Doug Wood / #

Doug’s interest in radio started when he heard Radio Caroline from the North Sea in March 1964 just a couple days after the station started.

After doing many normal jobs like TV & Radio engineer, Electricians mate, electrical goods salesman, Club DJ, Public house manager, tobacco and confectionary sales rep. In October 1981 Doug was offered his first professional radio job on The Voice Of Peace  on board the Peace Ship to present morning music from 09-00 to 12-00, along with many other shows. “up to that point” explains Doug “it was the best time of my life, the sea and radio works well for me, I was in heaven, even when the sea got rough, I loved the ride the ship gave us as she rolled over the waves”.

In April 1983 it was time to move on and so Doug headed for the French and Italian Rivera  and the Breakfast Show on Radio Nova International. Later that same year Doug joined Signal Radio the new commercial radio station for Staffordshire and Cheshire in the north of England, “I wonder how long they will put up with me” remembers  Doug, 31 years was the answer , “And they only sacked me because I finally got fed up with playing the same 300 songs time and time again, and I took up offers to work on two new stations that had appeared in the area, first Moorlands Radio, then The Hitmix”.

“Finally I had to quit because of my wife’s  deteriorating health and look after her at home. That was in 2018, but that wasn’t the end of it completely as in 2014 I had launched The RADIO SHIP an internet station that plays the music, jingles and DJ clips from the original offshore stations, including The Voice Of Peace of course, then to top it off I was offered the chance to come back to the New Voice Of Peace and voice track the links for DriveTime, so life turned full circle”

In 2019 Doug made the move from Staffordshire where he had broadcast for some 34 years, back to his roots, Kent in the southeast of England, where his family are based. “We bought a rather large apartment in a retirement development just a few meters away from the sea. Of course the apartment had to be big enough to house The RADIO SHIP and a studio has since been built and the station is fully operational from its new Thames estuary location, on the North Sea coast.

Doug meet his wife Lynn on a blind date on 21st July 1985 and they married on 12th June the following year. Sadly in 1999 Lynn developed Cardiomyopathy , and then in 2013 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Doug says “That really started to change our life and plans from late 2014, and since then life has become increasingly difficult”. “But  you have to get on with it, and amongst the changes we made was the move to a seaside holiday resort on the north Kent coast, near to my family just a short drive away, and my stepson in London. On a nice day we can go down to the sandy beach just a couple of minutes away, no airports or any other holiday problems that can go with travel abroad, although I miss the adventure of it”.

Likes and dislikes:

Like – Simple well cooked food. Dislike – Fussy food.

Like – Drinking Tea, coffee, sparkling water and Coke and occasionally a beer or whiskey.  Dislike:  Gin and Vodka.

Like: Most people I have meet in my life.   Dislike:  Politicians, name me one you can trust.

Like: Classic happy Pop and Rock music, mostly from the 1950’s to the 1980’s Dislike:  Sad dreary ballads and the old style country music.

Like: Good fun radio that plays all the great songs I ever loved with lots of variety.  Dislike: Commercial radio stations that only play the same 300 or so songs and cram in 20 minutes of adds an hour.

Like:  A good movie or Drama based on a true story.  Dislike:  Violent and science fiction movies and soaps.

Like: Time with family and friends.  Dislike: Time with cocky people.

Like: To see a world of Peace and Love where everyone enjoys equality and a good life in general, I believe it is possible.  Dislike: The world the way it is, where money and greed rules and more and more people are working longer hours for less money. Life is too much about business and not enough about people.  Life is short, it should be fun, for everyone.

Like: To offer respect to everyone, and to be treated the same way.  Dislike:  People who talk down to you.