He’s sitting in his aquarium, a street window studio on Cameron Rd and about to launch a full fibre breakfast, a Country Sport Breakfast, for hundreds of tuned-in commuters driving sleepily through the early gloom towards Tauranga’s CBD.

And a few others – 40-plus males who know sport and drive tractors.

“Radio is theatre of the mind,” explains this seasoned jock, a 50-something year broadcasting vet Brian Kelly. It’s a bit early for metaphors, but he persists. “We paint a picture for a blind man.”

Now he’s singing and humming along to Berlin. Badly, tunelessly, like we all do wearing headphones.

“Watching in slow motion as you turn my way and say

Take my breath away.”

It’s just ticked over 6am. The “on air” sign floods the studio in blood red and Kelly finds his true tune, switches on the real him. “Up and at ‘em – goooood morning.” The real him is also a real pro. “This is The Country Sport Breakfast – 26th day of June.”

Family (sidehead)

But the really interesting dynamic going down here is a father and son thing – a bit of a rarity, if not unheard of, in the cluttered New Zealand radio-scape. Twenty-nine-year-old Mark Kelly, the son and producer, is in an Auckland studio telling the tonsils, Dad Brian Kelly who’s 200km away behind the ‘Gold’ mic in Tauranga, what to say and when to say it. This show is family.

Talking about family, it might be an opportune time to declare. Because the reporter is also a member of the Kelly family, the greater Kelly family, which is NZME. We are now all part of the NZME stable.

“There he is.” Mark is up on zoom from Auckland. You sense a father’s pride, respect. And love. “Yes, totally – and whenever I discuss my job, I always say Mark’s the boss,” says BK of this father-and-son radio show. No room for ego and self-interest, the hierarchy and rules are set. The tail wags the dog. “He’s boss at work, there’s another boss at home – I am totally bossed,” says BK.

“That’s what producers do,” says Mark scratching to find something trying to nest in that beard. “I set up the show, arrange all the interviews. BK fires through some ideas and if they’re good I will follow up, and if not, I won’t.”

Son is holding dad’s hand. “That’s my responsibility. Help out the host so he doesn’t sound like an idiot on air.”

A face for radio (sidehead)

If the host is streamlined, tall, lean and bereft of hair, son Mark is proliferous. “It’s a face for radio,” he says. A mass of wild dark locks bursting from beneath a baseball cap and friendly face overrun by a huge black beard. All that hair is also hiding what Brian says is an extraordinary knowledge of sport. “Absolute sports nut. Superb at what he does, and utterly makes my job easier.”

Does the DNA bring any special creative chemistry to this three-hour potpourri of sport and rural talk. And wine, and politics. “Yes and no,” says little Kelly. “We know our strengths and weaknesses, so it’s a case of turning on the mic and going for it.”

Producer and son Mark Kelly in his Auckland studio. Photo: supplied.

“Dad knows a heap of stuff about just a couple of sports but there are no big gaps in my sports knowledge.” Cocky, cheeky, endearing – it makes the old man smile.

“I pride myself on knowing stuff about soccer, rugby, anything motorsport and basketball,” says Mark. Especially basketball because as a 2-metre plus junior Tall Black he’s shot a few respectable hoops in his time. But as a producer there are also the ads to get out, clocks to be watched, and 21 minutes of informed entertaining talk to engineer each half hour.

Still listen (sidehead)

“I still listen to Dad.” Dad is normally ‘BK’ at work, Dad at home. “He knows things and how to talk and present a good show.” Praise, if not effusive praise, for Kelly major from Kelly minor.

Did anyone warn them against teaming up on air? That the closeness might create issues, two strong personalities and tests of wills? An emphatic “No” from Mark. But, and there’s always a ‘but’. “But it’s probably a blessing we’re 200km apart every morning.” He laughs.

This father-son on-air union didn’t happen by design, it was the result of unfortunate industry circumstances. BK had moved out of music radio and Mark was biding time at TVNZ after Radio Sport ceased to be in 2020.

Awesome (sidehead)

BK was given a lifeline, a new direction on a new format breakfast show that rose from the ashes. “I was told they would find me a producer.” BK told Mark he should apply. “My dream job,” says producer Kelly. “I jumped at the opportunity to get back into radio.”

Right time of life for both father and son. “Awesome,” says Mark.

Then after two classic rock tracks, and talking sport, farming and a smidgeon of politics with movers, shakers and headliners every half an hour for three hours each morning, BK goes home for a nap, and to tinker on a new guitar. The older broadcaster is also an old rocker – played in a band.

A shoeless, tatty looking guy on Tauranga’s Cameron Rd has recovered a butt from the footpath and is now staring into the aquarium as the Kelly family, a unique radio act, signs off for another day.

“Great song to go out on: Tom Petty and ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’. Well, we will, we will be back tomorrow. Have a great day. See you then.”