Well the first half of the list is up and thanks to your votes in the Air heads face book group and guests from the Podcast this is how the cards fell in the first half of the 100th Episode of the Air heads Podcast.

50. Dave Evans – Star FM Gosford              

Dave was still doing his HSC when he was hosting a breakfast show on community radio.  He managed to pass his HSC then hose this industry to immerse himself into. He’s a gun Music Director and brings his shift to life in the morning on Star 104.5 in Gosford.

49. Aaron Rich – 101.9 Fox FM                

Starting this career as a panel operator at SEN before busting Nova’s door down. Aaron has worked hard on his craft and the results speak for themselves as he effortlessly talks to callers on the air bringing the Fox brand to life during workdays.

48. Troy Ellis – Nova 100                        

Best know for his work on breakfast radio in Melbourne on the Matt and Jo show Troy has versatility in his bones which is why being a solo music jock now comes so easy to him.

47. James Turbo Anderson – Triple M

A guy that is no longer in the industry and its a huge loss. Turbo was an outside of the box thinker when it came to content surprising programming staff occasionally with his clever and unexpected radio antics.

46. Simon Diaz – Smooth FM                              

Simon secured his first job in the radio industry because he was willing enough to take a risk. Armed with a demo tape and a tank full of petrol Simon did a bit of a tour of regional Victoria and it payed off. You can hear the full story in The Air Heads Podcast that features Simon.

45. Bob Rogers                                        

Over the years Bob has achieved a lot including putting the song “Pub with not beer” on the map. Bob only retired this week from the radio industry and will no doubt go down of one of the industries Stalwarts.

44. Ward Pally Austin  

Ward Pally Austin was massive on the air in the 60’s and 70’s gaining popularity because of his unpredictable and wildly popular stints on a number of Sydney Radio Stations. The Jingles… Remember those Jingles?

43. Mike Perso (Smooth)

Mike Perso is a Triple threat… Breakfast announcer, Content Director and Solid days announcer. Mike really has done it all across various States and networks but the one thing that hasn’t changed is his work ethic.

42. Trevor Sinclair (2SM/ MIX)

He began his career in 1978 at the then most popular commercial music station in Sydney 2SM. With over 40 years in the games he’s certainly racked up the flying hours and is another versatile operator going between breakfast and solo announcing throughout his career.  

41. Mike Hammond (WSFM)

Mike definitely doesn’t have a face for radio which is why he has been in between radio and TV for most of his career. Thing is it doesn’t matter what he does, he’s a carasmatic entertainer who delivers on any platform. That’s why he comes in at number 41.

40. Smallzy (Nova)   

This guy! Number #1 in nights across the Country consistently and there’s a reason for that he continues to deliver a solid product. Not only does he hold down a number 1 night show but there was a while there where he was delivering a workday shift at the same time in his local market.

39. Rod Maldon (Triple M)

What a performer! Rod is the only guy I know that takes 2 hours to VT a 4 hour show. Why? Because he knows you still have to put in the effort. While most guys in radio have the mentality of knocking over a VT shift in 30 mins Rod is still in the studio making sure that every break is still as engaging as if the show was live.

38. Charlie Fox (2SM/WSFM) 

Charlie landed is first gig at 2SM working with Ian Grace. He eventually ended up as the PD of Triple M Sydney and later WSFM. Behind every great programmer is an announcer that everyone wanted to sound like growing up! Charlie Fox was that announcer for a lot of people.

37. Nick Bennet (Fox FM/2Day FM)

4 decades is a long time in radio so as you can imagine his resume looks great! Triple M, Nova 969, WS FM, thebasement.com.au, FOX FM, 2DAY FM, 2CH, ABC, Hope 1032, The Voice of Peace and Radio Luxembourg. Globally and nationally syndicated shows include Talking Tales (with Jimmy Barnes), Qantas Rock on Q, The Big Backyard, The Rock 40 Countdown and The Beat.

He’s done everything – so I’m not surprised he’s made this list.

36. Brendan “whippy” Danger (Gold 104)

Now for the fella who’s passionate about music announcers – Why because that’s his back ground. While Whippy was On AIr at GOLD 104.3 no song would be left un-segued going into his shift. Whippy would not only sound great on the air but every single asset in his shift would be massaged to within an inch of it’s life.

35. Liam Renton (Brisbane 973 FM)  

Liam Renton started as a solo jock on B105 in the late 90’s learning from Jamie Angel who was on mornings at the time. After 15 years of doing Breaky Shows around the country, Liam has found himself back on Solo Shifts for the last 2 years  in Brisbane.  His strength is his ability to relate to his audience male or female and the fact he adds a touch of showbiz to every single break.

34. Greg Evans

Everyone knows Greg Evans is one of the most popular wedding celebrants going around off the back of his days on The Perfect Match! All that had to start somewhere and it was right there between the speakers talking about the best rock classics on the radio.

33. Melissa Tracina (Nova 100) 

Mel Started her radio career as Casanova before eventually landing a gig in Dubbo as a breakfast announcer. After a few years waking up before the sparrows Mel re-located back to Melbourne and got busy with a casual weekends role on 89.9 Light FM. Flying hours and some serious networking she landed a gig with Nova 100 and has never looked back!

32. Alo Baker

Alo reside in Dubbo now and heads up the Triple M Breakfast show. Solo breakfast is easy for Alo because he’s had a lot of practice as a music jock on his own. You may even hear him across the Hit net work from time to time – he can’t pull himself away from the music shifts. Jock of all trades.

31. Sarah Maree (Fox FM/ Triple M)

Relatable… That’s the word I think of when I think of Sarah Marie. She’s done stand up comedy, Breakfast radio and now holds down mornings on 105.1 Melbourne’s Triple M. Sarah is at her best when she’s talking to someone that’s why it’s rare to hear her un accompanied by either a listener or a piece of audio that helps inject color into everything she does.

30. Brad Wood (B105)   

Work Horse… That’s the word I use to sum up Brad Wood. He just loves radio and is always finding ways to take his craft to the next level. Brad has got Zetta (The playout system) doing things that I don’t think even Zetta knew it could do.

29. Rob duckworth (Triple M)

Every one knows the name Rob “The Duck” Duckworth. He’s one of the living legends of the industry.

The “Duck” was once Canberra’s leading breakfast personality before moving to Sydney’s 2UW then 2SM. He hosted Drive time show on WSFM prior to that and at some point took his talents abroad with a National Breakfast show for Radio 2 in the United Arab Emirates broadcast out of Dubai.

28. Digby Gillings (Triple M)  

Relaxed… That’s what you hear straight away when you tune into Triple M and Digby Gillings is on the radio. He’s like the Graceful swan works hard behind the scenes bringing it all together but what’s coming out of the speakers is a casual approach to a workday shift.

27. Toni Tenaglia (Gold 104)  

Not only is Toni one of the best Music Directors this Country has ever seen but she’s super talented between the Speakers as well. Toni has an ability to meet the audience right were they are in the moment of any given day. Cleaning the house during COVID lockdown or picking the kids up from School Tony is right there with you.

26. Gordie Waters (Kiss FM)

We talk about announcers thinking outside the box! Well Gordie Waters broke the box open along time ago. Gordie does things on the air that makes you stop and think and say… “Why didn’t I think of that”? Simple yet so effective as you will hear in the Countdown.

25. Keegan Bakker (101.9 Fox FM)

Keegan “Keegs” Bakker has spent over 13 years in Commercial Radio, landing his first major on-air gig as a Fox FM Announcer at 21 years old. Keegs has since co-founded Audata, a software company which has taken the hard work out of collecting details from listeners and getting prizes out too them. Bless your cotton socks Keegs!

Make sure you tune into The Airheads Podcast next week as we reveal the top 24 best Solo Jocks!