Robert Turner, the presenter of ‘Classic Hits & Memories’ on Sweet FM, has been behind the radio mic since 2019. His popular Saturday afternoon show plays from 2 to 4pm, where he’ll play a mix of music from the fifties through to the nineties.
Robert’s been with the station for nearly six years, and his radio show receives quite a lot of requests on the day. He retired in 2007 after 42 years as a shift supervisor at Inkerman Sugar Mill, before he got started with the station after someone mentioned they were looking for presenters.
“Someone told me that they were looking for presenters. I was down at the paper shop and I thought, ‘Well, I got plenty of time now that I'm retired,’ so I thought I'd give it a go. I came down here, introduced myself, and they gave me an afternoon radio slow. I've been doing it ever since,” Robert states.
During his ‘Classic Hits & Memories’ program, it’s common for him to play a vast variety of music styles except rap. He’ll happily play country and western and rock, through to general top 40 songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. He occasionally plays music from the 90s and beyond.
“I like to play most styles of music for variety. The only style of music I won't play is rap. Sorry, I'll play anything but that,” he states categorically.
Robert reveals that he doesn’t prepare his playlist in advance like other presenters. Instead, he prefers to decide on the day of the show so that it sounds more natural and spontaneous.
“I come down here and don't even know what I'm going to play that day. Unlike other presenters, who put in many hours, for me, I just go through my list and go, ‘Oh, that sounds all right, haven’t played that for a while.’ So, I play it. I also get plenty of requests, so I try to fit in as many as possible,” he adds.
Robert also likes to do some trivia during his show talking about the history of the songs he plays. For example, when it came out, who wrote it if it’s not the artist singing, or if it’s a cover version.
“Sometimes people think that the song they’re hearing is written by that artist, but more often than not that’s not the case. I really enjoy digging in and finding out for myself,” he says excitedly.
Robert's been at the station for nearly six years and has always presented his programs solo but is open to co-presenting. He supports other people who’d like to present (or co-present) their own show, to come in and give it a go.
“I encourage any aspiring presenters to come down to the station and learn. There's a lot of people here that are prepared to help you out and show you the ropes. You learn how to talk clearly and fluently, plus it helps build character, which boosts self-esteem,” he smiles.
Check out Robert’s Classic Hits & Memories on Saturday afternoons from 2-4pm. If you’re keen to become a presenter for the station, contact Sweet FM on: (07) 4782-8394 or email: admin@sweetfm.com.au.
Robert Turner, a man happy to be behind the mic playing what he loves. Photo: Mark T. Rasmussen