A legacy of passion and evolution: Jon Knighton retires as BFBS Sports Editor

BFBS Sports Editor Jon Knighton celebrates his retirement today after 40 years with the charity and transforming the coverage of military sport in the media.

In his time, he's worked at BFBS radio stations in Gibraltar, Cyprus, Germany and the Falklands, experiencing the passion and community spirit of forces personnel overseas.

Since 2001, he's pioneered military sports coverage and built a dedicated team focused on the best of forces sport, telling stories on and off the pitch that matter to the military community.

• Army's Nathan Pearce among military personnel in big roles behind scenes of Commonwealth Games
• Royal Navy American Football names Jos Tector as new incoming head coach
• Debut try: Army's Ella Donnelly makes scoring start to her England career against France

He's overseen the creation of a specialised military sports programme as well as the transition onto digital platforms. Part of that transition saw the rise of live broadcasts on the BFBS Forces News YouTube channel and on BFBS TV which has seen more viewers than ever take in the spectacle of forces sport with more than 1.8 million views in 2025 alone.

Jon became a key part of the military sporting world, building relationships with key personnel at Army Sport, Royal Navy Sport, RAF Sport and UKAF Sport. That includes people within high-profile sporting fixtures like Army v Navy at Twickenham and sports with growing media coverage such as equestrian, squash and polo.

Jon penned a message to everyone who has supported his career below:

When I joined BFBS as a trainee Radio Broadcaster/Producer in 1986, I never expected that 40 years later, I'd still be here, let alone retiring here.

There are so many memories to look back on. 

Half of my time has been in radio and TV News presenting everything from breakfast shows, to specialist music from military bands to progressive rock; I even did a country music show once! 

In TV News, the buzz of a live TV programme takes some beating, whether presenting or producing. I’ve interviewed Prime Ministers and presidents.

A highlight was going to the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, to talk to Glavcos Clerides about his remarkable escapes from German prisoner of war camps. 

I've flown with the Red Arrows, co-driven in the Armed Forces Rally Team and skied down a mountain with a live radio microphone! (It didn't end well!)

The last 25 years have been devoted to sport – getting military sport out there seen and heard by a wider audience.

At times it has taken much persuasion to showcase military sporting achievement, but that has gone alongside increased recognition inside the military that sport is about so much more than "taking time off" to do it.

The last five years have seen a step change in how we cover military sport, with new technology and more resources going into coverage.

We can never match how Sky, BBC or TNT cover sport, but we make it a worthwhile watch. That for me is a major achievement.

It's the stories we do around our military sportsmen and women that will help to inspire the next set of recruits and keep people in the service for longer. 

Looking back, whatever I've done with the many opportunities BFBS has given me, the most satisfaction comes from knowing I've made a difference by being a friendly voice on the radio to the soldier on guard duty, the military nurse looking after a patient on a night shift, or the proud parent who because of us, saw their son or daughter represent their unit, corps or service in a sports fixture. That is job satisfaction!

On Jon's departure, we're pleased to announce that Kyle Dixon will be taking on the role of Sports Editor after working closely with Jon within the sport team for a number of years.

He said: "What an innings for Jon Knighton. Working with Jon over the past few years has been a real learning experience.

"His passion for military sport is like no other and I think that has shown in the growth of coverage for the Army, Navy, RAF and UK Armed Forces, from top-tier sporting events to grassroots competitions.

"Our aim as a team is always to spotlight the characters behind the sports, while celebrating the on-field drama and success. That's something we're excited about building on going forward.

"Reading about Jon's adventures above is fantastic, but I think the biggest legacy he leaves is the effect his work will have had on people. Whether that's sports personnel who have reached the highest of heights in their sport spurred on by more media attention than ever before, or someone who has watched content we've created and been inspired to try their luck at a military sport.

"He created something that is valuable and important to so many people, and that is something that will never be forgotten."