Our Tone's a winner at last

May 1 2007 By Graham Young, Birmingham Mail

TONY Butler pioneered the football phone-in but until now he hasn't even won one of his own prize raffles.

All that changed at last night's 25th anniversary Sony Awards when the BBC WM presenter won the Lifetime Achievement award.

He said: "Having started on radio in 1963 I can't believe I've finally won something - it's a wonderful feeling and I can't thank everybody enough.

"When I went up to collect my award I was applauded. Normally I get booed.

"I wasn't exactly speechless when I went up but I remember thinking 'what am I going to say'. I think I made sense.

"I had no idea about the award and, to be honest, I've been to that many dinners in my life I couldn't really see the point going as I didn't think I was involved.

"Then all my colleagues persuaded me by saying it would be like going to Germany for the World Cup again."

Butler, who will turn 72 on May 15, was tricked into attending the ceremony at London's Grosvenor Hotel.

BBC WM's managing editor Keith Beech, who is currently on secondment away from the station, said: "We told Tony that because it was the 25th anniversary, Sony wanted as many people there as possible who had been broadcasting from that period.

"Tony deserves this award because he has been such an enormous influence in broadcasting, and not just on this patch.

"He's worked for commercial stations and the BBC and is still doing really well, bringing in the calls that other broadcasters struggle to get. We even sent him to the World Cup last summer and he was fantastic capturing the atmosphere for our listeners."

Famous for telling callers to "get on yer bike", Butler's career includes working for the Birmingham Mail, Live TV, Midlands Today and fronting his own BBC TV series, Biking Butler and Boating Butler.

He hosted his first radio show in 1963 and will always be remembered for his halcyon days pioneering the football phone-in at BRMB in the 1970s and early 80s.

Sacked following a fracas with a disabled colleague, Butler developed his TV career and also presented breakfast shows for XTRA-am (now Capital Gold) and WM.

Last month Tony caused yet more controversy when he said women should not be in war zones and that Iranian hostage Faye Turney would be to blame if she were decapitated.