Австралиялық радио арнасының белгілі жүргізушісі Джон Лоус өмірі мен қызметі

Australian radio presenter

Best known as a talkback radio broadcaster, Laws is one of Australia's highest paid radio personalities and has been involved with Australian talkback radio broadcasting much longer than any other presenter. Although regularly commentating on topical news, Laws did not regard himself a journalist but as an entertainer and salesman. He is nonetheless one of the few commercial radio personalities whose interviews with state and federal political leaders are considered to have a significant influence of the course of politics in New South Wales especially, and Australia in general. He has also often appeared as a television show host and enjoyed a long recording career. Laws' radio show was syndicated throughout Australia for many years and was consistently one of the most popular and influential programs in the Australian media. Laws is also a familiar voice for generations of Australians through his large and varied body of work as a voice over artist for commercials, and as a celebrity endorser of commercial products, notably Valvoline motor oil, with his popular catchphrase "Valvoline, you know what I mean" and Oral B toothbrushes (the slogan "Oral B, the toothbrush more dentists use.")

Born in Wau, Papua New Guinea, to Australian parents, Laws contracted polio twice – once as a child, and again as a young man. He was educated at Mosman Preparatory School and Knox Grammar School in Sydney, New South Wales.

Though best known as a radio host, Laws has often worked as a television host and panelist. His early 1960s show Startime assisted in introducing mainstream Australia to Edna Everage at which time Laws claimed Everage was "a very close friend of mine". Laws told columnist Valda Marshall in 1970 that he was 'not basically a TV star' and didn't 'feel altogether happy with the medium'. He was a judge on Australia's New Faces in 1969 and took over as host from Noel Ferrier on the panel advice show Beauty and the Beast in 1970. He also appeared on television in 1970 in an acting role in the children's drama Skippy. Laws quit Beauty and the Beast in 1971; a spokesman for the station which produced the show, Channel 7, claimed Laws had asked for a higher salary. In May 1971, he began hosting a daytime show called His and Hers. In 1982, he hosted a revived Beauty and the Beast for Network 10. In 1998, John Laws – In One Lifetime premiered on Network Ten and LAWS on Foxtel. While LAWS continued until 2000, John Laws – In One Lifetime was dropped after two episodes, although the remaining five episodes that were commissioned by Network 10 were aired later that year.

In 2002, station colleague and arch rival Alan Jones moved from 2UE to 2GB, and soon took that station to the top talk position in Sydney. Laws announced on 25 June 2007 that after 55 years on the air he would retire at the end of the year. However, he was pre empted by other media agencies, who broke the story at 9:00 am. Laws made the announcement at about 9:10 am, saying that he had planned to make the announcement at about 9:45 am. Laws' last broadcast was on 30 November 2007, one week after the federal election. He began as always, "Hello world, I'm John Laws" and signed off with his usual quote, "you be kind to each other." He then left the 2UE building in Sydney in his Rolls Royce Phantom surrounded by hordes of cameramen. In 2004 Laws and rival talk back host Alan Jones were accused of taking payment to make favourable comments on products and services under the guise of merely expressing personal opinion, after entering into deals with Telstra. The ABA subsequently found that Laws' deal constituted cash for comment but Jones' did not. Laws, apparently angered by what he saw as inequitable treatment, launched stinging attacks on Jones and the ABA's head, David Flint. In an appearance on the ABC's Enough Rope, Laws accused Jones of placing pressure on Prime Minister John Howard to keep Flint as head of the ABA, and made comments that many viewers took to imply a sexual relationship between Jones and Flint, and broadly hinted that Jones, like Flint, was homosexual. On 7 May 2009 Laws made a statement on the 20th anniversary special edition of the ABC's Media Watch program, in which he exhibited no remorse for his role in the Cash for Comment scandal, instead implying that the whistleblower (Media Watch) was the wrongdoer and that the people involved were only jealous of his success. In November 2004, Laws and 2UE colleague Steve Price were found guilty of vilifying homosexuals after an on air discussion about a gay couple appearing in the reality TV show The Block. They described the couple as "young poofs". Laws had previously apologised for another incident in which he called gay TV personality Carson Kressley, of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame, a "pillow biter" and a "pompous little pansy prig". In October 2007, West Coast Eagles player Adam Selwood commenced legal proceedings against Laws over comments made about him regarding a mid year incident involving Fremantle Football Club player Des Headland. On 17 July 2007 Laws' gold plated microphone was stolen. The Sennheiser was presented to him by his radio station 2UE management in 2003 to commemorate his 50 years on the air and is said to be worth $10,000. "I'm very upset about it – it's been a part of my life" he told the Daily Telegraph. Laws subsequently switched to another gold plated microphone; a Rode NT2 A presented to him for his 40th anniversary. He promised charges would not be laid if the Sennheiser was returned. In December 2007, during a long lunch at Sydney's Otto Ristorante to farewell his former personal assistant, Laws was informed of the presence of rival broadcasters Derryn Hinch and Bob Rogers at another table nearby. He went over to their table and immediately spouted forth a tirade of invective, calling them 'the two most despicable cunts' he'd ever met in the industry. Hinch and Rogers traded insults with Laws, insisting Hinch was a 'hypocrite' and a 'failed alcoholic'. Hinch replied that that must mean Laws was a 'successful one' and that if Laws was not in fact an alcoholic then he was a 'bloody good actor'. Eventually 2UE colleague Mike Carlton convinced Laws to return to his table and Hinch and Rogers were left to laugh off the altercation. In August 2009, Laws revealed on Vega (now known as Smooth FM) that he missed radio and that he was interested in returning to the airwaves. This was followed five months later by an announcement by Laws' manager, revealing that Laws had entered into negotiations with a number of radio stations, including 2SM. Nevertheless, the suggestions that Laws would be returning from retirement in 2010 ended shortly thereafter, when 2UE management revealed that their contract with Laws precluded him from competing with their station until December 2010. Laws' management confirmed in November 2010 that he would be returning to radio, following the expiry of the no compete clause that prevented him from signing with a new network. On 19 March 2013 Laws interviewed a female listener, who described a history of sexual abuse between the ages of six and sixteen. Laws proceeded to ask the woman if the abuse was in some way her fault and whether she had been provocative. The following day Laws said on air that women who dressed provocatively were once viewed as "rape bait". In 2015, Laws referred to a male victim of child sexual assault as a "wet blanket" and told him to "brighten up". In March 2020, Laws addressed on air an email received from a listener which was critical of both Laws and various items of content broadcast on the show. In his response, Laws told the listener "for goodness sake, say something constructive, like you're going to kill yourself." The incident was later investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, who in March 2021 released a report finding Laws had breached two provisions of the Commercial Radio Code of Practice in broadcasting this statement. It also found 2HD (licensee of 2SM) had breached a provision of the same code relating to complaints handling. He currently presents the John Laws Morning Show on 2SM and the Super Radio Network.

In 1996 a portrait of John Laws by artist Paul Newton won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize. The portrait was hung in Laws' production office at 2UE. Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating called him the "broadcaster of the century" at Laws 40th anniversary dinner. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is mentioned in the song "Who Can Stand in the Way?" by Australian group Midnight Oil on their album Red Sails in the Sunset and the song "This Train Will be Taking No Passengers" from Augie March's second album Strange Bird. and the song Crooks and Crimescenes by Inner west Sydney rap group Spit Syndicate.