John Whitney (broadcaster)

John Whitney was born into a Quaker family on 20 December 1930, and educated at Leighton Park Friends’ School.{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=Leighton Park School - Old Leightonians|url=http://www.leightonpark.com/515/let-your-life-speak/journalism-and-media|website=Leighton Park School|accessdate=30 October 2015|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310120157/http://www.leightonpark.com/515/let-your-life-speak/journalism-and-media|url-status=dead}}

Upon leaving school he started recording bands at dance halls around the county of Buckinghamshire. The BBC turned him down, so instead he started Ross Radio Productions Ltd{{cite book|last1=Street|first1=Sean|title=A concise history of British radio, 1922-2002|date=2002|publisher=Kelly Publications|location=Tiverton|isbn=978-1903053140|edition=2nd printing with corrections.}}{{rp|107}} with Monty Bailey-Watson (an ex-BBC producer) and Joseph Sturge with whom he went to school. The company specialised in creating and producing radio programmes for use by sponsors on the commercial radio station Radio Luxembourg, and became successful as it attracted major advertisers and obtained the UK rights to the Autocue prompting system.

Whitney founded the Local Radio Association{{cite web|last1=Today|first1=Radio|title=ILR at 40|url=http://radiotoday.co.uk/2013/10/ilr-at-40-tim-blackmore-established-1973/|website=Radio Today Industry News|date=11 October 2013 |accessdate=27 August 2015}} to promote UK commercial radio. When the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 allowed the provision of commercial radio and TV stations in the UK, Whitney became Managing Director of the London-based Capital Radio,{{rp|117}} with a Board led by Richard Attenborough. Whilst still at Capital Radio he started Sagitta Productions with John Hawkesworth, producing such television series as Upstairs Downstairs, Danger UXB{{cite web|last1=Screenonline|first1=BFI|title=Danger UXB|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1129601/|website=screenonline.org.uk|accessdate=27 August 2015}} and The Planemakers, as well as a number of single dramas. From 1982 - 1989 Whitney was Director General of the Independent Broadcasting Authority,{{cite book|last1=Henry|first1=Brian|title=British television advertising : the first 30 years|date=1986|publisher=Century Benham|location=London|isbn=0-09-165800-4|page=221}}{{cite book|last1=Bonner|first1=Paul|last2=Aston|first2=Lesley|title=Independent Television in Britain, Volume 5: ITV and IBA, 1981-92: The Old Relationship Changes|date=1998|publisher=Macmillan Press Ltd.|isbn=978-0333647738}}{{rp|28–30,53}} the UK regulatory authority for commercial TV and radio. During this time the IBA was involved in a dispute with the UK Government over the documentary Death on the Rock{{rp|72}} and faced the consequences of the Peacock Committee{{rp|326,343}} which initiated the system of auctioning franchises for ITV companies. From 1985 to 1986 he was also President of the TRIC (The Television and Radio Industries Club).{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=TRIC Past Presidents|url=http://www.tric.org.uk/presidents.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017054158/http://www.tric.org.uk/presidents.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 October 2014|website=The Television and Radio Industries Club|accessdate=30 October 2015}}

Upon leaving the IBA Whitney became Managing Director of the Really Useful Group Ltd, a company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and eventually became Chairman. Subsequently, he has held numerous posts within broadcasting and was Chairman{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=RADA A Brief History|url=https://www.rada.ac.uk/about/brief-history?highlight=WyJqb2huIiwiam9obidzIiwid2hpdG5leSIsImpvaG4gd2hpdG5leSJd|website=The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)|accessdate=30 October 2015}} of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) from 2003 until his retirement in 2007. In 2008 Whitney was appointed a CBE for services to broadcasting and charity.{{cite web|title=Honours: Order of the British Empire, Civil - DBE and CBE|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/honours-order-of-the-british-empire-civil--dbe-and-cbe-767237.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/honours-order-of-the-british-empire-civil--dbe-and-cbe-767237.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The Independent|date=29 December 2007 |accessdate=27 August 2015}} He was also made a Fellow of the Radio Academy.{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=Fellows of The Radio Academy|url=http://www.radioacademy.org/pages/about/fellows/|website=The Radio Academy|accessdate=30 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309093108/http://www.radioacademy.org/pages/about/fellows/|archive-date=9 March 2016|url-status=dead}} He was awarded the fellowship at the Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony in 1996.{{cite magazine| last1 = Goodyer | first1 = Tim | title = This Year's Sony Radio Awards | magazine = Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering | date = June 1996 | volume = 35 | number = 5 | issn = 0144-5944 | page = 6 | publisher = Spotlight | url = http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Studio-Sound-IDX/IDX/90s/Studio-Sound-1996-06-OCR-Page-0006.pdf | access-date = 18 January 2018}} He was chairman of the awards committee at the time.

Among numerous roles{{cite web|last1=Debrett's|title=John Norton Braithwaite WHITNEY|url=http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/34901/John-Norton-Braithwaite-WHITNEY|website=Debrett's People of Today|accessdate=30 October 2015}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} not connected to broadcasting or stewardship, John Whitney was on the Council for Charitable Support (1989–92), the Executive Committee of the Musicians Benevolent Fund (1995-2001), the Council of the Royal London Aid Society (1966–90), President of the London Marriage Guidance Council (1983–90), Chairman of the Trustees of Soundaround - National Sound Magazine for the Blind (1981-2000, when he was made Life President) and Chairman of the charity Artsline (1983-2000, being made Life President in 2001). He was also a Patron of the charity Stage One,{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=Stage One|url=http://stageone.uk.com/about/patrons|website=Stage One Patrons|accessdate=30 October 2015}} and a Member of the Shakespeare's Globe Council.{{cite web|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=Globe Council Members|url=http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/todays-globe/council|website=Shakespeare's Globe}}

Whitney married Roma Duncan, an original member of the Festival Ballet, in 1956. They had a daughter, Fiona, who is a Schools Consultant, author and television/theatre producer in Los Angeles, and a son, Alexander, who is a publisher.

John Whitney died on 4 November 2023, at the age of 92.{{cite news |title=John Norton Braithwaite Whitney CBE |url=https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marketplace/advert/whitney-notices_54289 |access-date=9 November 2023 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=9 November 2023}}

{{cite book|last1=Whitney|first1=John|title=To Serve the People|date=23 October 2013|publisher=John Libbey Publishing|isbn=978-0861967100}}

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Category:1930 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Category:English radio producers

Category:English television producers

Category:English television writers