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CANBERRA - Veteran radio broadcaster John Laws has announced he will retire in November.
Laws, who pioneered popular music and talk radio formats in Australia, yesterday announced he was retiring at the start of his programme on the Southern Cross Broadcasting network.
The 71-year-old, nicknamed "Golden Tonsils", said word of his retirement had already leaked out and he had no prepared remarks to make.
Laws said that other than his family, radio had been the great love of his life and "my life for 55 years".
"There are a lot of people who listen who have absolutely no time for me at all, they don't like me a bit, and that's fine, I accept that, but you shouldn't be listening, you're committing an offence, you're stealing talent, and I do have some left.
"But the people for whom I've done some good, for people for whom I've been company, or for people I have made laugh or smile or get angry, for the honest people in the community and there have been so many of you over so many years, think of it 55 years, isn't it time I stopped for goodness sake?
"I think it probably is."
-AAP
