006/09/award-nomination-for-gary-king/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} In the mid-2000s, King, who was presenting a show on Magic 105.4, began presenting a weekday quiz show on LBC 97.3 in London; the quiz show was an hour in length.{{Cite web |date=2005-12-21 |title=LBC looks to capture classic game show feel |url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/lbc-looks-to-capture-classic-game-show-feel/1033808.article |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Broadcast |language=en}} At the time, LBC had a less strong focus on news, current affairs and hard topics than the station does at present.
In 2007, King joined the UTV Network to present Cashtime.{{Cite web |date=2007-05-26 |title=Gary King joins UTV Radio |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2007/05/gary-king-joins-utv-radio/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}}
In 2008, King began presenting the mid-morning show on 96.2 The Revolution, a local radio station in Oldham, Greater Manchester.{{Cite news |last=Plunkett |first=John |date=2008-09-15 |title=The Revolution's listeners wake up to Steve Penk |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/sep/15/commercialradio.radio |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
Between 2007 and 2009, King was voiceover for Dale's Supermarket Sweep, a gameshow hosted by Dale Winton in which contestants went round the aisles of a supermarket which had been purpose-built for the show.{{Citation |title=Supermarket Sweep |date=1993-09-06 |type=Game-Show |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387783/?ref_=nm_flmg_knf_eps_t |access-date=2024-11-20 |others=Dale Winton, Bobby Bragg, Gary King |publisher=Carlton Television, Pearson Television Productions Limited}}
In 2010, King was at Jazz FM, presenting the station's weekday drivetime show.{{Citation |last=LLamparelli |title=Prince Sampson & Gary King on "The Jazz Glide Home" III |date=2010-03-15 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/luizlamparelli/4671149431 |access-date=2024-11-21}}
In 2011, it was announced that Totally 90s, a sister show to Totally 80s focussing on pop music from the 1990s, would be created. It was also announced that King, already the presenter of Totally 80s, would be the presenter of Totally 90s.{{Cite web |date=2011-02-10 |title=Totally 90s show to launch |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2011/02/totally-90s-show-to-launch/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} As of November 2024, Totally 80s and Totally 90s are broadcast on many local non-BBC radio stations in the UK. The shows are produced by the media company Blue Revolution, whose chief executive, Paul Hollins,{{Cite web |title=Meet The Team |url=https://www.bluerevolution.com/team |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=Blue Revolution |language=en}} also presents on weekday early mornings on Smooth Radio (before King).
In 2013, King covered for Pat Sharp after Sharp left Smooth Radio.{{Cite web |date=2013-12-19 |title=Kid Jensen & Pat Sharp leave Smooth Radio |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2013/12/kid-jensen-pat-sharp-leave-smooth-radio/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} In the same year, King began presenting on Sundays between 12pm and 3pm on Smooth Radio.{{Cite web |date=2013-10-04 |title=Andy Peebles' Soul Train transfers to Gold |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2013/10/andy-peebles-soul-train-transfers-to-gold/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}}
In 2018, King appeared in When TV Animals Go Horribly Wrong{{Citation |last=Reid |first=Kenny |title=When TV Animals Go Horribly Wrong |date=2018-12-22 |type=Documentary |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9755066/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |others=Christopher Timothy, Eshaan Akbar, Stephen Bailey |publisher=Crackit Productions}} which was broadcast on Channel 5.
In 2018, King began presenting the weekday{{Cite web |date=2018-12-31 |title=The 10 biggest UK radio industry stories of 2018 |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/12/2018/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} breakfast show, on FM in London and across the UK on DAB digital radio, on Smooth Radio, after Russ Williams left the show. In the latter half of 2019, King was still the presenter of the show.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-02 |title=Smooth Radio regional Breakfast presenters confirmed |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/09/smooth-radio-regional-breakfast-presenters-confirmed/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} In 2020, King began presenting weekday early breakfast nationally on Smooth Radio, and carried on presenting on Saturday afternoons nationally on Smooth Radio.{{Cite web |date=2020-01-03 |title=Jenni Falconer moves from Heart to Smooth Radio |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/01/jenni-falconer-moves-from-heart-to-smooth-radio/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=RadioToday |language=en-GB}} As of November 2024, King still presents weekday early breakfast on Smooth Radio between 4am and 6am.
King has also appeared as a products expert on QVC in the UK. In addition, he appeared as the presenter of a talkshow in the TV drama "Animals".
References
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Category:British radio presenters