Lee Simon, Radio Royalty, retires after 47 years

Affectionately known as the Godfather of Rock by his Triple M colleagues and contemporaries, Melbourne radio legend, Lee Simon, today announced his retirement after an extraordinary 47 years of service to the Australian radio industry.

Lee, the founding Program Director of Australia’s first commercial FM station, EON FM, later to become Triple M, shared the news with Triple M’s Hot Breakfast this morning.

Having started his radio career at 3AW followed by 2BE, 3DB, 7HT, 2NX, 2SM and 3XY before joining EON/Triple M, Lee has enjoyed an unrivalled media career as a radio presenter, producer, General Manager and programmer.

As a presenter he’s interviewed everyone from Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and Led Zeppelin to countless Australian rock acts.

In the 70’s and 80’s he extended his talents to television as host of Australia’s ground-breaking, adult rock program, Nightmoves

Whilst Program Director at Triple M, he helped forge the careers of The D-Generation, Richard Stubbs, Jennifer Keyte, Brigitte Duclos, Brian Taylor and a junior sports reporter by the name of Eddie McGuire, amongst countless others. 

In 1997 Lee brought football to FM radio, overseeing Triple M’s first AFL rights deal and has been Executive Producer of Triple M’s AFL call ever since.

 
In 2011 radioinfo looked back on Lee’s career after 40 years

This is how Lee broke the news this morning