John Hamilton

Live life to the fullest. Have fun. Go places. Meet people. Have new experiences. That is the philosophy of dynamic host John Hamilton's number one rated travel and leisure show, "John Hamilton On-The-Go with KGO."

John has been a travel and outdoor enthusiast all his life. He's an avid skier and golfer. He bikes, hikes, kayaks and partakes of food, wine and theatre with great relish.

In 1971, he left day-to-day radio to form a radio news bureau focusing on outdoor sports reports for 2,000 broadcast outlets in North America. Because of his broadcast experience and knowledge of skiing, in 1974 John became a regular part of the KGO lineup with accurate, up-to-the-minute reports culled from information directly from the slopes. In 1977 KGO expanded his reporting assignments to include year 'round coverage of travel and leisure. In 1987, he began hosting "John Hamilton On-The-Go," which airs every Saturday from 5 to 8 a.m. on KGO NEWSTALK AM 810.

During his years with KGO, John has covered major stories including: Pope John Paul's visit to San Francisco and Monterey; the Loma Prieta Earthquake, and the East Bay Fire. "Of all of these," John remembers, "the fire was the most demanding. I was driving in Orinda and saw a huge cloud of black smoke rising above the west side of the East Bay hills. I called the KGO Newsroom. Then news director John McConnell said they were checking on it and can I get closer. When I approached the Highway 24 entrance, a policewomen turned me away. I know I shouldn't have, but I went to the 24 exit, drove the lanes going the wrong way and entered the Caldecott Tunnel. As I approached the far end there was a wall of black smoke. I coughed my way through to file the first on-location report. It was during a 49er game."

Rather than go back, John continued west where he found the Oakland Fire Department's Command Center van. Only two other reporters had made it in before the fire chief restricted all other media people. For the next ten hours, KGO listeners heard John's stories of gallant firefighters and the devastation they were battling.

John decided he wanted to be in radio when he was seven years old. He became fascinated with the medium. At night, in his hometown of Vancouver, he would hear programs from stations far away. Stations would announce their call letters and cities, and John would check his atlas to see how distant they were from him. Magic! All that way!

John's radio career began in 1955 and has seen him on both sides of he microphone. He got his first job in his native British Columbia. He started announcing for an affiliate of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He turned to the business side of broadcasting and worked his way through sales and sales management positions in Victoria, Vancouver, Phoenix and San Diego. In 1965 he joined KPAT/KRE, San Francisco, as sales manager and eventually was named a vice president and manager, a position he held until 1971.

His network reporting and commentary includes the Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria; Lake Placid, N.Y.; and Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, plus many World Cup and professional ski races. At one point he said, "my winters were hopping from one ski resort to another, from the Sierra Nevada to the Alps."

John sold his company, AMI News, in 1999 and turned his full professional attention to KGO. He defines John Hamilton On-The-Go as, "What people do when they're not working." Typical topics during a show include local events and getaways, distant North American and foreign destinations, tips and deals from airlines, hotels/resorts and cruise ships. Another reason why On-The-Go is the #1 rated radio station travel program is the way he interviews travel experts. He presses them to give the best advice and deals to his listeners.

A word of warning - when you listen to John, have pencil and pad ready. Sometime during the show, you'll hear a phone number or Website that you want to note.

Since joining KGO Radio, John has won many broadcasting awards from professional associations including California Outdoor Writers, Pacific Inter-Club Yachting, United States Ski Journalists and the North American Ski Journalists of which he was also the national president, and the 2004 Silver Medal Award For Journalism from the Society of American Travel Writers, of which is is also a member. He is also a member of North American SnowSport Association, California Golf Writers Association, and California Outdoor Writers Association.

A graduate of the broadcast school at New York University, John and wife Shirley reside in Lamorinda when they are not on a "travel assignment." They have two grown sons and two grandchildren.

Biographical information courtesy of KGO Radio.