Bob Francis (radio)
| Bob Francis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Robert Neville Francis 11 March 1939 Cairo, Egypt |
| Died | 12 November 2016 (aged 77) North Adelaide, South Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Prince Alfred College |
| Occupation | Talkback radio presenter |
| Employer | 5AA |
| Home town | Adelaide |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Von Berg (2006–2016; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Neville "Bob" Francis OAM (11 March 1939 – 12 November 2016) was an Egyptian-born Australian talk back radio presenter at radio station 5AA in Adelaide. His program aired between 8 pm and 12 midnight on weekdays and was rated as Adelaide's most popular talk back program.
In July 2013, it was announced that Francis was to retire at the end of that year. The following month he announced that he would retire from broadcasting on 8 August 2013 after 57 years. A variety of radio, television, media and music celebrities expressed their appreciation towards his career through taped segments being aired during his last week of broadcast.
Francis was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1939.
Francis hosted his own radio show on 5AA from 1985 to 2013 and was the station's longest serving employee. He completed 50 years in radio.
In 1964, at just 25 years of age, while working as a radio DJ, Francis put together a petition of 80,000 signatures which ended up persuading the Beatles to change their itinerary and visit Adelaide in their 1964 tour. He also introduced the Beatles to Adelaide from the Town Hall balcony in June that year.
Older listeners remember his long-standing on-air partnership with Andy Thorpe in the late sixties to mid-seventies on radio 5ADD.
Until August 2013, Francis hosted his radio program from 8 pm to midnight every weekday,commanding between 24 and 28 per cent of the evening radio audience.
Francis was made famous to the rest of Australia through the ABC TV show The Chaser's War on Everything when one member of the Chaser team rang him to question 5AA reporters as they were not at the "Subway Fresh Bread" press conference which was actually just a commercial. Because of his temper, he was a constant target for prank calls, such as one featuring on John Safran's show. These clips have appeared on the video sharing site YouTube.
In 2005, Francis was inducted into the Australian Radio Hall of fame at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards held at the Sydney Convention Centre. The award recognises outstanding lifetime achievement and contribution to the radio broadcasting industry. After receiving the award, he said: "This is one of the greatest honours I can imagine, to me like winning an Academy Award." He was also presented with a Golden Microphone from 5AA for 20 years service.
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