Rick Watson

WELCOME 

No stranger to radio Rick Watson has been in the industry for 20 years.

His first introduction to radio was for Radio Alpha (call-sign 2KO FM) it was a short-term radio station which was owned and operated by the Dannevirke Society for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Radio Alpha went to air on 11 December 1989 for a two week period, before returning again for a second short-term broadcast in January 1990. The station operated on 95.1 FM from studios located in the Dannevirke Town Hall. That was it, Rick was hooked.

One day Rick rang the local Classic Hits station in Palmerston North to enter a competition, Rick didn’t get the answer right but the on air announcer was impressed with Ricks voice, that announcer was the multi award winning  Mark Bunting, who offered Rick some shifts from Midnight til Dawn, Rick jumped at the opportunity and was soon found himself doing the 10am-3pm and 3pm-7pm the slots, during that time Rick learnt the ropes and worked on Classic Hits and Newstalk ZB, then one Christmas Rick found himself doing the Breakfast show in Taumaranui on the local Classic Hits Station where not only was he an on air announcer but wrote and voiced commercials as well.

In 1999 a chance meeting with Dannevirke electrician Steve Wallace, saw the launch of Radio Dannevirke, the first broadcast was from Rick’s bedroom in his two storey house. 10 years down the track the station is still operating and Rick still has an input on the technical side of the studio. Rick returned to Palmerston North as co-host of the Classic Breakfast, a position that he held for 6 years, Rick can still be heard on Saturday mornings as the voice of The Richard Dryden Breakfast Saturday edition on Manawatus 97.8FM.

Rick has also been one of the voices of  Manfeild  for over 6 years commentating both the Summer and Winter series of racing and events such as the Manawatu Fireworks Spectacular. Rick has worked with some of NZ and the worlds leading Artists in all facets of entertainment.

Ricks voice has also been heard on Television, he is the voice behind ARB’s range of shock absorbers and on Cinema advertising, it was Rick that welcomed the stars at the premier screening of the 2006 movie ‘Black Sheep’ Rick continues to voice commercials and answer phone systems.