| Nino Firetto | |
|---|---|
| Born | England |
| Occupation | radio presenter, television presenter, actor, columnist |
| Spouse | Stacy |
Nino Firetto (born Anthony Firetto) is a radio presenter, TV host and actor, currently based in Exeter, England.[1][2]
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Nino Firetto shot to fame first as a DJ in the 1970s, then as a television personality in the 1980s. His career began in the night clubs of Bristol when he was just 15, introducing chart acts such as Tina Charles and Edwin Starr to the Bristol music scene, before becoming a finalist in the 208 Radio Luxembourg "Celebrity DJ" competition. Firetto won a 30 minute guest slot on the radio station. Bitten by the radio bug, his broadcasting career started when he filled in at Radio 210 in Reading and Radio Victory in Portsmouth. He was then signed to the English version of Radio Luxembourg, before being chosen by Dave Cash, the programme director of the new independent radio service for Bristol, Radio West, to launch the service and host the breakfast show.
After a short period presenting the breakfast show, he moved to the weekends[3] to present a Sony award–nominated children's show called Nino's Gang, a radio show that urged young listeners to sign up as free members to a musical gang that included 80's chart acts including Toyah, Shakin' Stevens, and Spandau Ballet. In September 1984, Firetto began presenting the weekday evening Music Magazine.
After two years with Radio West, Firetto left in 1984 to pursue a very successful career in television, firstly on the Children's ITV flagship magazine programme Splash!. He also hosted the music strand on the Saturday morning children's show Get Fresh. In 1987, Firetto was voted the Children's ITV Personality of the Year. He also became a top presenter on pan-European music channel Music Box. He went on to present the British version of the dating game show Love me, love me not produced by TVS for ITV; later, he presented a modern version of the seminal ITV quiz show Mr. and Mrs.[4] Other credits include hosting the weekly American football show for ITV called The American Match, showbiz correspondent for LNN's London Tonight, and hosting the Malibu World Dance Championship strand on ITV's Summertime Special. Firetto became a regular guest on panel shows such as Give Us A Clue, Whose Baby?, and What's My Line; but he retained his contact with radio, presenting breakfast on Galaxy 101 and on a national satellite service called "Night Tracks".
In 2000, Firetto became the morning host on Kestrel FM in Basingstoke. Then, in February 2001, he moved to present the weekday drive programme for Wave 105, the English regional station for the south coast. He remained there until June 2003.
In June 2007, he moved to the USA to work as weekend afternoon host and swing presenter for Adult Top 40 music station KLLC Alice 97.3 in San Francisco.
Returning to the UK, Firetto now presents the breakfast show on Exeter FM in Devon.[5][6]