John Sheppard was one of a generation of respected reporters who plied their craft over the Sydney airwaves during the ’70s and ’80s, has died aged 70. Not one to hog the limelight or aspire to superstardom John however, often played the reporting game among the most illustrious news teams of the era across four big stations says Wayne McCardell Australia’s foremost radio industry historian.

The young John Sheppard came to radio in the orthodox manner of the 1950s as a panel operator in Newcastle, then as an announcer at 2BE Bega, 2MG Mudgee progressing to 2GZ Orange by 1959 where he presented a jazz program. When CBN Channel 8 Orange came on the air in 1962 John had the opportunity to read TV news bulletins and it was only a short step to discovering his talent as a journalist. In 1966 he helped open the new TV station at Coffs Harbour NRN 11. He was program director and read the evening news bulletin.

John next headed for the big time in Sydney where he was employed in the Channel Nine newsroom and at the same working as a reporter for 2UW. The popular Top 40 station was in the midst of a wholesale re-positioning of their format and image in 1970 spearheaded by the acquisition of another well-known radio John: Laws. It was in this environment that John Sheppard accelerated his journalistic career rising to the rank of News Director. During his eight years at UW he organised the first radio sponsorship of the Bathurst races and Australian Touring Cars – something which did a great deal to promote the sport.

Towards the end of the decade Sydney radio news was booming just prior to the launch of commercial FM in 1980; the charge was primarily led by 2SM and it was there that John took up his next assignment as Chief of Staff. Among his colleagues were warhorses like Jim Angel and Lloyd Jones, the big gun editorial team of Leibmann, White and Tingle and a dazzling array of young newshounds all of whom made their mark in later years: Steve Blanda, John Stanley, Sandy Aloisi, Tony Bartlett, Paul O’Connell and Greg Henricks.

During the early ’80s John was, at various times, News Director and State political roundsman for 2GB. The one-time leading news station was in the throes of re-establishing its former glory in the news business calling upon experienced hands such as Sheppard and his former 2UW colleague Peter Shanahan for its leading bulletins. As John reflected a few years ago, “It was a most exciting to be in radio news and with GB getting up their News Talk format, the opportunities seemed to be pretty good for a while there.”

John developed a keen interest in State politics and it was the activities of the Parliament and its players that led him away from radio where he worked for a time as media advisor to MPs Bruce Baird, Leon Punch, also the State National Party and the Maritime Services Board. But as is often said; you can’t keep a good radio man down and John returned to the business later in the ’80s as chief state roundsman for 2UE. In this role John was often heard discussing the action in Macquarie St with UE’s rising star of the day: Alan Jones.

Away from the mic and the typewriter John was the consummate jazz fan with an exceptionally large collection of Benny Goodman tracks. He also had a love of jazz pianists: George Shearing, Gene Harris, Ray Bryant, Erroll Garner and Dave Brubeck. Former 2UW colleague and neighbour Jeff Hall remembers: “John had the ability to sell jazz to his more conservative friends, even those who had a taste for the Classics!”

John and wife Lyn resettled to Urunga on the NSW mid-north coast in the early ’90s when it became apparent that he could no longer work due to the onset of Parkinson’s disease. He battled this fearsome condition for the best part of 20 years but slipped away in the early hours of Friday morning at Bellingen Hospital. John was receiving palliative care in the weeks leading up to his death.

He is survived by Lyn and three children Julia, Craig, Jeff and his beloved orange cat, The OC.