John Laws
Born	8 August 1935 (1935-08-08) (age 72) Wau, Papua New Guinea
Residence	Woolloomooloo Wharf, Sydney
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Retired radio presenter
Website	johnlaws.com.au

Richard John Sinclair Laws, better known as John Laws or Lawsy, CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a former prominent and controversial radio presenter in Australia. From the 1970s until his retirement on 30 November 2007 Laws hosted a hugely successful morning radio program, which mixed music with interviews, opinion, live advertising readings and listener talkback. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname the Golden Tonsils. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Wau is a town in Papua New Guinea, in the province of Morobe. ... The Finger Wharf or Woolloomooloo Wharf is a wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney, Australia. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Laws' radio show was syndicated throughout Australia for many years and was consistently one of the most popular and influential programs in the Australian media. Laws is also a familiar voice for generations of Australians through his large and varied body of work as a voice-over artist for commercials, and as a celebrity endorser of commercial products, notably Valvoline motor oil, with his popular catchphrase "Valvoline, you know what I mean" and Oral-B toothbrushes (the slogan "Oral-B, the toothbrush more dentists use.") Cummins NYSE: CMI, is a maker of diesel and gas engines. ... // A typical container of motor oil, with some in a glass. ... Oral-B is a brand name of toothbrush and other dental care products (such as dental floss) manufactured by Procter and Gamble who acquired Gillette in 2005. ...

Laws has been on Australian talk radio longer than any other broadcaster and as a result of his popularity, for many years he has been cited as Australia's highest-paid radio personality. Although he commented regularly on topical news, Laws did not consider himself a journalist, saying he considered himself foremost to be an entertainer and salesman. Laws had become one of the most influential media personalities in Australia over the last three decades, and one of the few commercial radio personalities whose interviews with state and federal political leaders are considered to have a significant influence of the course of politics in New South Wales especially, and Australia in general. NSW redirects here. ...

Biography

Born in Wau, Papua New Guinea, Laws was educated at Knox Grammar School and Mosman Preparatory School in Sydney, Australia. He began his radio career in 1953 at 3BO in Bendigo before working at several rural radio stations prior to joining 2UE in 1957, the first of four terms at that Sydney radio station, during which time Laws, (along with Bob Rogers, Tony Withers and Stan Rofe) became prominent as one of the first Australian disk jockeys to play rock'n'roll music. Laws is said to have pioneered the practice (soon taken up by Rofe) of using contacts in the airline industry to supply him with the latest pop releases from overseas, a facility which gave him an edge at a time when many pop records were not released in Australia until weeks or even months after being issued overseas. Wau is a town in Papua New Guinea, in the province of Morobe. ... Knox Grammar School is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Wahroonga, an upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... For the electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives, see Division of Bendigo. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are settled places outside towns and cities. ... A radio station is an audio (sound) broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves (a form of electromagnetic radiation) from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. ... 2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Bob Rogers is an Australian disc jockey and radio broadcaster. ... Stan The Man Rofe (30 May 1930 – 16 May 2003) was Melbournes first and most influential rocknroll disc jockey. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ...

According to Laws, he spent quite a lot of time in central western Queensland working as a a rouseabout, and a fencer. He said that it was during this period that he used to see road trains go by, and this was the origin of his love of trucks and truckers. Presumably, his stint as a rouseabout and fencer was prior to 1953, and occurred between his leaving school (in 1952 at 17??)and his 18th birthday. It should be noted that there were no road trains on western Queensland roads in or prior to 1953.

Laws left 2UE two years later, and moved for a time to the Hunter Valley, where he ran a farm. In 1962 he moved back to Sydney where he joined 2GB. Two years later he rejoined 2UE and remained with the station for five years. In 1969 he joined 2UW's line-up and remained there for 10 years. He returned to 2UE in 1979, this time for another five years. He then moved to 2GB after a highly publicised bid for his services, but returned to the 2UE fold when the station was number eight in the ratings. The return of Laws was the primary cause of the station then being number one in Sydney for many years. However, his appeal began to wane. In 2002, station colleague and archrival Alan Jones moved from 2UE to 2GB, and soon took that station to the top talk position in Sydney. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Mix 106. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Alan Belford Jones AO (born1941 or possibly 1943[2]) is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator. ...

Laws' radio program is presently syndicated nationwide, with it especially popular in rural areas. Capital city stations taking Laws include 4BC in Brisbane, 2CC in Canberra, 101.7 HOFM in Hobart and Mix 1049 in Darwin. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Brisbane (disambiguation). ... 2CC is a radio station in Canberra, Australia that broadcasts on 1206 kHz. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. ... Port Darwin redirects here. ...

From 1998-2000, John Laws had a short-lived current affairs TV program called "Laws" on Fox News and fX, which he reportedly quit despite being begged not to. In 1998, he had a program called John Laws - In One Lifetime on Network Ten (this was parodied for a title of the skit "John Laws: In One Bucket" on the Martin/Molloy's 1998 comedy album Eat Your Peas. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... FX may refer to: FX (TV network), a cable/satellite television network FX (UK), a television channel in the United Kingdom, Italy and Portugal. ... Network Ten, or Channel Ten, is one of Australias three major commercial television networks. ... Martin/Molloy was a hugely popular Australian radio program starring Tony Martin and Mick Molloy, both formerly of The D-Generation and The Late Show. ... Eat Your Peas is the third and final compilation double-album of material taken from the popular Australian radio show Martin/Molloy, with comedians Tony Martin and Mick Molloy. ...

Laws also has recorded numerous albums (mostly of Australian country music), and has written several best selling books. Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. ... For other uses, see Book (disambiguation). ...

Retirement Announcement

After 55 years on air Laws announced that he would retire from radio on 25 June 2007.^[1] He was trumped though by other media agencies who broke the story at 9am. Laws made the announcement at about 9:10am, saying that he had planned to make the announcement at about 9:45am. is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Laws' last broadcast was on 30 November, one week after the 2007 federal election. He left the 2UE building in his distinctive Rolls Royce Phantom surrounded by herds of cameramen. The 2007 election for the federal Parliament of Australia, in which 13. ...

Controversies

In 1999, Laws became a central figure in what has become known as the 'cash for comment' scandal. During the year, the ABC TV current affairs program Media Watch revealed that Laws and rival talk-back host Alan Jones (then also at 2UE) had been paid to give favourable comment to companies including Qantas, Optus, Foxtel, Mirvac, and major Australian banks, without disclosing this arrangement to listeners. Media Watch also revealed that Laws had evidently pursued a policy of making repeated unfavourable comments, most notably about the state of the Australian banking industry, but that Laws' stance had dramatically reversed after the signing of secret agreements with businesses which he had previously criticised. The Australian Broadcasting Authority estimated the value of these arrangements at $18 million and found Laws, Jones, and 2UE to have committed 90 breaches of the industry code and five breaches of 2UE's license conditions. This article is about the year. ... The cash for comment affair was an Australian scandal that broke in 1999, concerning paid advertising in radio that is presented to the audience in such a way as to sound like editorial commentary. ... This article is about the Australian television program. ... Qantas Airways Limited (IPA: ) is the national airline of Australia. ... SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications (ASX: ). The company primarily trades under the Optus brand, while maintaining several wholly owned subsidiary brands, such as Virgin Mobile Australia and Boost Mobile in the mobile telephony market... Foxtel is a subscription television company in Australia, formed through a joint venture between Telstra and News Corporation. ... Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR) is a property investment and management group in Australia. ... The Australian Broadcasting Authority (commonly called the ABA in Australia) is an agency of the Australian federal government, responsible for regulating the television, radio, and Internet industries. ...

In 2004, both Jones (now at 2GB) and Laws were accused of cash for comment again, after entering into similar deals with Telstra. The ABA subsequently found that Laws' deal constituted cash for comment but Jones' did not. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Telstra Corporation (ASX: , NZX: TLS, NYSE: TLS) (formed from Telecom Australia) is an Australian telecommunications and media company under private ownership, with a dominant position in landline telephone services, a large share of mobile phone services, domestic consumer (including dial-up access, 50% of Broadband internet broadband cable modem, satellite...

Laws, apparently angered by what he saw as inequitable treatment, launched stinging attacks on Jones and the ABA's head, David Flint. In an appearance on the ABC's Enough Rope, Laws accused Jones of placing pressure on Prime Minister John Howard to keep Flint as head of the ABA, made comments that many viewers took to imply a sexual relationship between Jones and Flint,^[2] and broadly hinted that Jones and Flint were homosexual. Professor David Flint AM is a prominent Australian legal academic, best known for his controversial tenure as head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and as one of Australias most prominent and enthusiastic monarchists, in opposition to Australian republicanism. ... The Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC is Australias national non-profit public broadcaster. ... Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (or simply Enough Rope) is a television talk show broadcast on the ABC network in Australia. ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. ...

In November 2004, Laws and 2UE colleague Steve Price were found guilty of vilifying homosexuals after an on-air discussion about a gay couple appearing in the reality TV show The Block. They described the gay couple as "grubby" and "poofs". Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steve Price is a radio broadcaster currently working for 2UE in Sydney. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of real life people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed. ... The Block was an Australian reality television show broadcast on the Nine Network. ...

Laws had previously apologised for another incident in which he called gay TV personality Carson Kressley, of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame, a 'pillow-biter' and a 'pompous little pansy prig'. Carson Lee Kressley (born November 11, 1969 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania) is the fashion expert on the American television program Queer Eye, where he is one of the shows Fab Five members. ... Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is an hour-long American television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network on July 15, 2003, and promptly became both a surprise hit (at least by the standards of cable TV) and one of the most talked-about television programs of...

In August 2007 Laws was again embroiled in controversy after suggesting on-air that "Chinese drivers are probably the worst drivers on the face of the earth." Despite such comments, he denied that he was a racist.^[3] Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial...

Several community radio stations in regional areas began re-broadcasting the John Laws show circa 2000. Whilst not directly targeting John Laws, this focussed the attention of the ABA onto these stations, for potentially breaching the BSA, and Codes of Practice. Several ABA investigations were held, many finding breaches by the community stations.

In October 2007, West Coast Eagles player Adam Selwood commenced legal proceedings against Laws over comments made about him regarding a mid-year incident involving Fremantle Dockers player Des Headland.^[4] West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... Adam Selwood (born 1 May 1984) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the AFL. Selwood was recruited from Bendigo Pioneers as the Eagles third pick, and number 53 overall in the 2002 AFL Draft. ... Fremantle FC logo The Fremantle Football Club, colloquially known as The Dockers, are one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League. ... Des Headland (born January 21, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer. ...

In December 2007, during a long alcohol-fuelled lunch at Sydney's Otto Ristorante to farewell his former Personal Assistant, he was informed of the presence of rival broadcasters Derryn Hinch and Bob Rogers at another restaurant nearby. Laws went over to their table and immediately began to spout forth a tirade of invective calling them 'the two most despicable c****s' he'd ever met in the industry. Hinch and Laws traded insults with Laws insisting Hinch was a 'hypocrite' and a 'failed alcoholic'. Hinch replied that that must mean Laws was a 'successful one' and that if Laws wasn't in fact an alcholic then he was a 'bloody good actor'. Eventually 2UE colleague Mike Carlton convince Laws to return to his table at Otto and Hinch and Rogers were left to laugh off the altercation.

Cultural influence

In 1996 a portrait of John Laws by artist Paul Newton won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize. It now hangs in his production office at 2UE. Marcus Willss winning painting in 2006, The Paul Juraszek Monolith, was based on this print by an earlier Marcus, Marcus Gheeraerts The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia. ...

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating called him the "broadcaster of the century". The Prime Minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. ... For other persons named Paul Keating, see Paul Keating (disambiguation). ...

Golden Microphone Stolen

On July 17, 2007 the Gold-Plated microphone was stolen. The Sennheiser was presented to him by his radio station 2UE management in 2003 to commemorate his 50 years on the air and is said to be worth $10,000.^[5] "I'm very upset about it - it's been a part of my life" he told the Daily Telegraph.

Laws has been using another golden microphone presented to him for his 40th anniversary and has promised charges will not be laid if the missing mic is returned.

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• John Laws
• Radio 2UE's archive of John Laws' retirement announcement and noteworthy tributes
• Media Watch analysis of the 1999-2000 'cash for comment' inquiry
• Media Watch on the Telstra deals
• Sydney Morning Herald report on vilification finding