Ken Sparkes (20 July 1940 – 11 September 2016) was an Australian radio presenter, television personality (actor, singer, host), disc jockey and voice-over artist, he also worked as an investigative journalist, sportscaster/commentator and launched briefly a pop career and co-founded his own record label.
A visiting US radio consultant Ted Randall heard Ken on 3UZ and opened the door for him in Los Angeles.
From 1969 to 1971[6] Sparkes presented daily shows on KCBS (AM)/KCBS-FM Los Angeles, and at one stage was posted to Vietnam where he reported for a US radio syndicate with the Screaming Eagles 101st Airborne Division.
[4] In 1974 according to newspaper reports the Melbourne studios of Channel 9 were held up by an armed gang, and Sparkes chased the robbers in his car, but lost them.
Until his death Sparkes hosted ‘Jukebox Saturday Night’, a viewer request program which screens music video clips from the 1950s through to 1980s.
[11] He was also a Senior Journalist at Xinhua (Shanghai) News Agency where he wrote and presented TV stories on Australia.
[13] The label also launched the career of Rick Springfield, Healing Force and Gerry & The Joy Band.