John Clarke is one of radio’s journeymen in a career that’s longer than the Beatles but shorter than Rolling Stones. It was humble beginnings when Pirate Radio was in its infancy, when many a music lover got involved to shake up the state controlled broadcasting across Ireland.
John moved from Radio Dublin through Big D Radio , ARD , Radio 257 & K.E.L.O, then in the early 80′ s he was given his big break when Chris Cary handed him a dream job of presenting the breakfast show on his Radio NOVA. As the first DJ on the station he later moved to afternoons before eventually becoming Head of Music. It wasn’t soon before he moved to KISS fm to the drive time shift.
Five great years soon followed, where the he was surrounded by a wealth of talent. RTE came knocking in the mid 80’s and so it was the start of his national radio career, initially as a weekend breakfast show jock . John then became Senior Producer In Charge of the no 1 breakfast show ( Ian Dempsey on 2fm) for 10 great years . Eventually his passion for music was rewarded when he was made Head of Music at the station.
In the late 90’s, John was given the challenge of leading 2fm into a very competitive phase of broadcasting in Ireland . For 11 years he was Head of 2fm, and it was No 1 music station in Ireland. No matter what John always kept his love of music, his late night Album Show ran for 15 years & his morning show topped the listeners rating on Sundays for the 11 years it aired.
As digital radio became important in the broadcasting landscape, John created a new brand ‘RTE Gold’, his creative programming saw the digital station rise to become the No.1 listened-to digital station in Ireland. Now the next chapter , John joins Radio NOVA to present a 4-hour Sunday morning show on Radio NOVA.
Join John Clarke this Sunday from 10am -2pm on Radio NOVA
