Chris Parkinson (broadcaster)

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Chris Parkinson
BornChristopher Robin Parkinson
(1941-04-30)30 April 1941
Wairoa, New Zealand
Died 27 April 2016(2016-04-27) (aged 74)
Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation Broadcaster
Years active 1966–2007
Known for Co-founder of Radio Hauraki
Parent(s) Benjamin Parkinson
Esther Couper

Christopher Robin Parkinson (30 April 1941 – 27 April 2016) was a New Zealand broadcaster. He was one of the co-founders of Radio Hauraki in 1966.

Radio Hauraki

Radio Hauraki is a New Zealand rock music station that started in 1966. It was the first private commercial radio station of the modern broadcasting era in New Zealand and operated illegally until 1970 to break the monopoly held by the state-owned New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. From its founding until 2012 Hauraki played a mix of classic and mainstream rock music. In 2013, it changed its music content, playing modern rock and alternative music from the last 25–30 years. In its modern legal form, Radio Hauraki's head office and main studios are now located at 2 Graham Street in the Auckland CBD, as one of eight stations of NZME Radio.

Contents

Early life and family

Born in Wairoa on 30 April 1941, [1] Parkinson was the son of Benjamin Edmund Parkinson and Esther Mavis Parkinson (née Couper). [2]

Wairoa Place in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Wairoa is a town and territorial authority district in New Zealand's North Island. The town is the northernmost in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mahia Peninsula. It is 118 kilometres northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres southwest of Gisborne. Percentage-wise, it is often known for being New Zealand's most Maori town, with over 62.29% of the population identifying themselves as Maori. At the same time, it is also the largest town within the district of Wairoa.

Broadcasting career

In 1966, Parkinson—along with David Gapes, Derek Lowe and Denis O'Callaghan—was a founding director of the pirate radio station Radio Hauraki, which broke the state-controlled broadcasting monopoly in New Zealand. Starting out as a studio technician working for Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ), Parkinson trained himself to become an on-air announcer, but was told by the corporation at the time that his ability lay in the technical field and they could see no future in his voice. He proved them wrong by becoming one of the most highly sought after voice over announcers of his time. Later using both his technical and announcing talents on Radio Hauraki. [3] Eventually the station was granted a broadcasting licence in 1970. [4]

Pirate radio illegal or unregulated radio transmission

Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license.

From 1968 to 1970, Parkinson was an announcer and newsreader in Australia, on Sydney radio and television stations 2GB and TCN-9. Between 1975 and 1976 he was a news presenter on TV2 in Auckland alongside Jennie Goodwin. He was operations manager for Radio Pacific from 1982 to 1988, managing director of Radio Pacific (Waikato) from 1988 to 1989., and a Radio Pacific director between 1986 and 1999. He was the corporate voice for TVNZ news and current affairs (1991–99), Sundance Channel (1999–2003), Solid Gold FM (1999–2005) and Radio Pacific (1982–2007). [5]

2GB radio station

2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total radio ratings share, making it the most widely listened-to radio station in Sydney.

TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Sir Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in Australia. TCN-9 is the home of the NRL coverage and national-level Nine News bulletins.

Jennie Goodwin is a New Zealand journalist, television newsreader and continuity announcer. On Monday 30 June 1975 she became a news presenter on the newly launched TV-2, making her New Zealand's first female television newsreader and the first woman within the Commonwealth of Nations to present a prime time news programme. Prior to her work at TV-2, Goodwin worked in radio before moving into television in the 1960s, where she initially worked as a continuity announcer. In 2009 she was one of several former TVNZ presenters to return to the station to celebrate 40 years of television network news in New Zealand.

Parkinson was awarded the Pater Award for "the golden voice of Australasia" in 1987. [6] He also won nine New Zealand Radio Awards between 1982 and 1999. [7]

New Zealand Radio Awards

The New Zealand Radio Awards are the annual awards of the New Zealand radio industry. Organised by the Radio Broadcasters Association, the awards recognise excellence in commercial and non-commercial radio broadcasting, in the form of programming, personalities, news and sports reporting, creativity and production quality. New Zealand radio stations, radio staff, advertising agencies and production houses are eligible to enter the awards.

Death

Parkinson died in Auckland on 27 April 2016. [3] [6]

Auckland Metropolitan area in North Island, New Zealand

Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. Auckland is the largest urban area in the country, with an urban population of around 1,628,900. It is located in the Auckland Region—the area governed by Auckland Council—which includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, resulting in a total population of 1,695,900. A diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. The Māori-language name for Auckland is Tāmaki or Tāmaki-makau-rau, meaning "Tāmaki with a hundred lovers", in reference to the desirability of its fertile land at the hub of waterways in all directions.

The story of Radio Hauraki was told in the 2014 New Zealand television docudrama, Pirate of the Airwaves, in which Parkinson was played by actor Benjamin Murray. [8] Parkinson was also interviewed for the 1996 television documentary, Rock the Boat: the Story of Radio Hauraki 1965–1970. [9]

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The Breeze is a New Zealand radio network playing an adult contemporary format owned by MediaWorks New Zealand, playing music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and also current hits. Its target audience is 40 to 59 year olds. The Breeze network broadcasts to 20 markets throughout New Zealand, with each station presenting a mixture of local and network shows.

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References

  1. ↑ Cammick, Murray (4 March 2014). "Radio Hauraki: the pirate days – the good guys". Audio Culture: the noisy library of New Zealand music. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Chris Parkinson". Geni. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Radio Hauraki co-founder Chris Parkinson dies". Stuff.co.nz. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Australian disc jockey falls from ship". Canberra Times. 3 June 1970. p. 10. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chris Parkinson: broadcaster" . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Radio Hauraki pirate Chris Parkinson dies". RNZ News. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Chris Parkinson: curriculum vitae" . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Pirate of the Airwaves". NZOnScreen. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Rock the Boat: the story of Radio Hauraki 1965–1970". NZOnScreen. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
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