Wayne Browne – a well known Australian talk radio producer – has died following a short hospital stay. He passed away on February 7.
Gary Mac paid tribute to Wayne on his Facebook page. saying
“Joanie and I are deeply saddened by the passing of a very dear friend.”
Wayne and I met when we both worked in radio and he and his wife Jan became firm friends of ours.
Wayne began his radio career in 1959 at age 15, at 7LA Launceston. His first gig was as panel operator for Don Lunn. When Wayne turned 17, he moved to 7AD Devonport allowing him to present his own radio music shows.
A bit later, (Wayne may have been 21), he moved back to Launceston to become, as he put it, ‘a hot-shot disc jockey’ at 7EX. He would also meet Jan, his wife to be.
A young Mal Walden, who began his radio vocation in Warrnambool, was also hired by 7EX.
In 1962, Channel TNT 9 opened in Launceston and it wasn’t too long before Wayne and Mal were sharing TV news reading stints on weekends.
Some 12 months later, 3AW came knocking, offering Wayne the position of executive producer to pioneer their brand new format “Talk Back Radio”. His first producing gig was on the prestigious morning program headed by Ormsby Wilkins. Later he would move on to produce Norman Banks, Martha Gardener, Claudia Wright and many others.
He then became personal producer for Mary Hardy, producing and guiding Mary as a ratings winner in her 3AW afternoon slot. Wayne described Mary as one of the most wonderful women in his life. He was certainly the Doyen of Talk Radio producers.
Wayne was appointed station manager of 3MP. In 1984, he engineered an incredible ‘live’ visual marketing promotion for The Melbourne School that Joanie and I created and conducted for 20 years. 3MP had built a working radio studio at the 1984 Royal Melbourne Show. Wayne asked me to invite current MRS students to run a closed circuit radio program between 9am and 5pm each day of the show. It was a raging success. Thank you mate.
In later years, Wayne became Promotions Manager at The Melbourne Hilton on The Park, at a time when the Hilton chain was presenting Cabaret Shows of high profile entertainers and musicians.
In the meantime, Wayne set up his own Promotions business which allowed him to freelance his great knowledge and ability to radio including KZ-FM (Gold 104) and to spearhead the promotional launch of 3EE The Breeze 693 in 1993, (which later became the AM frequency for 3AW)
At his request, there will be no funeral for Wayne.
However, I’d like to think there might be a memorial gathering at an appropriate time in the future.
Only learned of Wayne’s sad passing a day or so ago. Gary Mac and the lovely Joannie Mac (what a great couple) have – in these pages – provided a terrific Resume` of Wayne’s prestigious Radio career. And yes he did work with KZFM and GOLD 104 during my 27 years at that great station. Changing to a GOLD format was unheard of in those days and Wayne was seconded to assist KZs Promotion Manager Marilyn Rouhard in creating the Marketing and Promotion this brand new Radio product. It was an instant success The GOLD format of course is now heard across Australia – but few do it as well as GOLD 104 Melb – according to multiple surveys. Wayne & Marilyn can take a bow for being part of that significant innovation to AUSTRALIAN RADIO.
Remarkably creative – Wayne was one of those rare individuals who just knew how to make things work. He never gave up. GOLD went to air in October 1991.
I semi retired and left KZ a couple of years post the establishment of GOLD but will always remember Wayne as a true radio man, a communications expert, a consummate ‘people person’ – and- above all a thoroughly decent and very likeable guy.
Jan – should you read this – know that you are in the thoughts of many across the radio Industry at this time. I know you and Wayne were so very close. Wishing you the great comfort of so many special memories.
Les Heil AM