‘Thank you’: John Cowan on the support for his decades-long radio show.

John Cowan

22 years on the country’s largest and most successful radio station is a pretty big deal, and one that John Cowan, host of Real Life, does not take for granted. 

John has occupied a half-hour slot on Newstalk ZB on Sundays for more than two decades, where he interviews prominent New Zealanders about their lives. 

Guests have included former Prime Ministers Sir John Key, Helen Clark and Dame Jacinda Ardern, Kiwi music legend Sir Dave Dobbyn, and entertainment icons such as Sam Neill, Stan Walker, and Suzy Cato. 

He recognises that it is a big honour, and describes it as being “a flea on the back of a huge elephant”.

He is grateful for the support of CBA and its donors for allowing his show to happen, and simply wants to say ‘thank you’.

When reflecting on the show’s impact over the years, John believes it has a way of subtly revealing faith, instead of preaching.

“Over the years we’ve talked hundreds of times about faith but very seldom has it been about what happens in a church building; rather, it’s about how what they believe impacts their daily life.”

After such a long time on air, it would be a fair question to ask - why does he still do it? Surely spending all that time researching through the week and on-air on Sundays must get draining? 

But for John, it is actually his favourite part of the week: “A simple, shallow, selfish answer is because it is fun. The guests my producer picks for me are always really interesting.”

When asked about how he wants his show to be remembered, John’s ambitions remain largely the same - to entertain and offer a middle ground. 

“I aim to hit a particular flavour with the show: not too frothy and lightweight like marshmallow, and definitely not stodgy like porridge but more like muesli: a tasty, nourishing variety, including a few bits to get stuck in your teeth to chew over later.”

He is very grateful to CBA supporters for helping keep his show running for this long. His message to them was kept very simple. 

“If I was limited to only one thing, it would have to be thank you.”

Even after all these years, John remains committed to the mission of making faith accessible in mainstream media. 

“CBA’s programmes are evidence that faith has not vanished from modern New Zealand”, he said.

“The show lets everyone know that, for many people, real life involves belief.”

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