‘Brother John’ celebrating 40 years on local radio

It’s difficult to imagine local late night radio without “Nite Watch with Brother John.”

The local gospel music program which has been on the air for over four decades has garnered several awards from both Canadian and American organizations. But what most people don’t know is that the program almost ended before it really got going.

Originally known as “Nite Watch with Pastor Bob,” the evening show was in limbo after a successful two year run. Faced with the prospect of shutting down, local businessman and part-time radio host Jack Peters stepped up and kept it going.

“He (the original host) asked whether we would continue the program or just pack it in,” Peters remembers. “I said I really felt there was a need for the program to continue and by July of 1974 I was officially the host of ‘Nite Watch.’”

The rest, as they say, is history. Now, 40 years and numerous awards later, the man known around the business community as Jack, and on the radio as John, has become a fixture on the local radio scene.

“Some people have asked me whether doing the Nite Watch program was fun,” Peters says. “I would say rather than being fun, I believe that, for me, it’s been a commitment. Doing the program itself has been more of a public service than anything else.”

Peters has a relaxed style and a smooth delivery, which lends itself well to a program that runs from late in the evening until midnight. The program has been a constant companion for people staying up late with sick loved ones or lying wide-awake worrying about the future.

It’s that group of people that Peters envisioned when he decided to keep the program going back in 1972, and although it hasn’t been easy, he has no regrets.

“What we were trying to do is to present a program that would give them some encouragement for today and some hope for tomorrow,” he says. “Over that period there have been a few times when I have been tempted to no longer do it. However, the few letters that you get from listeners would say, ‘something you played that night,’ or ‘a song that you played or something you said was just what I needed to get me through the night.’ That is probably as much encouragement as I’ve received from listener and I love the testimonial of that.”

While Peters’ cool and sympathetic on-air tone comforted listeners, the offair side of the program was much more frantic. Finding ways to pay for airtime was always tricky due to Peters’ dislike of asking listeners for donations.

“I really did not feel comfortable doing it,” he says. “I hated spending time on the radio asking people to send money like most music programs do. I really felt (the need) to be less confrontational with the people who needed the kind of program I wanted to present. It was not fair for me to ask them to send money.”

Taking advantage of his business contacts, Peters began looking for sponsors, and they didn’t disappoint. He says the loyalty of those businesses that supported the program can’t be understated.

“Some of them have stuck with us a long time,” he says. “I said I don’t want anyone to be on the program unless they want to be there, and that’s where most of my people are.”

While keeping Nite Watch on the air was a bit unorthodox, the uncertainty never became apparent on air. Instead, the program developed more of a soothing tone, which is best exemplified by its easily recognizable theme song.