Peter Heaton-Jones

Peter Heaton-Jones, (b. 2 August1963), is a British/Australian journalist, broadcaster and political campaigner who has held senior positions in the media and politics in both the UK and Australia.

In the media, he is best-known for presenting news programmes on BBC national and local radio, and was the former head of marketing for ABC radio. In politics, he was a Conservative Party candidate in the 2008 UK local elections in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is currently the party's media and campaigns director.

Early career

Peter Heaton-Jones began his broadcasting career after graduating from the University of London. He worked initially in commercial radio before joining the BBC in 1986, becoming a high-profile news presenter at BBC Essex and anchoring the "Breakfast" and "Drivetime" programmes.

He joined the national news & current affairs network BBC Radio 5 Live when it opened in 1994. He was best-known as presenter of "Morning Reports" and "Up All Night", as well as producing programmes for television anchors Nicholas Witchell, Alastair Stewart and Diana Madill.

During this period he also worked at BBC Southern Counties Radio, and undertook various media training and advisory roles.

Later career

In 1997, Peter Heaton-Jones moved to Australia to join the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney. He became head of marketing for radio stations ABC NewsRadio, Radio National and ABC Classic FM, but left after three years as a result of the reorganisation instigated by controversial Managing Director Jonathan Shier.

Peter returned to the UK in 2000 and joined BBC Radio Swindon, gaining a high profile in the region as presenter of the "Breakfast Show" and "Morning Show" from 2000 to 2006. He was also a newspaper columnist for the "Swindon Advertiser".

Politics

Peter Heaton-Jones specialised as a political journalist, including the presentation of BBC election coverage nationally and locally from 1986 onwards. In 2006 he conducted a face-to-face interview with then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

After leaving the BBC he joined the British Conservative Party and wrote articles and policy documents.

In 2006, Peter Heaton-Jones returned to Australia and worked on the election campaign of Rob Stokes, the Liberal Party candidate in the New South Wales Electoral district of Pittwater. The campaign succeeded, with Stokes regaining the seat for the Liberals from incumbent Independent Member of Parliament Alex McTaggart. After the election, Heaton-Jones was appointed Stokes' policy advisor and press secretary in the New South Wales Parliament.

In 2007 he returned to live in the UK, and stood as the Conservative Party candidate in the 2008 local elections in a strongly pro-Labour area of Swindon Borough Council, narrowly failing to win the seat. After the election, Peter Heaton-Jones became the Party's media and campaigns director.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/10/27/peter_heatonjones_feature.shtml Peter Heaton-Jones biography at BBC Radio Swindon]
* [http://www.swindonconservatives.com/news_detail.php?nid=451 Peter Heaton-Jones article for Conservative Party]
* [http://www.westernintouch.com Campaign website for May 1 2008 local elections]