Tony Butler (broadcaster)

In August 2012, it was announced by Tom Ross that Butler had finally ended his broadcasting career due to ill-health. Ross paid tribute to Butler in an emotional telephone interview with his predecessor on his opening football phone in show of the 2012/2013 season; thanking him for bringing him to BRMB over thirty years before.

Butler announced in April 2009, that he would retire at the end of the 2008/2009 football season, commenting "I think you know when it's time to retire, and I'm on my bike."

In August 2009, it was announced by Tom Ross that Butler would be returning to the Gold airwaves to co-host the football phone in on Friday nights on Gold.

The announcement was made within days of Orion taking control of BRMB and Gold. It is believed that Butler will be a regular fixture of their expanded coverage during the 2009/10 season.

Tony Butler courted additional controversy on a BBC West Midlands radio programme, broadcast on 28 March 2007. He stated that women should not be in war zones and, commenting on kidnapped British sailor Faye Turney, said that were she decapitated, "it would serve her right."

The purchase of Xtra-AM by the Capital Radio group saw the end to most of the locally produced programming, and so in 1998, Butler made his way back to Radio WM. Firstly, presenting a Saturday lunchtime show, before taking over his current Monday – Thursday evening football phone-in show from 7 to 8 pm and the Sportsnight show on Mondays from 8 to 10 pm.

In 1998 Butler joined local cable TV station Birmingham Live TV, a regional affiliate of MGN's L!VE TV. As part of the sports team, he presented the local sports bulletins on the channel, as well as going out to interview sporting figures across the West Midlands. He also hosted a live phone-in show on the channel every Friday night called 'Butler's Sports Special'. He remained at Birmingham Live until its closure in November 1999.

In 1994 Butler moved back to commercial radio, hosting the breakfast show on BRMB spin-off station Xtra-AM, giving him the opportunity to play more music. During this time he also co-hosted Xtra's Friday night football phone-in, along with sports editor Tom Ross.

Butler was still unable to shake off his controversial image though; in 1989 Radio WM's reporters found themselves banned from covering Wolverhampton Wanderers games after the club accused Butler of making racist comments about one of their black players, Shane Westley.

In 1987, Tony Inchley was appointed Manager of ailing BBC Radio WM, at a time when the BBC was under pressure from the government to justify its provision of local radio services. Inchley swiftly revamped the BBC station's output, hiring a number of personalities and recruiting Butler to restart his Friday night football phone-in in direct competition with BRMB's George Gavin, Butler's former deputy.

In 1984, Butler was sacked from BRMB after a row with fellow broadcaster Brian Savin, who is disabled. Savin had sent a note to Butler complaining about coverage of a cricket match over-running into his show; Butler was said to have found the content of the note offensive and confronted Savin, pulling him out of his chair during the ensuing argument. The dismissal of such a high-profile personality was front-page news in Birmingham, and programmes on BRMB were severely affected as some of Butler's former colleagues walked out on strike.

In 1974, he was hired to be the first sports editor at Birmingham's new independent (i.e. non-BBC) radio station BRMB, one of a handful of commercial stations to launch at that time. With BRMB striving to offer something different from the established BBC radio stations, Butler was encouraged to act naturally on the air, emphasising rather than hiding his accent.

Butler's outspokenness and unique radio shows soon made him one of Birmingham's most recognised voices. It helped that the late 1970s and early 80s were a particularly good time for local sport, with five of the West Midlands' teams enjoying top flight football. Butler and his team of reporters were also able to cover memorable European campaigns for Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Well known locally, Butler's abrasive style was also brought to national attention after being worked into the routines of Birmingham comic Jasper Carrott, who often liked to poke fun at the homespun nature of BRMB's programming at the time.

Tony Butler (born 15 May 1935) is a retired Birmingham based UK sports broadcaster and was one of the first stars of local radio in Britain, known for a distinctive local accent and sometimes controversial style. In 2007, he was honoured by the Sony Radio Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tony Butler was born in Wolverhampton on 15 May 1935. He began his journalistic career in local papers in Birmingham before beginning to contribute to BBC national and regional radio in the 1960s. His strong regional accent caused problems at the staid BBC and he later recalled how he was encouraged to soften his natural accent. At one point the BBC even provided elocution lessons.