Peter Heaton-Jones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Heaton-Jones, (born 2 August 1963), is a British journalist, broadcaster and politician. He is best-known for presenting news and current affairs programmes on BBC national and local radio. He is currently a Conservative Party candidate in the 2008 UK local elections in Swindon, Wiltshire.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Peter Heaton-Jones began his broadcasting career after graduating from the University of London. He worked initially in commercial radio before joining the BBC in 1986, becoming a high-profile news presenter at BBC Essex and anchoring the Breakfast and Drivetime programmes.
He joined the national news & current affairs network BBC Radio 5 Live when it opened in 1994. He was best-known as presenter of Morning Reports and Up All Night, as well as producing programmes for television anchors Nicholas Witchell, Alastair Stewart and Diana Madill.
[edit] Later career
In 1997, Peter Heaton-Jones moved to Australia to join the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney. He became head of marketing for radio stations ABC NewsRadio, Radio National and ABC Classic FM, but left after two years as a result of the reorganisation instigated by controversial Managing Director Jonathan Shier.
Peter returned to the UK and joined BBC Radio Swindon, gaining a high profile in the region as presenter of the Breakfast Show and newspaper columnist for the Swindon Advertiser.
[edit] Politics
Peter Heaton-Jones specialised as a political journalist, having presented BBC election coverage nationally and locally. In 2006 he conducted an interview with then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
After leaving the BBC he undertook the Parliamentary candidate selection procedure for the British Conservative Party and wrote articles and policy documents for the party.
In 2006, Peter Heaton-Jones returned briefly to Australia and worked on the election campaign of Rob Stokes, the Liberal Party of Australia candidate in the New South Wales Electoral district of Pittwater. The campaign succeeded, with Stokes regaining the seat for the Liberals from incumbent Independent Member of Parliament Alex McTaggart. After the election, Peter Heaton-Jones was appointed Stokes' policy advisor and press secretary in the New South Wales Parliament.
In 2007 he returned to Swindon, and was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in the 2008 local elections in the Western ward of Swindon Borough Council. His campaign was launched on January 22, exactly 100 days before polling day on May 1.
