John Brooks

College Friend

“SMC was my introduction to California and to all the things that eventually became my future.”

It’s The Voice. Over the years John Brooks has heard a lot of people say, “with a voice like that you should be in radio.” And he is. Now in his 13th year at KFWB, he holds down the morning anchor spot keeping motorists abreast of politics, business and which freeways to avoid.

“I really prefer radio broadcasting over television,” says John. “It lets me stay anonymous. But at the same time it’s enabled me to meet a lot of kings and queens and presidents. And just last year,” he continues, “I flew along with Dan Quayle aboard Airforce II to Saudi Arabia. So radio has really opened up my world.”

John arrived at SMC in 1971. “And I actually met my wife in a theatre arts class.” But the career of John Brooks, thespian, was short-lived. “I had the lead in a play at SMC,” he recalls with a chuckle. “And the kindest thing the Corsair critic wrote was that I didn’t actually hurt the play.” So John shifted his sights from musical comedy to media.

“My time at SMC was idyllic, but also made me feel very connected to the world,” recalls John. “The school is a place that’s really plugged into the lives of working people leading very real lives.” John adds that, “the work I did in theatre at the college —using my voice, thinking on my feet—actually paved the way for everything I’ve done in radio journalism. And somewhere down the road,” he adds, “I’d love to pass on, in teaching, some of what I’ve learned to the next round of journalists.”

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