Tong's first appearance on radio was in the late 1970s on Radio Invicta 92.4fm, Europe's first soul station.<br />He joined a rotation of nightclub djs including Steve Walsh, Chris Hill, Chris Brown and others to present monthly guest shows.<br />Later he appeared on local radio station BBC Radio Medway in the 'Soul Mafia' and doing occasional mixes for Radio London.<br />In 1981 he made his first appearance on Radio 1 hosting a 15 minute feature on Peter Powell's show, playing the new tracks and covering the latest gossip and news from the dance world.<br />When Invicta Radio started up in Kent in 1984, Tong joined them to host a regular soul show, where assisted by local Kent journalist Eddie Gordon of the Kent Messenger he built up a big county profile.<br />Tong stayed at Invicta until 1987.<br />He was then hired by Capital Radio in 1988 at the suggestion of DJ Jeff Young to present a weekly dance programme.<br />DJ Jeff Young having initially been offered the slot by Capital went to BBC Radio 1 to broadcast a weekly Friday night show called The Big Beat.<br />In 1991 Tong returned to national radio after his manager Eddie Gordon talked the then departing DJ Jeff Young into suggesting him to BBC Radio 1 as the ideal replacement for the hot Friday night slot.<br />Tong began his long stint as the host of the Essential Selection.<br />The Essential Selection was a BBC Radio 1 show that aired on Friday nights from 6-9pm between 1991 and 2006.<br />In 2006 the show lost the name of Essential Selection and is now referred to as simply Pete Tong, and now airs from 7-9pm.<br />The programme showcases the latest dance & electronic music,and informs listeners what club nights are on around the United Kingdom that weekend.<br />It is endorsed by Radio 1 as the official start to the weekend, and attracts one of the highest audiences for a dance radio show in the UK.<br />Since his main programme was shortened in 2006, Pete Tong has also hosted a show on Thursday nights from 9-10pm called Pete Tong's In New Music We Trust.<br />Since 1993, he has been associated with Radio 1's Essential Mix, which airs between 3-5am on Saturday morning.<br />He is the station's second longest serving presenter (after Annie Nightingale). (*)