Radio announcer suffers heart attack

Perth radio announcer Ian Blackley is recovering in hospital after suffering a heart attack during the middle of his show this afternoon.

The popular Mix 94.5 figure, who hosts a regular timeslot between 12pm and 4pm, was in a studio at the station's Subiaco premises when he complained of an acute pain in his chest shortly after 2.30pm.

Staff rushed the 52-year-old to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, where he was given a stent by doctors to relieve pressure from a clot near his heart.

Station general manager Linda Wayman said Mr Blackley was in a stable condition in intensive care, where he is being monitored by doctors and comforted by his wife and close friends.

She said it was only Mr Blackley's quick thinking to alert colleagues to his discomfort that prevented the situation from ending in tragedy.

"He rang out into the program manager and said can you come in and when they went in he said 'I feel like I've got a car parked on my chest, I've got tingles in my arms'," she said.

"One of the women who was there jumped on air and our content director and director of sales rushed Ian to Charlie Gairdner and they ripped him in straight away.

"He's ok but if they hadn't acted so quickly the doctors said it would have been really serious.

"I mean it was serious enough - he had a heart attack - but if they hadn't grabbed him straight away it would have been a much closer call."

Ms Wayman said Mr Blackley was expected to remain in hospital for the next five days but as yet there were no immediate plans about when he would return to work.

She said the sobering event had left staff feeling "subdued" but relieved that Mr Blackley was likely to make a full recovery.