Today's Birthday, August 8: Australian radio personality John Laws (1935- )
Since he began his broadcast career in 1953 at the age of 18, John Laws or the "Golden Tonsils" has remained one of Australia's most influential radio personalities.
John Laws was born Richard John Sinclair Laws in Wau, New Guinea on August 8, 1935.
He moved to New South Wales and attended Mosman Preparatory School before studying at the prestigious Knox Grammar School on Sydney's upper North Shore.
In 1956, Laws began working for Sydney radio station 2UE, for what was to be the first of four stints at the broadcaster.
The move kick-started his career however after three years, Laws moved to the Hunter Valley and bought a farm.
For several years he broadcast a nationally syndicated program for Newcastle station 2KO.
Throughout the 1960s, Laws worked in Sydney for 2GB and 2UE before moving to 2UW in 1969 for a working partnership which would last a decade.
It was during the 1970s that Laws began his 40 year association with automotive company Valvoline, famously purring the line `Valvoline, you know what I mean' in their TV advertisements.
Laws picked up the nickname "The Golden Tonsils" and continued to be the object of desire between Sydney's rival talkback radio stations.
He finally settled in the morning timeslot at 2UE in 1988 when the station was sitting at No.8 in the ratings. His program was syndicated throughout Australia for may years and was considered one of the most popular and influential for many years.
In 1993, the then prime minister Paul Keating labelled him "the broadcaster of the century at a dinner to celebrate Laws' 40th year in radio.
In 1999, Laws became embroiled in the `cash for comment' scandal. It was claimed both he and rival talk-back host Alan Jones had been paid to give favourable comments by companies including Qantas, Optus and Telstra without disclosing their arrangements to listeners.
After 55 years on air, Laws announced his retirement in June, 2007. His last broadcast for 2UE was on November 30 that same year.
He began the segment with his iconic welcome of "Hello world, I'm John Laws" and closed it with "You be kind to each other".
However his departure was shortlived and he returned to the airwaves for 2SM in 2011, where he remains.
The veteran broadcaster's most memorable TV interview in recent times was on ABC's 7:30 program with journalist Leigh Sales in 2012.
Laws wore his famous tinted sunglasses and gold rings, and sipped from a crystal tumbler, in an interview deemed the "most bizarre" of the year.
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