Ron celebrates 70 Rockin’ years in radio

He started as an office boy at 2CH as a 15-year-old, and this year will mark 70 years in radio.

When the then young lad walked through the doors of the AWA building in York Street he was applying for what would be his 17th job…that young man was Ron Camplin

Ron has given his life to an industry that he loves and throughout this month 2BS and B-Rock FM are celebrating his achievements.

Ron’s first on-air job was at 2XL, Cooma, and by age 22 he was the manager at 2MG, Mudgee. 3 years later, with a group of business people, Ron purchased the station.

By 1969 Camplin Broadcasters had purchased 2BS, Bathurst and among those waiting to greet Ron on his arrival at the station was current 2BS Breakfast Show Host, Kerry Peck.

Pecky says first impressions were interesting “We saw this little bloke come in from Mudgee, and we thought …what’s this little upstart doing here?”

“But it didn’t take long to realise Ron was an ideas man, a mover and a shaker. I was really impressed with him, and so were the rest of the team”.

In 1984 Ron and wife Stephanie bought 2BS outright, and then in 1996 B-Rock FM went to air.

He’s been described as one of the brightest old-fashioned radio brains in the industry, but for all of his 84 years, he continues to want to be ahead of the pack in equipment, ideas and technology.

“His team comes first”  Pecky says. “He has always been a man that looked after the personal life of his team, and always the first to lend a hand if they needed it”

Ron was awarded  an OAM for services to the Commercial Broadcasting industry and the local community in 1995 and then in 2002 he was inducted into the Commercial Radio Australia Hall of Fame.

Next year Ron and Stephanie will celebrate 50 years of ownership of 2BS.

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