Retiring broadcaster Peter Williams was a newsman 'who called it as he saw it’

Monday, 6 September 2021

Kiwi sporting greats have described retiring broadcaster Peter Williams as a man “who called it as he saw it” throughout his 50-year career.

The 67-year-old Magic Talk Mornings host announced his retirement on Monday, saying he wanted to “enjoy a life with fewer commitments” after decades working across both television and radio.

Throughout Williams’ career, the versatile news and sports reporter, presenter and broadcaster covered seven Olympic Games, five Commonwealth Games, three Rugby World Cups, two Cricket World Cups, and two Masters Golf Tournaments.

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Fellow longtime sports broadcaster Brendan Telfer spoke highly of his friend’s versatile professional ability – likening him to one of the late greats of New Zealand broadcasting.

“I have always had tremendous admiration for Peter as a consummate broadcaster. He can do anything, it doesn’t matter what it is – sport, news, current affairs, outside broadcasting, live broadcasting, from general elections to Olympic Games,” said Telfer.

“There are very few people – Paul Holmes would be the only one I can think of – that could do the breadth of jobs that Peter could do in radio and television and do those well to a high standard.”

Telfer recalled his own departure from radio to television helped open the door for Williams, after he had started out in broadcasting at Radio Otago, now More FM, in Dunedin in 1972.

“We lived in the same suburb in Christchurch in the 1970s and he actually replaced me in radio down there,” said Telfer.

“I was posted into this new television channel in Christchurch, TV2, in 1975. So there was a vacancy in the sports department and so Peter moved to Christchurch.”

Williams was later hired by TVNZ in 1979, and served as a commentator, reporter and presenter, and later as a newsreader. After nearly 40 years on television, the veteran broadcaster signed off for good in December 2018, following his 65th birthday.

He went on to return to radio, working as a talkback host with Magic Talk in January 2019.

Rugby commentator Keith Quinn also fondly recalls helping to advance Williams’ early television career.

“I think I hired him. It might have even been as a replacement for me back in 1983; I was the southern editor of TVNZ Sports in Wellington,” said Quinn.

“He had very good knowledge, impeccable research, and good presentation so he very quickly became the face of TVNZ’s sports.

New Zealand cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee said he respected the broadcaster’s commentary and analysis of the 11-man game.

Hadlee enjoyed a long professional association with Williams, and the pair also got on well socially during and after his international playing career ended in 1990.

Hadlee acknowledged Williams did not hold back in his criticism of poor team or individual performances but felt the veteran broadcaster was always fair and balanced in his views and opinions

“He was very forthright in what he wanted to say. He called it as he saw it and that is fair – if you are going to praise people, you have also got to be prepared to criticise.

“When you are in the commentary box you are talking to the nation and at times to the world, so people are going to hang on to every word that you say. And all you want is a fair description and pertinent comments that are right.”

Fellow former New Zealand international and cricket commentator Simon Doull said Williams had been an absolute legend of sports and broadcasting for a long time.

Doull echoed Hadlee’s comments regarding Williams’ unflinching ability to ask hard questions of players, coaches and administrators, saying it was a quality lacking within some sports coverage these days.

“Peter came from a proper broadcasting school and background, that meant you were OK to ask the hard questions because they were what people wanted answered.

“That is probably something that at times is missing in some of what we do, because a lot of our sports broadcasters at the moment don’t come from a broadcasting background.

“So we probably don’t have that ability or maybe the nous to do it in the right way at times.”

Early career

Geraldine-born and growing up in small towns around the South Island, following and playing sport was always Williams’ number one hobby, and in 1979 he scored a job as a sports anchorman and commentator with TVNZ, after Phillip Leishman went overseas, according to a NZ On Screen biography.

For the next 13 years Williams was full-time for TVNZ, but after proposing to continue to anchor rugby for television, while working for Radio New Zealand during the cricket season, William was shown the door.

He later reapplied to become a sports reporter, covering the Wellington area for One News and then left for Australia to become the Australian correspondent for One News, the biography said.

In 2002, he took over as presenter of late night news show Late Edition and the following year, amid staff cutbacks at TVNZ, Williams secured a new gig reading the midday news, and producing sport for Breakfast and Midday.

TV Guide readers voted him their favourite newsreader in both 2010 and 2011, but in 2016 Williams left Breakfast alongside co-hosts Rawdon Christie and Nadine Chalmers-Ross after staffing changes.

Williams was replaced as a newsreader on the show by Daniel Faitaua​, but after leaving Breakfast he stayed on as weekend newsreader.

After nearly 40 years on television, the veteran broadcaster signed off for good in December, 2018, after his 65th birthday.

He then moved to his next role as a talk radio host with Magic Talk in January 2019, back to where it all began for him in the broadcasting industry – on radio.

MediaWorks chief executive officer Cam Wallace said in a statement that Williams had signalled for some time he wanted to finish up, and thought now was the right time.

“I would like to acknowledge his significant contribution to Magic Mornings over the past three years – there have been plenty of engaging and lively discussions.

“MediaWorks wishes Peter all the best.”

Climate change critic

Williams’ role at Magic was arguably his most controversial. In February this year he referred listeners to the website of an anti-vaccine and anti-mask group.

He told listeners to check out the website, saying they were “asking questions similar to mine here yesterday, except they appear to know far more about the science”.

In 2019, Williams wrote an opinion piece for Newshub in which he questioned the science behind climate change.

“I am so over the nonsense that is being propagated by politicians and policymakers about this thing that is now just referred to as ‘climate change’.

“Why is it that not just Stuff, but it seems all media in this country refuse to allow even a skerrick of evidence that CO2 may not be the cause of the Earth's warming?” he wrote.

In June 2021 he wrote another opinion piece, this time for Magic Talk’s website, where he discussed recommendations to government from the Climate Change Commission.

“It is gross interference in the way we are expected to live our lives, the way we will travel around, the way we will keep ourselves warm and the way we will earn our living as an exporter of food.

“Why then are these fundamental changes to society seemingly being accepted by the political and media class without the slightest questioning?” he said.