John Bennett has died aged 82 (BBC/PA). Tributes have been paid to BBC broadcaster John Bennett who died aged 82 surrounded by his family on Friday evening. His family described him as Northern Ireland’s broadcasting “lynchpin” and the BBC praised him as having presented radio programmes with “wit and authenticity”.
The Belfast-born broadcaster first joined the BBC in 1965 and presented music, entertainment, sports and current affairs programmes over his long career. He co-launched BBC Radio Ulster with Gloria Hunniford on New Year’s Eve in 1974, and later became best-known as “The President” of the weekend music programme The Sunday Club, which he presented for more than 44 years. Mr Bennett presented his own weekday morning show on Radio Ulster throughout the 1990s and also presented a range of documentaries and special programmes on BBC Radio Ulster, including two series about railways.
Paying tribute to him, the BBC said he had “an encyclopaedic knowledge of music”, a passion for football and a love of playing guitar. He was also a “master of the long-form interview” and held a “deep connection” with his audiences, it said. In January 2023, Mr Bennett was made an MBE for services to Television and Radio Broadcasting.
He was later inducted into the IMRO Radio Awards Hall of Fame, with his citation noting his radio career had “left an indelible mark on the broadcasting landscape”. Mr Bennett is survived by his daughter Siobhan and son Mark. H.