Liverpool’s late night radio legend Pete Price admits himself that people across the city have an opinion about him, but it was surprising to discover the softer side to his character in our exclusive interview.
JMU Journalism talked to the controversial radio host about his career, the riots, X Factor and much more.
Famous for being the most opinionated presenter at Radio City, Pete began his career working as a chef on cruise ships before he was approached b by Radio Merseyside and his broadcasting career began. Despite his success, Pete has advised that the radio industry is tough to get into: “I am so sorry to be negative to people reading this but it’s just the hardest job and it’s not a good time to get into radio, especially after BBC Radio Merseyside made so many redundancies.”
Not content with his achievements in radio, Pete is now a columnist for the Liverpool Echo.
His work replicates his show as he gives his opinion on current issues: “My column is the most exciting thing that
has ever happened to me. I’ve wanted to write for the Echo for 20 years because I’m passionate about our local newspaper. It’s part of the fabric just like the Daily Post and us here at Radio City.”
The 65-year old has worked with BBC national radio and Radio City for over 20 years and in that time has received many strange calls on his Late night phone in show: “I have had many, many strange callers, I’ve had stalkers and I’ve had my life threatened but three calls stand out to me.
“The first is a young boy who called my show and was going to commit suicide, so I left my show and went to save his life.
“The second call was a man who died on air and I actually left my show, got in a taxi and went and kicked his door down to find him and the third was Jamie Bulger’s grandmother, Helen Bulger. I think that’s the power of late night radio, it’s immense, I think of myself as a priest in a confessional box.”
Pete voiced his anger over the riots in Liverpool during the summer and he says he got involved because he said that people weren’t rioting for a reason: “People were just on the bandwagon and were just stealing what they wanted and the small people were the ones that suffered. People were terrified, they were calling me from their flats watching their cars getting burnt outside .”
He added: “They were mindless morons all wanting to get what they could at that time.”
Although Wirral-born, Pete is so passionate about Liverpool, and in 2008 he was made an ‘Ambassador for the City’, and an honorary Scouser by the Lord Mayor. He says: “I love this city with a passion. Where else would you get the people wearing their heart on their sleeve? Like Hillsborough, we won’t let it go until it’s solved.”
Like a lot of us, Pete is glued to X factor and is backing the Scousers to win: “Of course I’m watching X Factor, Louis Walsh is a good mate, I text him a lot and Gary Barlow. It’s like ‘Simon Cowell who?’
“I think this is a great panel this year, and our boys, Craig, I think he’s fabulous and Marcus is fabulous, I’m going to go down to at least one final.”