Award-winner Ross blows whistle on his radio career
AFTER more than three decades as one of the great voices of Midlands football, Tom Ross has blown the whistle on his Free Radio career.
He used his last show to tell fans he was bowing out after 35 years from his full-time role at the heart of radio in the city.
Ross insisted, however, that he won’t be retiring. He will continue as a columnist on our sister paper the Birmingham Mail and will “still help out” his former station.
“Let me be absolutely clear! I am not retiring,” he said. “You haven’t heard the last from me. Leaving this famous radio station has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
A regular columnist down the years for the Sports Argus and now the Birmingham Mail, Ross’s decision comes a year after the station stopped doing live match commentaries.
“Without the opportunity to bring you the award-winning live kick-bykick commentaries, I know you will understand the time is right to take a step back and bow out on a high,” he said. “I’ll miss your company on this frequency every single week. I’ll still be here with you on Facebook and Twitter – keeping you bang up to date.
“And I am certain you will hear my voice pop up elsewhere. But until then, good night, God bless – and, as always, I’ll see you at the far post.”
Ross’s awards include being named the 2012 Sports Journalist of the Year at the Midlands Press Awards, the same year his coverage and commentary of the Carling Cup final won the IRN Sports Story of the Year award. He also won two silver and one bronze Sony Award.
Free Radio deputy brand programme director David Salt said: “We can never say thank you enough to Tom for the being the greatest of ambassadors for the station and commercial radio.
“Not many others will equal his record. No one will ever replace him.”