What does it take to build a loyal audience from scratch, hold their attention night after night, and conduct interviews so good that your guests thank you on air? In this very special episode, Anthony Perl is reunited with his former colleague and long-time friend, veteran broadcaster John Kerr — and the result is exactly the kind of warm, candid, story-rich conversation that both men have spent their careers championing.

In this episode you'll discover:

1. How Anthony and John transformed a struggling midnight-to-dawn talkback program into a #1 show broadcast across 52 Australian radio stations
2. Why the difference between an "interview" and a "conversation" is the most important distinction in broadcasting — and podcasting
3. John's extraordinary career journey: from his first job at age 16 at 2PK in Parkes, to pirate radio in the Irish Sea in the 1960s, to nearly two decades on overnight radio at 2UE
4. The inside story of pirate Radio Scotland — broadcasting rock and roll to millions of listeners from a ship in international waters, until the British government shut it all down on 14 August 1967
5. How John built a global network of contacts that brought guests like Tim Webster, Steve Lemon, and Richard Park (owner of the UK's third-largest radio network) to an Australian overnight show
6. The night John was live on air when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11 — and what it taught him about broadcasting under pressure
7. John's most memorable interviews: John Wayne at the Academy Awards, Sean Connery, Louis Armstrong, Nancy Sinatra, and Larry Adler (who told John it was the best interview he'd ever given)
8. The golden rule of preparation — and the one time John wasn't prepared (an ambush interview with Angela Lansbury that he says was the worst of his career)
9. Why being authentic, kind, and genuinely curious is the real secret to building and keeping an audience
10. The advice John Laws gave John Kerr early in his career: stop projecting, just have a conversation
11. Why knowing your audience outside the studio — lunches, events, personal connection — is what separates good broadcasters from great ones
12. The story of John Laws doing two overnight shifts so John could attend a friend's wedding

Connect with John Kerr: Find John on Facebook and LinkedIn — search for John Kerr and connect with him directly.

Ready to start your own podcast? At Podcasts Done For You, Anthony co-hosts and produces podcasts for business owners and experts — from strategy and recording right through to publishing, graphics, and social media. Book a strategy session at podcastsdoneforyou.com.au/booking

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