Keith Perron
Encyclopedia
Keith Perron is a Canadian expatriate international broadcaster currently based in Taiwan
.
Born and raised in Montreal
, Perron entered the broadcasting profession at the age of 17 with local station CKUT. By the early 1990s he was an announcer and producer at Radio Canada International
.
He left RCI in 1991 as a result of cutbacks at the service and, after two years of freelancing for Radio Netherlands
and other services, moved to Cuba
in 1993 where he worked at Radio Havana Cuba
hosting the service's English programming to North America and Europe as well as a weekly jazz
show. He also freelanced for other international broadcasters such as Monitor Radio International and Radio Deutsche Welle.
Moving to Vancouver in 1998, Perron worked at radio station CHMB producing their international programming before being hired by China Radio International
in Beijing
in 2001 and hosted Realtime China
, a half-hour programme of news about China produced for radio stationsi in the United States
. In 2005, he moved to Beijing Radio International and, in 2007, moved to Taiwan
in order to host a daily jazz programme on the domestic Central Broadcasting System. In 2009, Perron founded PCJ Media/Radio and relaunched and continues to broadcast the venerable Happy Station show which had been the world's longest running shortwave radio programme until it was cancelled by Radio Netherlands
in 1995. He also produces and presents the internationally syndicated Jazz For The Asking, and a weekly media program called Media Network Plus which is co-produced with Canadian based broadcaster Paulette MacQuarrie and which is broadcast on the World Radio Network
.
He continues to freelance for Central Radio and for various other radio stations in the Asia
n market as well as host and perform in an annual 6 episode variety music series on NHK
television in Japan.
In February 2011, Perron announced that PCJ Media would be launching a new shortwave radio service broadcasting in five languages and aimed at Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Asia Pacific in order to fill a void left by the recently announced termination or reduction of shortwave service to those areas by the BBC World Service
and Voice of America
.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Born and raised in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Perron entered the broadcasting profession at the age of 17 with local station CKUT. By the early 1990s he was an announcer and producer at Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International
Radio Canada International is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Until 1970, it was known as the CBC International Service and was sometimes referred to as the "Voice of Canada" in its early years.- The early years :The idea for creating an...
.
He left RCI in 1991 as a result of cutbacks at the service and, after two years of freelancing for Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands...
and other services, moved to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1993 where he worked at Radio Havana Cuba
Radio Havana Cuba
Radio Havana Cuba is the official government-run international broadcasting station of Cuba. It can be heard in many parts of the world including the United States on shortwave at 6000 kHz and other frequencies...
hosting the service's English programming to North America and Europe as well as a weekly jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
show. He also freelanced for other international broadcasters such as Monitor Radio International and Radio Deutsche Welle.
Moving to Vancouver in 1998, Perron worked at radio station CHMB producing their international programming before being hired by China Radio International
China Radio International
China Radio International , the former Radio Beijing and originally Radio Peking, founded on December 3 of 1941, is one of the three state-owned media in China along with China National Radio and China Central Television in the People's Republic of China .As the PRC's external radio station, CRI...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 2001 and hosted Realtime China
Realtime China
Realtime China is a 30 minute daily news program about China from China Radio International. The topics are about life in China in the English language...
, a half-hour programme of news about China produced for radio stationsi in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2005, he moved to Beijing Radio International and, in 2007, moved to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in order to host a daily jazz programme on the domestic Central Broadcasting System. In 2009, Perron founded PCJ Media/Radio and relaunched and continues to broadcast the venerable Happy Station show which had been the world's longest running shortwave radio programme until it was cancelled by Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands...
in 1995. He also produces and presents the internationally syndicated Jazz For The Asking, and a weekly media program called Media Network Plus which is co-produced with Canadian based broadcaster Paulette MacQuarrie and which is broadcast on the World Radio Network
WRN Broadcast
WRN Broadcast, formerly known as WRN, is an international broadcast services company that works with television channels and radio broadcasters, media owners and brands enabling them to deliver content to target audiences worldwide....
.
He continues to freelance for Central Radio and for various other radio stations in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n market as well as host and perform in an annual 6 episode variety music series on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
television in Japan.
In February 2011, Perron announced that PCJ Media would be launching a new shortwave radio service broadcasting in five languages and aimed at Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Asia Pacific in order to fill a void left by the recently announced termination or reduction of shortwave service to those areas by the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
and Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
.