Tributes have been paid to Peter Meadows, a visionary media entrepreneur who helped develop contemporary Christian journalism and broadcasting in the U.K.
Meadows, who was 84, passed away from cancer on Friday, Jan. 9. Despite leaving school with only one O-level qualification, and with undiagnosed dyslexia, he went on to shape the landscape of the British Church through the founding of Spring Harvest, Buzz magazine (later renamed Premier Christianity), and Premier Christian Radio.
Writing for Premier, Steve Goddard, former owner of the Christian Resources Exhibition and former editor of Buzz, noted that Meadows began his career in a London advertising agency. After converting to Christianity at age 19, he began applying professional communication standards to the ecclesiastical world.
"He started to use what he had learned professionally to communicate in a church setting," Goddard wrote. "An inevitable clash of cultures followed. Here was a high-impact copywriter and advertising executive putting a bit of creative stick about in an institution still wistful about that golden age when clergymen ruled the earth. But while traditionalists tut-tutted, baby boomers got blessed."
Meadows met his wife, Rosemary Hill, while publicizing a concert for Christian pop star Cliff Richard and the Settlers band. The couple, who had five children and eight grandchildren, remained married until Rosemary’s death in 2023.
In 1965, Meadows launched Buzz magazine alongside Musical Gospel Outreach, co-founded with friends Geoff Shearn and David Payne. The publication provided a vital bridge between historic faith and the burgeoning 1960s youth culture.
"The content was a lifeline for a post-war, beat generation sitting uncomfortably in hard wooden pews, trying to make sense of an historic faith in a world influenced by the invention and iconoclasm of the Beatles et al," Goddard said.
In 1979, Meadows partnered with Youth for Christ to launch Spring Harvest at a Pontins holiday camp in Prestatyn. The event grew into the U.K.’s largest annual interdenominational Christian conference.
His influence extended to the UK Evangelical Alliance, where he served as head of communications, and the 1984 Luis Palau Mission to London. When U.K. broadcasting laws shifted in the 1990s, he became a founding figure behind Premier Christian Radio.
Sam Hailes, editor of Premier Christianity, highlighted the scale of Meadows’ impact.
"If you add up all the people who have encountered God through Premier Christian Radio, Spring Harvest, and Premier Christianity magazine, you are talking quite literally about millions of people who have either heard the gospel for the first time or been built up in their faith as a direct result of Peter Meadows’ incredible entrepreneurial drive, talent and work inspired by the Holy Spirit," he said. "He really does leave an extraordinary legacy."
Reflecting on his own life recently, Meadows remained modest: "God is more interested in what we become than what we achieve. If I was remembered for being humble and kind that would do nicely."
