August 12, 2025 • 8 mins
As Clairsy’s farewell week rolled on, radio legend and the guy who kicked it all off for 96FM, Gary Roberts popped in to say goodbye. Clairsy shared memories of their first meeting and how Gary ended up hiring him years later. When asked if he missed radio, Gary said it was the people he missed most. He also had a listen to some of Clairsy’s very first airchecks and gave his thoughts.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Continuing the Farewell Festival. This morning, Gary Roberts is joining us. Gary.
Good morning, Good morning to Gary. We all know basically
owns Perth Radio and he owns us and.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Always well, I paid for you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yes, that's right, that's right. You've been everywhere but with
us here at ninety six and also over at that
other joint SCA over over the road there.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
But Clarsey was.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Telling a story the other morning about his first encounter
with you, because he was, you know, a young a
young whipper snapper, wanting to get into radio, and he
dreamed of ninety six FM and he rang you. Tell
us again, Claresy, how that went down.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
So I'm sitting on mum's bed using a phone with
a cord, and I go, well, I want to work
in radio. I'm a media student at Greenwood High School.
What don't I ring the guy who runs the radio
station I listened to? So I ring up mister Roberts.
Can I talk to mister Roberts please? I think the
girl on reception crack up. It's in Wellington Street and
I hear this voice of God answer the phone. It's
(01:05):
another and I started shaking. I had that impact on
a few yeah, especially employ Yeah, yeah, I think Garry
you said something along the lines of, well mostly you know,
you had Bill Alli and those kind of guys that
are working there. You said, oh, there's great Bill, and
you said, most of my guys have worked for at
least ten years, so you probably need to get some
experience and if you want to get closer to being
(01:26):
Bob Stewart or whoever it might be.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, And that was actually what was going on in
radio in those days. Things have changed somewhat, but in
those days you'd go out to the regional stations and
learn how to do the job. As opposed to listening
and thinking you knew, you actually had to go and
work it.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Out quite often midnight to dawn.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, regularly in regional stations. Yeah, so you'd have three listeners.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, well I did, and I had five when the
seating was going on because I was in Meriton and
the weak bellot, so the farmers be out there listening. Yeah,
they ring, both of them would ring up. But yes,
that's what I did. I took your advice. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
What happened. You are forty years later?
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Years later, and it took thirty eight years and then
you hired me for ninety six, so my dream came true.
Sometimes dreams do come true.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I did try to come after you a couple of times,
but you know, you were actually signing contracts with other people.
You weren't exactly available. So actually, when Fred decided he
needed to move on, yeah, and it was like you
were the most obvious person in town that we had
to get to be with, Lisa. So look what happened.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, yeah, and it was all very secretive. You and
I are meeting pubs and at the back of the
remember that day at the back of the Queen's trying
to hide Yep, in a couple of cafes, having clandestine
I just did have.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The kiss of death.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Have you got someone off your sleep for me to
start at six?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, always someone.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But that conversation started at an Alice Cooper concert because
you and I had a chat and you said we
need to catch up. And that was many months before,
so yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That wasn't the bad concert that was usually doing it.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Do you miss radio you've been You've been away from
it all for a little while.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now a couple of years.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Had a list of things that need have done around
the house.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, I think I can say this. I'm officially now
Wendy's bitch. Yeah, because that's all I do for a living.
It used to be part time now it's.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
Do.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I miss radio. I miss the people. I really missed
some of the great people that work in radio, and
that's what I miss. I don't actually miss radio networks.
I miss the people.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, you had a catch up on Friday with a
lot of those people because as we observed, it was
ninety six, is forty fifth birthday you started the place,
and you still to this day every August eight have
a catch up with that original group.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, it's the original.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
A lot of them are still there.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, exactly. We have lost a couple, but it's unfortunate.
But no, it's great to get forty to PEP pull together,
which we did on Friday. We kicked off for a
long lunch. We decided we'd make it until four o'clock
so we could replay the launch of the station, which
we did, but we hadn't finished talking at four o'clock.
It was actually another guy who screened out Gary, it's
four o'clock. It's like, oh, okay, fine, let's play the
(04:18):
launch of the radio station back on four PM August eight,
nineteen eighty and it was just great to hear it again. Yeah,
you know for those of us who were part of it,
it's an important part of history time.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
You know, we all have our memory of where we
were that absolutely fifteen.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
It was such a game changer to hear those you
know that not it was also the attitude you were playing,
you know, different kinds of music to what the ams
were playing. The sound of the bands like Steely Dan
and the Cars my favorite of course, Steely Dan and
the Cars and Pink Floyd sounded so incredible in FM's theorem.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And you know, it was so different to everything else
that was in the market. So musically, what we were
doing was actually unusual in Australia radio but very common
in American radio. It's called album orientated rock and that's
what we were doing. So we had a massive number
of albums. We had the longest playlist in radio history
that we started with. But it was very deliberate and
(05:13):
what we were trying to achieve in the market, and
guess what, it worked well.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Music for headphones is still my absolute all time favorite
radio thing, and I think it was just is what
radio is. And I remember I used to lie in
the lounge room in the center of the room with
my headphones on. Just I don't know why I was in.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
The center of the room.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Why I had to be right in the middle. I
had headphones on, so I don't know wants around it.
But you know that was just that to me. That
was radio.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, it was in those days, and the amount of
time people listened to the station was extraordinary, and the
things that they heard and the contact they had with
us again extraordinary. It's not what happens today, but it
was certainly great in the eighties.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I'd imagine you long and you on that carpet. They're
going I have become comfortably.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
We're going to role play it here. You're going to
bring out your air check.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I think it's a cosplay. I was getting ready.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
You're going to bring out those air checks and you're
going to put him to Gary and see if he would.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Sure you've heard I'm sure you've heard all of these Gary.
When I used to come in, I suspect I have. Actually,
do you really want to hear this, MANE? I don't
really Yeah, absolutely, I'll play this one.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
First if you're just join us. Welcome to Friday, November sixteen.
Here of the Week Vol. Six MD with Do You
and Keep You Comforting at the early hours of a
Friday morning, Dean Close with you and the Breaking Show
until nine next Monday. At four o'clock, I'll be at
the Oasis Hotel here in Meriden, and the first twenty
four to twenty five people who come up to me
and say hello, I'll receive a free stubby. Remember your
taste better from a stubby or the the for Larva.
(06:43):
This promotion is presented by ACI and it's in conjunction
with Radio six m D. Listen out for more details. LoVa,
what a broadcast grip?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Now, of course it wasn't you should be stumbling.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Actually said the pretty good at that radio station.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Maybe yeah, most Mereden. I do remember playing some of
these to you one day in your office there in
Wellington Street and you said, well, you sound very adult
bean for a nineteen year old. Maybe should try six
ky And I think I cried in the cards like Plava.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
That's about the nicest thing I ever said.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Yeah, I think it was. I said, what I don't
sell like David Kidd? What's going on have it some
roster service stations.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Golden We Australia veteran erring English lyricist Bernie Taublam from
his Tribe solo album Citizen Jane, Would your sisters say,
I'll be sad? And the disco king of the late
seventies Horry Casey with his Sunshine Band full Start. Please
don't go well if you have to and you need
petro to get there. In other words, you're not taking
the tread lead tonight. You may need to head into
one of these places Petrol rosters for Benary and at
(07:42):
Subishi in kindly, the Shell service station in prince Hip
Street tonight, b I n C A Carmeny one o
nine Federal Austraet in Narrigen and just the one place
open in Bunbury tonight the Shell two one five Spencer straight,
the rosters for Bundring, that Tubushi are open and saw
ten o'clock tonight.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Yeah, that was Bundary that was made trying to be
a Leah or rick Han's John to sound cool.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Did you follow that up with the death announcements.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Probably brought to you by Merit and removal Bunbury furnitures,
you know, like the Sabers are beautifully.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
That was awful.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Yeah, I think we've had enough of that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I have so enjoyed them though.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Gary.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Thanks for coming in this morning and sharing in this week.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah. Well, I'm not sure what you're going to do next.
And I've seen all those photos of you standing outside
every radio station. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, but suspicion you're
going to do better.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Hang on, why tell me I'm gonna I'm thinking I'm
just going to ring nap and sure and over over
in a minute and ask them myself.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Put it straight to them.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
I'm just going to ask them.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, well they need somebody.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Maybe you don't answer that question. Thanks Gary, Gary, good
to see and thanks for the job eight years
Continuing the Farewell Festival. This morning, Gary Roberts is joining us. Gary.
Good morning, Good morning to Gary. We all know basically
owns Perth Radio and he owns us and.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Always well, I paid for you.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Yes, that's right, that's right. You've been everywhere but with
us here at ninety six and also over at that
other joint SCA over over the road there.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
But Clarsey was.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Telling a story the other morning about his first encounter
with you, because he was, you know, a young a
young whipper snapper, wanting to get into radio, and he
dreamed of ninety six FM and he rang you. Tell
us again, Claresy, how that went down.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
So I'm sitting on mum's bed using a phone with
a cord, and I go, well, I want to work
in radio. I'm a media student at Greenwood High School.
What don't I ring the guy who runs the radio
station I listened to? So I ring up mister Roberts.
Can I talk to mister Roberts please? I think the
girl on reception crack up. It's in Wellington Street and
I hear this voice of God answer the phone. It's
(01:05):
another and I started shaking. I had that impact on
a few yeah, especially employ Yeah, yeah, I think Garry
you said something along the lines of, well mostly you know,
you had Bill Alli and those kind of guys that
are working there. You said, oh, there's great Bill, and
you said, most of my guys have worked for at
least ten years, so you probably need to get some
experience and if you want to get closer to being
(01:26):
Bob Stewart or whoever it might be.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, And that was actually what was going on in
radio in those days. Things have changed somewhat, but in
those days you'd go out to the regional stations and
learn how to do the job. As opposed to listening
and thinking you knew, you actually had to go and
work it.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Out quite often midnight to dawn.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, regularly in regional stations. Yeah, so you'd have three listeners.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, well I did, and I had five when the
seating was going on because I was in Meriton and
the weak bellot, so the farmers be out there listening. Yeah,
they ring, both of them would ring up. But yes,
that's what I did. I took your advice. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
What happened. You are forty years later?
Speaker 4 (02:05):
Years later, and it took thirty eight years and then
you hired me for ninety six, so my dream came true.
Sometimes dreams do come true.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I did try to come after you a couple of times,
but you know, you were actually signing contracts with other people.
You weren't exactly available. So actually, when Fred decided he
needed to move on, yeah, and it was like you
were the most obvious person in town that we had
to get to be with, Lisa. So look what happened.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, yeah, and it was all very secretive. You and
I are meeting pubs and at the back of the
remember that day at the back of the Queen's trying
to hide Yep, in a couple of cafes, having clandestine
I just did have.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The kiss of death.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Have you got someone off your sleep for me to
start at six?
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yep?
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, always someone.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But that conversation started at an Alice Cooper concert because
you and I had a chat and you said we
need to catch up. And that was many months before,
so yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
That wasn't the bad concert that was usually doing it.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, it's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Do you miss radio you've been You've been away from
it all for a little while.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now a couple of years.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Had a list of things that need have done around
the house.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, I think I can say this. I'm officially now
Wendy's bitch. Yeah, because that's all I do for a living.
It used to be part time now it's.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
Do.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I miss radio. I miss the people. I really missed
some of the great people that work in radio, and
that's what I miss. I don't actually miss radio networks.
I miss the people.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, you had a catch up on Friday with a
lot of those people because as we observed, it was
ninety six, is forty fifth birthday you started the place,
and you still to this day every August eight have
a catch up with that original group.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, it's the original.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
A lot of them are still there.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, exactly. We have lost a couple, but it's unfortunate.
But no, it's great to get forty to PEP pull together,
which we did on Friday. We kicked off for a
long lunch. We decided we'd make it until four o'clock
so we could replay the launch of the station, which
we did, but we hadn't finished talking at four o'clock.
It was actually another guy who screened out Gary, it's
four o'clock. It's like, oh, okay, fine, let's play the
(04:18):
launch of the radio station back on four PM August eight,
nineteen eighty and it was just great to hear it again. Yeah,
you know for those of us who were part of it,
it's an important part of history time.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
You know, we all have our memory of where we
were that absolutely fifteen.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
It was such a game changer to hear those you
know that not it was also the attitude you were playing,
you know, different kinds of music to what the ams
were playing. The sound of the bands like Steely Dan
and the Cars my favorite of course, Steely Dan and
the Cars and Pink Floyd sounded so incredible in FM's theorem.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And you know, it was so different to everything else
that was in the market. So musically, what we were
doing was actually unusual in Australia radio but very common
in American radio. It's called album orientated rock and that's
what we were doing. So we had a massive number
of albums. We had the longest playlist in radio history
that we started with. But it was very deliberate and
(05:13):
what we were trying to achieve in the market, and
guess what, it worked well.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Music for headphones is still my absolute all time favorite
radio thing, and I think it was just is what
radio is. And I remember I used to lie in
the lounge room in the center of the room with
my headphones on. Just I don't know why I was in.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
The center of the room.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Why I had to be right in the middle. I
had headphones on, so I don't know wants around it.
But you know that was just that to me. That
was radio.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah, it was in those days, and the amount of
time people listened to the station was extraordinary, and the
things that they heard and the contact they had with
us again extraordinary. It's not what happens today, but it
was certainly great in the eighties.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
I'd imagine you long and you on that carpet. They're
going I have become comfortably.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
We're going to role play it here. You're going to
bring out your air check.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
I think it's a cosplay. I was getting ready.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
You're going to bring out those air checks and you're
going to put him to Gary and see if he would.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Sure you've heard I'm sure you've heard all of these Gary.
When I used to come in, I suspect I have. Actually,
do you really want to hear this, MANE? I don't
really Yeah, absolutely, I'll play this one.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
First if you're just join us. Welcome to Friday, November sixteen.
Here of the Week Vol. Six MD with Do You
and Keep You Comforting at the early hours of a
Friday morning, Dean Close with you and the Breaking Show
until nine next Monday. At four o'clock, I'll be at
the Oasis Hotel here in Meriden, and the first twenty
four to twenty five people who come up to me
and say hello, I'll receive a free stubby. Remember your
taste better from a stubby or the the for Larva.
(06:43):
This promotion is presented by ACI and it's in conjunction
with Radio six m D. Listen out for more details. LoVa,
what a broadcast grip?
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Now, of course it wasn't you should be stumbling.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Actually said the pretty good at that radio station.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Maybe yeah, most Mereden. I do remember playing some of
these to you one day in your office there in
Wellington Street and you said, well, you sound very adult
bean for a nineteen year old. Maybe should try six
ky And I think I cried in the cards like Plava.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
That's about the nicest thing I ever said.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Yeah, I think it was. I said, what I don't
sell like David Kidd? What's going on have it some
roster service stations.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Golden We Australia veteran erring English lyricist Bernie Taublam from
his Tribe solo album Citizen Jane, Would your sisters say,
I'll be sad? And the disco king of the late
seventies Horry Casey with his Sunshine Band full Start. Please
don't go well if you have to and you need
petro to get there. In other words, you're not taking
the tread lead tonight. You may need to head into
one of these places Petrol rosters for Benary and at
(07:42):
Subishi in kindly, the Shell service station in prince Hip
Street tonight, b I n C A Carmeny one o
nine Federal Austraet in Narrigen and just the one place
open in Bunbury tonight the Shell two one five Spencer straight,
the rosters for Bundring, that Tubushi are open and saw
ten o'clock tonight.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Yeah, that was Bundary that was made trying to be
a Leah or rick Han's John to sound cool.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Did you follow that up with the death announcements.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
Probably brought to you by Merit and removal Bunbury furnitures,
you know, like the Sabers are beautifully.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
That was awful.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Yeah, I think we've had enough of that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I have so enjoyed them though.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Gary.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Thanks for coming in this morning and sharing in this week.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah. Well, I'm not sure what you're going to do next.
And I've seen all those photos of you standing outside
every radio station. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, but suspicion you're
going to do better.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Hang on, why tell me I'm gonna I'm thinking I'm
just going to ring nap and sure and over over
in a minute and ask them myself.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Put it straight to them.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
I'm just going to ask them.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, well they need somebody.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Maybe you don't answer that question. Thanks Gary, Gary, good
to see and thanks for the job eight years
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