South Australian radio legend — 5AA's Baz and Pilko co-host, 50 years on air, Commercial Radio Hall of Fame
Tony Pilkington — known on air as Pilko — is a South Australian radio legend with five decades of broadcasting behind him. He co-hosted one of Australia's most successful radio programmes, 5AA's Baz and Pilko Show, before he and his co-host expanded to Sydney's 2UW, the country's most competitive market. He returned to 5AA to host the top-rating Breakfast programme alongside Keith Conlon. In 2011, his career was formally recognised with induction into the Australian Commercial Radio Hall of Fame.
Fifty years of live radio means Pilkington has interviewed Hollywood stars and Australian Prime Ministers, and he has broadcast internationally from London, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Moscow. The career, in the words of his own keynote title, amounted to '50 Years without a real job' — a line that captures both the breadth of the experience and the self-deprecating wit that has always been central to his appeal.
Officially retired from radio since 2010 and based in Adelaide, Pilkington now works as a guest speaker and as a master of ceremonies for corporate events. His signature presentation runs through five decades of broadcasting — the people he encountered, the personalities, the stars and the places — filled with humour and anecdotes. He suits corporate dinners, industry events, gala evenings and any occasion where the audience wants to be entertained by a genuine storyteller with an extraordinary amount of material to draw on.
Tony Pilkington is an MC based in South Australia. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
Tony connected and engaged with our audience, he took them on a wonderful trip down memory lane.Community Care and Transport Incorporated
What an enjoyable time we had, at the experienced hands of our lunch speaker, Tony Pilkington. The amusing anecdotes and experiences flowed like bubbly from Tony’s vast and rich store of a life well and truly lived in and around the world of radio and public speaking. Famous names and stories rushed by in a manner which had smiles and laughter erupting regularly around the table. The ladies enjoyed his self-deprecating humour so much that they didn’t want to waste time asking questions. “Give us more stories,” they cried!Member, Inquisitive Pearls
Funny, professional, friendly, eccentric, over all great value.Civil Contractors Federation
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