Legendary Melbourne radio host David Heard has passed away after 40 years on the air with celebrated PBS show 'Acid Country'.
David Heard was one of the inaugural broadcasters at PBS Radio, attending the station’s formative meeting in 1978 at the Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda, and remaining on air for over 40 years, voluntarily hosting ‘Acid Country’.
As PBS pioneered alternative radio across the city, Acid Country was the du jour destination for Melbourne’s alternative country lovers, helping introduce a generation to the genres.
What you need to know
- Celebrated Melbourne radio broadcaster David Heard has died
- Heard hosted PBS Radio shows for 40 years, most notably ‘Acid Country’
- ‘Acid Country’ was a pioneer of the alt-country genre on radio
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He also hosted the Mainly Acoustic radio show on the same station and had a notable dedication to broadcasting live music, doing so with his Acid Country Outside Broadcasts, as part of the City of Yarra’s Leaps and Bounds Festival.
Heard received the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) Community Radio Award and the City of Yarra Citizen of the Year Award in 2013.
“A lot of things have changed over the years – technology has changed enormously – but I think the original aim of the station is pretty much as it was then, to play local and under-represented music,” Heard told PBS in 2020.
“I think Melbourne is the live music capital of Australia. I think the future is pretty bright.
“They’ve been saying for years that radio is doomed, but it just won’t die. People have been saying it’s finished, but I think it’s as popular as it’s ever been. There’s an appetite for what we do, and that’s reflected in support from listeners and members.”
