Jon ‘Blakey’ Blake headed back to FIVEaa and other Adelaide radio changes
FIVE years after Jon Blake’s stunning defection from FIVEaa to Triple M – a move he described at the time as like “getting out of jail” – the radio funnyman is heading back to his old station.
FIVE years after Jon Blake’s stunning defection from FIVEaa to Triple M – a move he described at the time as like “getting out of jail” – the radio funnyman is heading back to his old station.
“It felt like that at the time but that was different management, different people, now it’s a different thing and FIVEaa are now gorgeous and all made of cotton wool,” he laughs.
The radio veteran of 40 years will host an hour-long show between 7-8pm four nights a week and contribute to FIVEaa’s brekkie show with David Penberthy and Will Goodings next year.
Blake best known for his acerbic wit and spot-on impersonations of Adelaide identities ranging from former Premier Mike Rann to his radio colleagues, including old FIVEaa drivetime pair KG Cunningham and Graham Cornes, and current Triple M brekkie co-host Mark Ricciuto, who he lampoons in his regular ‘At Home With The Ricciutos’ segment.
He says the opportunity to do his own show, with complete control, was too good to pass up.
“I’m just leaving to try something else. They came to me and said, ‘Do you want to do an hour show four nights a week?’. I said ‘Yes, that sounds good’. I thought that sounded like fun. It happened quickly,” he says.
“I’ve got no idea what I’m going to do. That is exciting. Now I need to sit down and work out what I’m going to do. I have a few ideas already.”
After 14 years with FIVEaa, Jon left the station with some fanfare at the end of 2011, citing a lack of on-air freedom as the main reason for his decision. But the move to Triple M did not work as he’d hoped.
“I was sitting outside the studio with the producer making funny phone calls and recorded bits, which was the same as what I was doing at FIVEaa,” he says.
“It wasn’t the role I thought I was going to do. I thought I was getting away from that a little bit. But it was my fault, if anything, for not understanding what I was getting myself into.”
Jon resigned yesterday, effective immediately, but will not start at FIVEaa until the end of March due to his Triple M contract’s “no competition” clause.
In other local radio changes, ABC veteran and current Drive Presenter Ian Henschke has announced his retirement from Aunty after 34 years.
The ABC today also announced a title change from 891 ABC Adelaide to ABC Radio Adelaide.