John Brunning
Biography
John Brunning's broadcasting career can be traced back to 1970 when he ran a pirate radio station from the family home in Colchester.
An enforced absence from the airwaves saw John pursuing his studies together with the other love of his life, music. He was lead guitarist with the seventies band Mungo Jerry and also a hard working studio session player, writer and teacher of the instrument.
But the lure of the airwaves persisted, and he resurfaced in his broadcasting guise in Glasgow as the front man for Radio Clyde FM's news service.
After a very successful spell north of the border, John headed south again to become breakfast news editor at Invicta Radio in Kent. John then joined Classic FM as a senior journalist and newscaster two weeks before the station went on air in September 1992.
In 1996 John won silver at the Sony Radio Awards in London for news presentation, and landed a gold medal at the New York Radio Festival for best news anchor.
It's not just John's voice that we hear on Classic FM; his own music is also broadcast on the station. His works Pie Jesu, Sahara, Romance No.1 and Romance No.2 are firm favourites.
John was presenter of Classic FM's flagship news and arts programme Classic Newsnight from 1996 until 2008. He has also presented Smooth Classics at Seven and The Full Works on Classic FM.
In 2009, John supported Classic FM's charity, Music Makers , and walked 126km across the Sahara desert with 33 Classic FM listeners.
Meet John
What is your favourite piece of music in the Classic FM Hall of Fame?
Fauré's Requiem : my favourite piece by my favourite French composer.
What is your most memorable on-air moment?
Presenting Classic FM’s live coverage of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales: an extraordinary outpouring of collective grief.
Which composer or artist would you most like to have to dinner?
Tchaikovsky: as well as being the king of heart-on-his-sleeve melodies, his life was such a complex tapestry of triumph and tragedy.
