RJR 65th Anniversary Magazine

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Vol. 1 JULY 2015 - August 2016 Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Writers

Creative Director Graphic Designers Photographs Publishing Assistant Sales Executives Finance Printer Distributor

Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady Alvin Campbell R. Christene King Mark Thompson Gabrielle McDowell Alvin Campbell Ruth Chisholm Kori Solomon Kamal Hines Dwanne Francis

RJR Archives Ashia Campbell Susie Bentley Gresela Nadine Brown Andrea Messam Marcha Christie Xpress Litho Novelty Trading

Publisher Multi-Media Jamaica Limited a member of the RJR Communications Group Broadcasting House 32 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston 5 http://rjrgroup.com http://www.multimediajamaica.com http://www.1spotmedia.com/ ISSN 0799-4338 All rights reserved@2015

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CONTENTS

16 ICONIC RJR PROGRAMMES ‘Beyond The Headlines’ is a no-holds barred discussion show, which looks at current events and their effects on Jamaica.

06 BORN IN THE FIRES THE RJR STORY

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Without the tragedy and horrors of the Second World War in the late 1930s, Radio Jamaica might not have existed today.

THE DEAN OF MORNING RADIO

Alan Magnus will be on air… every morning… five days a week.

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J.A. LESTER SPAULDING

FAMILY STALWARTS

1SPOTMEDIA

A Half Century of Experience for the Man at the Helm

RJR has been fortunate to have a determined cadre of media professionals who have remained steadfast over the years.

1spotmedia is the newest strategic business unit of the RJR Communications Group.

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Editor's Note Welcome to the Radio Jamaica Pioneers magazine produced in recognition of the radio station’s 65 years of broadcasting.

It has been an amazing journey!

Iconic programmes and personalities have underpinned its exceptional performance spanning over six decades, as the station continues to occupy its rightful position as part of the country’s national heritage. Six generations have grown up listening to RJR, and so it’s not surprising that over the period it has helped to shape and disseminate content that reinforces national pride.

Without a doubt the “Boss Radio” remains the soundtrack of our lives, broadcasting consistently credible news, authentic Jamaican music, backed by current affairs programmes.

There are not many institutions that can celebrate 65 years of solid performance.

RJR, in celebrating this milestone, reflects on the station’s ability to re-

engineer, and reinvent itself as the tastes and expectations of its diverse audiences transform and modernise.

In this RJR’s 65th year, The RJR Communications Group reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the core values which make the station very special – integrity, accuracy, truth and credibility.

This celebration also offers us the opportunity to reminisce and reflect while we enjoy the living legacy. Radio Jamaica Pioneers is an expression of the station’s journey of excellence. We have tried to touch on as many key points as possible in the knowledge that you will enjoy reading and celebrating with us the 65th birthday of RJR. Happy Birthday Boss Radio!

12 THE MD’S JOURNEY Working in media was always my dream career!

24 NORMA BROWN BELL Managing the Magic as RJR’s road traffic angel.

40 RJR AND THE NEWS RJR 94FM is Jamaica’s first and primary source of news.

48 INSIDE LOOK AT OUTSIDE BROADCASTING

RJR is the innovator in Outside Broadcasting

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54 MILESTONES

HOLFORD PLUMMER: ALL THE RUNGS

64 LEADERSHIP SETS THE

Hol Plummer with 53 years of service stands tall as the man with the longest service record to the company, to date.

Historic moments in the RJR’s story

TONE

It is the steady stream of new ideas brought on mainly by staffers promoted from within RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 7

THE RJR STORY

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BORN IN THE FIRES OF WORLD WAR II

RJR STAFF at the newly opened Broadcast House, 32 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston.

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THE RJR STORY

Born in the fires of World War II The RJR Story Without the tragedy and horrors of the Second World War in the late 1930s, Radio Jamaica might not have existed today.

The first radio transmissions in Jamaica were via a shortwave “ham radio” system operated from the Seaview Avenue, Kingston home of the “ham” operator, John Grinan. A “ham radio” is one operated by an amateur with a licence to use radio frequencies normally used by a citizen, such as citizens’ bank or CB radio.

Back in 1939 Grinan moved from his amateur radio operation and negotiated with the colonial government to set up a broadcast station with call-sign VP5PZ and began weekly broadcasts. Ten weeks after Germany’s September 1, 1939 invasion of Poland which then led France and the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany, Grinan started offering about 30 minutes of wartime news and information. Seventy-eight days later on November 17, 1939 official broadcasting started in Jamaica, as on that day Governor Sir Arthur Richards made the first radio broadcast over station VP5PZ. The colonial government, then in wartime mode, wanted firm control of radio and Grinan acceded to Governor Richards’ request to hand over station VP5PZ. The station, now re-christened, ZQI (1940) increased its air-time and regularity of broadcasts, though listenership never totaled more than 100,000 given the relatively high cost of radio sets at that time Six years later as the war ended, the government lost its imperative to hang on to ZQI and its drain on government resources led them to sell the station. On July 9, 1950, the Jamaica Broadcasting Company (not

Corporation) took over the station under the new name “Radio Jamaica”.

The station started Amplitude Modulation (AM) transmission.

By 1951 the company started its rediffusion service (distributing radio by wire) and the new entity became known as RJR (Radio Jamaica and Re-diffusion).

Rediffusion carried RJR’s programming to subscribers throughout the nineteen and a quarter (19 ¼) hours of planned radio broadcasts each day, and continued throughout the night after radio “signed off’ at midnight carrying uninterrupted recorded music. The Rediffusion service was discontinued in 1968. Throughout this period and into the 1970s, RJR was owned by the British Rediffusion group.

August 1951 also saw the station’s move from Seaview Avenue to its current location, the iconic “Broadcast House” at Lyndhurst Road. By 1953 frequency modulated (FM) transmitters were installed at Coleyville and Tinson Pen, making Radio Jamaica the first radio station in the British Commonwealth to broadcast regular scheduled programmes on the FM band.

RJR was mandated to cover the entire island with radio broadcasting. Initially, about 200 wireless receiving sets were set up in designated listening posts around the island, at schools, police stations and village stores, where Jamaican radio became a social phenomenon. Radio Jamaica’s licence was also the first commercial radio licence in Jamaica allowing, for the first time, for the station to sell advertising

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An early studio newscast presented by a young Dorothy “Dotty Dean” La Croix

Winston “The Whip“ Williams interviews a member of the public during an RJR outside broadcast.

time.

Primary source RJR became the nation’s primary source of communication through programmed music, regular newscasts, radio dramas, discussions, concerts and other forms of entertainment, challenging the entrenched position of the local newspapers. Eventually, when the government decided to operate its own public broadcasting station named Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Jamaica’s name was formally changed from the Jamaica Broadcasting Company to Radio Jamaica Limited.

RJR became, not just a radio station, but THE radio station. It served as a recording studio for music producers and advertisers. It became a hub for radio drama production and it always kept its name at the forefront as the

Born in the Fires of World War II most trusted and reliable source for up-to-date and accurate news.

Its programming, including shows like “The Good Morning Man Show”, The Midday News, BBC World News at 8 with its accurate time check to the second in London each morning, local dramas like “Dulcimina” and “Wrong Move” and foreign radio serials like “The Continuing Story of Dr Paul” and “Portia Faces Life” as well as its sportscasts, live outside broadcasts, parliamentary reports, discussion programmes and hugely popular music programmes saw the station remain ahead of its competition well into the 21st century. It established the tone for Sunday radio and made Saturdays “race day” for the entire island.

The nation woke up to RJR, housewives and those at home in the morning were glued to the soaps, the afternoon

was dedicated to music and youth with deejays such as Charlie Babcock, Winston “The Whip” Williams and Don Topping, and the ladies of radio including Marie Garth.

In September 1972, RJR began for the first time transmitting an FM service under the name CAPITOL STEREO (subsequently relaunched under the name FAME FM). The new station attracted a slew of youthful listeners and its leading lights, including Norma Brown Bell, Patrick Lafayette, Jeanie Hastings, Alwyn Scott, Francois St Juste, Nardia Manderson and PaulaAnn Porter-Jones became celebrities in their own right.

Setting the standard In the mid 1970s another change came to RJR as the government under Michael Manley acquired ownership of the station from

Pioneering RJR presenter producer, Tony Verity

the British Rediffusion Group and divested RJR to a range of “people based organisations” including trade unions, credit unions, farmers’ groups, professional associations and staff.

RJR became fully Jamaican owned and began setting the standard for Jamaican owned broadcast media.

The diversity in shareholding remains intact, despite movement in the ownership of the shares.

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Its ownership has been reflected in its corporate policy, as RJR has consistently been concerned with being a good corporate citizen, initiating numerous programmes to support charities and needy institutions and adopting a number of community groups and institutions as special targets for assistance.

In 1997, RJR acquired most of the assets of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation in a deal with the P.J. Patterson led government. In what was a shrewd move to preserve all that was good in the JBC, while providing RJR shareholders with an outstanding opportunity in media growth and expansion, the JBC acquisition deal has been proven in time to have been one of the wisest decisions

by RJR Chairman Lester Spaulding and former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.

RJR renamed JBC-TV as Television Jamaica (TVJ) and JBC Radio 2 as HITZ 92 FM. A remaining Rediffusion department called REDITECH, which provided background music to offices, was expanded and developed into a new media company, now called Multi Media Jamaica Limited (MMJ). It shepherded RJR into the age of website developments, web-streaming activities and several other new media innovations, always being first in the media.

With Radio Jamaica (RJR), sister station Capitol Stereo (now FAME), MMJ and then TVJ and Radio 2 (now HITZ 92FM), the growth of the family was substantial. It was therefore fitting in 1999 to organise and remarket the entities under the umbrella of the RJR Communications Group.

Growth never stops and after 55 years of constantly reinventing and reenergising itself in 2006 RJR ventured into the cable television industry, launching its own sports channel but also acquiring two existing channels: Reggae Entertainment Television, RETV and Jamaica News Network, JNN. Now parent company Radio Beloved radio host Marie Garth Jamaica has in the family eight entities including: Jamaica News Network (JNN), Reggae Entertainment Television (RE-TV), Multi-Media Jamaica, TVJ Sports Network (TVJ-SN), RJR 94, FAME 95 and HITZ 92 FM. In 2004, RJR moved all its operations based at the former South Odeon Avenue home of JBC to Broadcasting House at 32 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston and in 2012 it moved its cable operations from Premier Plaza, also to Broadcasting House where all eight entities in the group are currently based.

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The Kindness of Others The MD’s Journey

S

omeone had laughed at me, when at age 15, I said I wanted to work at RJR one day! Getting there is a little about me, but a lot about those who opened my consciousness and helped me along the way.

My career actually started writing for the Gleaner as a correspondent in St. Mary – an opportunity opened

by Franklyn McKnight, then deputy news editor for rural news.

My St. Mary High School principal, Phillip Hamilton, introduced me to Franklyn explaining that I wrote for the school’s newsletter.

And so right after high school Franklyn agreed to coach me in the basics of journalism. Off went my career – earning me $14.80

for my first month’s pay in October 1985.

I covered meetings of the St. Mary Parish Council for the Gleaner and there I met RJR correspondent, Harold Bailey. After about a year writing for print and as I listened to Harold do his radio stories, I became even more interested.

I tried to understand radio from the outside, practicing to read a newscast on every newspaper I could find.

Then, a classmate of mine, Andrea Williams, invited me to work with her at Radio North East in Ocho Rios, where since we left school, she had been allowed by Connie Witter to be a trainee announcer. The day I went to RNE I became possessed about working in a radio studio.

Working in media was always my dream career!

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Collect Call At a parish council meeting in Port Maria later, a former mayor, Noel “Bishie” Walker led a walkout protesting the poor roads and when the police took him into custody I knew it was big news. When I looked around Harold was not there for RJR. I ran to a pay phone and placed a call to RJR. “Collect call from Gary Allen in Port Maria” announced the operator.

his trademark toothpick in his mouth and a pencil behind his right ear.

“Welcome to the university of life,” he said.

I didn’t understand then, but I was to learn many life lessons from Terry on industrial relations, union unrests, the history of the labour movement and the political facts and factors of

Rookie reporter Gary Allen on location

Gary Allen in the recording studio

The doyen of the newsroom was a man who, on my first morning, called me over to his desk, stacked high with newsprint and just enough space for his green typewriter in between. He introduced himself as Terry Smith. “They call me T-rome,” he said, with his mostly white hair sticking up towards the roof. He had

Enlightening Ms. Mowatt got me enrolled into a USAID fellowship that took me to the University of North Carolina’s Journalism School, The Management Training Institute in Washington DC and on a visit to the IMF in early 1988. This seemed like another big dream but I absorbed everything I possibly could.

“I don’t know a Gary Allen,” the stern female voice declared from the other end. The charges were accepted and the lady immediately asked, “Who are you? “What is the story” “Did you write it?” Luckily I did. The story would make the midday news and my radio journalism career started on a chance meeting of News Editor Janette Mowatt who introduced herself at the end of the call. I was later paid $40 for my first radio story.

Not long after, Harold migrated and I became both the Gleaner and RJR’s correspondent for St. Mary.

A few months later Ms. Mowatt told me about a trainee rewrite editor position.

I grabbed the opportunity, packed my bags and came to Kingston as a boarder and “a frighten country boy that come to town,” as one of my peers joked. I started full time work on October 20, 1987 with journalists such as Jennifer Grant, David Ebanks, Bobby Fray, Stafford Perkins, Gillian Haughton, Patrick Harley, Michael Sharpe, Michael Bryce and others already there. As sharp as they were, they were all under the rule of News Editor Mowatt.

That night when he was heading for the watering hole at the RJR Sports Club, I noticed he had a limp and walked with a cane. As I looked on, he turned and caught me staring. “What you drink?” he asked. “I don’t drink,” I replied. “Come, a goin’ have to teach you that too,” he said.

the day. From him I learnt as well, the harsh reality that your story is not fit for the bulletin, until it is properly written.

I cried that day when Terry edited my first story. It took me more than five tries to get it right. I eventually got it into the next day’s midday newscast.

Back in Jamaica, between Ms. Mowatt, Terry and Jenifer Grant I started reporting, did news features, co-hosted the Sunday afternoon programme, “Exposure”, worked on a monthly programme called FlashBack, walked the streets asking people questions for “Road Beat” and eventually worked as a duty editor.

I remember after reading my first newscast, Ms. Mowatt called and said, “Thank you for not butchering the news, but you need a lot more work!”

She sent me off to cover my first overseas assignment – the impact of Hurricane Andrew on the Bahamas, then on South Florida.

Later, as Ms. Mowatt retired and after a brief stint by David Ebanks as executive editor, Jennifer Grant became news editor. Michael Sharpe and I were her assistants.

During this time news commentators such as Peter Abrahams, Omar Davies, Delroy Lindsay, Ted Dwyer

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THE MD’s JOURNEY

almost three decades in the media, one other person has been there. At RJR, CBU, CANA, CMC and now back at RJR, Lester Spaulding has always been in the leadership of all the companies for which I have worked (except for the three years I spent at CVM).

The late Hugh Croskill (left) with Olivia Grange, Edward Seaga and P.J. Patterson

His stable hand and his shrewd business approaches have been reassuring in all these organisations. And, although it was not until my role in CMC that I worked closely with him, the respect I have developed and which others share, make him an exceptional media management professional for which he has been formally acknowledged in the Caribbean Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

It has been a rewarding journey so far. It is my prayer that Radio Jamaica remains steadfast on this upright path of building media, media professionals and our country for more than another 65 years to come.

and Omri Evans would come to the newsroom to debate and proof read their news commentary scripts and they engaged in discourse that always enlightened me. They all shared, willingly and insightfully, helping us in the newsroom to critically think about what we were reporting.

I am indebted to them.

I was also guided by the professionalism of news readers such as Erica Allen and Megan Thomas who demonstrated a poise and skill in news reading that few others had. They maintained the credibility for which RJR News is lauded.

Rewarding Journey As Jennifer proceeded on leave one summer, she recommended to Hugh Crosskill (then at the Caribbean News Agency) that I could fill in for her as Kingston correspondent for CANA. This opened my eyes to regionalism. Crosskill guided me in the art of writing for regional and international audiences.

Barbara Gloudon and Gary Allen in dialogue

It was an honour for me therefore, when Hugh left CANA for the BBC Caribbean Service in London and I was successful in being the Kingston correspondent for the BBC. I followed Hugh’s earlier path to Barbados and worked for the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, CANA and the Caribbean Media Corporation. One high point of that nine-year stint was working with Hugo on the first US/ CARICOM Summit in Barbados when President Bill Clinton met the region’s leaders.

Looking back through the years, it is clear that I owe any success I have to these many mentors, colleagues and managers already mentioned. However, in reflecting on

J.A. Lester Soaulding, Michael Sharpe, Edward Seaga and Janette Mowatt

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ICONIC RJR PROGRAMMES Dulcimina ‘Dulcimina’ – a sensation when it was inaugurated as the first radio drama serial (“soap opera”) using the Jamaican language, all Jamaican actors and Jamaican characters. At its height of success, the Elaine Perkins penned programme surpassed all others as the top soap on radio in Jamaica and Cyclops (who passed away earlier this year) and Presser Foot became family members of virtually all Jamaican households.

The Continuing Story of Dr Paul and Portia Faces Life ‘The Continuing Story of Dr Paul’ and ‘Portia Faces Life’ both ran for decades on RJR as the most popular foreign ‘soaps’.

Alan Magnus interviewing former police commissioner Herman Ricketts

The Good Morning Man Show ‘The Good Morning Man Show’ first hosted by Desmond Chambers and then Neville Willoughby before current host Alan Magnus has outlasted all other non-news programmes.

Sunday Contact ‘Sunday Contact’ hosted by Ralston McKenzie became an iconic Sunday show featuring greetings from around the nation.

The Colgate Cavity Fighters Club

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‘The Colgate Cavity Fighters Club’ became the model for the involvement of children in radio. It was hosted at different times by Marie Garth, Neville Willoughby and Pat Gooden.

Beyond The Headlines ‘Beyond The Headlines’ is a no-holds barred discussion show, which looks at current events and their effects on Jamaica.

Sports Call Pipeline

‘Sports Call’ inaugurated sports talk radio with host Ed Barnes and has won multiple journalism awards for RJR.

‘Pipeline’ Neville Willoughby’s influential evening entertainment programme featured in-depth interviews and an informed look at Jamaican music and culture.

Interestingly, many of these interviews have been released on albums, including interviews with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Stevie Wonder and Third World,

BBC News at 8 ‘The World at 8’ RJR’s major evening newscast

Nominees for the 2009 Sports Awards

The RJR Sports Foundation’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ‘The RJR Sports Foundation’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards’ has allowed for the continuation and growth of this seminal sports event which began in 1962 (for 1961).

Visiting British journalists with Barry G (front left)

Afternoon radio ‘Afternoon radio’ with Winston ‘The Whip’ Williams, Don ‘El Numero Uno’ Topping, Barry ‘G’ Gordon and Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess ruled the airwaves with current music, interviews, games and entertainment features.

Thelma Porter, former RJR news reader

News Commentary ‘News Commentary’ featuring analysis from luminaries including Peter Abrahams, Omar Davies, Bobby Fray, David Ebanks, Delroy Lindsay and others was an incisive look at stories in the news from different perspectives.

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J.A. Lester Spaulding RJR Board Chairman A Half Century of Experience for the Man at the Helm Q: RJR is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2015, when did you join the company and what have been your major personal milestones?

A: Radio Jamaica Limited was a subsidiary of the foreign publicly owned British Electric Traction when I joined in February 1965 as accounting clerk (fresh from PriceWaterhouseCoopers). I rose to chief clerk (the British equivalent of chief accountant) in 1968. The Jamaican Government bought the company from the British in 1976 and I was promoted to managing director on April 1, 1978. I became chairman of the Board of Directors in addition to being MD in 1994 after the company was listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. I retired as managing director in 2008. I continue as non-executive chairman to date.

Q: Looking back over the life of the company, what would you choose as the most significant media developments?

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and RJR Board Chairman J.A. Lester Spaulding sign agreement for the purchase of JBC assets.

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A: I would group them as: 1. Technical Advances The creation of a mass media station from ZQI in 1950 to an AM radio service and Re-diffusion wired service; 2) the expansion of our FM carrier signal for our AM broadcasting, creating the first full FM broadcasting system, giving the public higher fidelity; and 3) launching a second FMonly channel, Capitol Stereo, in the early 1960s.

Proud of our Chairman: A group of managers and directors celebrate with Chairman J.A. Lester Spaulding after he received a “Peer Award” for his outstanding contribution to media in the Caribbean September 2006. Back row from left: Stephen Legister (former director of technology strategy), Alan Wright (former director of marketing). Hol Plummer (former manager and board member), Gary Allen (managing director), Carl Domville (director) and Hector Dietrich (former deputy chairman) Front row from left: Andrea White (former marketing executive), Kay Osborne (former general manager – TVJ), the late Dorothy “Dotty Dean” LaCroix (former programmes manager/announcer and board director), Patricia Robinson (retired board director), J. A. Lester Spaulding, chairman, Judith Bodley (former station manager RJR 94FM).

2. Licencing and Identity In the year of independence, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) established competitive radio broadcasting with an AM radio station and a black and white television service called the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC).

The first competitive move led us to change our Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBC), owned by Rediffusion, to Radio Jamaica Limited plus the ongoing Rediffusion service, hence RJR. RJR closed the outmoded Re-diffusion wired service in 1968.

Resulting from the GOJ’s demand that media be owned by local investors and public based institutions, the GOJ bought the British owned company, Radio Jamaica Limited in 1976.

3. Becoming a Public Company In 1980, in keeping with the social thinking of the era, RJR was converted into a company owned by mass representative organisations such as cooperatives, workers’ unions, staff, and the GOJ. Organisations acquired shares on special credit terms to facilitate purchase over time.

The public listing of the company RJR on the Jamaica Stock Exchange occurred in 1991 through the sale of the GOJ’s 25.1% holding.

4. Political/Social Roles and a Crowded Field There was the GOJ’s deliberate policy to diversify media ownership, which led to a rapid change in the market share for RJR. The GOJ did not grant Rediffusion’s application for the creation of a television service in the late 1950s, nor did it grant RJR in the 1980s.

RJR finally entered television with the purchase of JBC Television and its Radio 2FM licences in 1997, with the stipulation that we keep broadcasting during the construction of new facilities.

We moved into our state of the art facilities in 2004 after building the country’s first Standard Digital Television facility.

5. Expansion and Modernization Constantly expanding into additional media delivery forms, since the turn of this century, we purchased cable channels RETV and JNN, created TVJSN and now the ubiquitous 1Spot Media, to arrive where we are today.

6. News Highlights Our audiences would recall us covering big moments in history – the extensive coverage of visits of Royal personages, Heads of State, political campaigns and elections, high profile deaths including Bob Marley’s, and some of the great sports triumphs we enjoyed. We have always been Jamaica’s key source for world events such as the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, the fall of the Soviet Union, the election of the first black US President and others.

Q: The biggest of Jamaican media personalities have come through RJR – who are some of the people you would say have had a signal impact on the course of broadcasting through their employment with RJR?

A: Those that come to mind are our Good Morning men Desmond Chambers and Alan Magnus, and our call-in show hosts Barbara Gloudon and Mutty Perkins; Charlie Babcock, Barry G and Don Topping revolutionized afternoon radio. Noteworthy also were Dorothy La Croix and Marie Garth in morning radio, Leachim Semaj as Night Doctor, and Phillip Jackson with “The Verdict is Yours” in nighttime radio. Peter Walker as Man in the Street and Brim Brimble, both sports presenters also stand out.

Q: Most times people do not hear about the true heroes in industries; who would be some of the main unsung heroes in RJR? A: The true unsung heroes, to my mind, were the engineers led by Walter Matthews, Desmond Wilkinson, and Carroll Lawrence, assisted by Earl Toyloy and of more recent vintage Lloyd Bolageer, all of whom travelled out night and day, assisted by others such as Errol Dobney (Rock Hall) to keep the transmitters on air through fair and bad weather. Also to be admired were the studio and outside broadcast operators such as Lloyd (Sticky) Parkes and Leighton Anderson, who stopped at nothing and with great pride to accomplish broadcasts in difficult circumstances often with unsophisticated equipment.

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MAN AT THE HELM Of more recent vintage are Leon Lyons (Flato), now retired; and Cummings, still on the job, to name a few. One can’t forget marketing whizzes Peggy Samuels, Phyllis Weller, and Maurice Fernandes; news directors JC Proute and Janette Mowatt; editors and reporters Clifton Segree, David Ebanks, and Moya Thomas, and IR specialist journalist Terry Smith.

Other heroes are administrators Geoffrey Morrison and Fred Richards of Re-diffusion, Reditech managers in charge of the momentous Re-diffusion’s wire service expansion outside the corporate area into Highgate; administrative managers Lloyd DePass, Gloria Matthews, and the exacting Rupert Hartley.

Finally, programme directors such as John Colley, Howard Clarke, and Hugh Wong set the format for RJR on which we still build today. We had top drawer chairmen and directors such as Douglas Judah, Peter Abrahams, and Rev. C.

Evans Bailey. We should recognise that Radio Jamaica Ltd has had over 65 directors since 1977; people like Charles daCosta, K. H. Ivan Levy, Pat Robinson, Karl Lewin, and Hector Dietrich come to mind, in addition to those who are still serving.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with your shareholders and the shareholder meeting experience?

A: Fair. I see them and they see us, by and large, as an extension of their families and shareholders who will even forgive a lesser return on their investment than from say, a financial institution, because they want to be part of our important public service. If I had to do it over again, I would seek the effort to embrace stockholders as people and partners, even when it was difficult to pay a satisfying return financially.

Q: What do you see as RJR’s biggest challenge(s) for the next 25 years?

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A: We must expand into the new media platforms for content delivery, but this has to happen while we stay afloat in a stagnant economy of little growth.

Q: What would be your charge to the Board, the management and the staff of RJR at this time?

A: Stay committed to our tradition of responsibility for Truth, Integrity, and Quality, and don’t take a successful tradition for granted. Experiment with new things, while maintaining a true Be creative, don’t moral compass. depend only on what people/audiences say they want but be innovative and nimble, doing something new and different every six months or shorter, and make a lot of noise about it; otherwise your efforts and deeds will be lost in the increasing cacophony of noise in the market and society. Be creative leaders!

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ENGINEERING

Engineering the future of broadcasting in Jamaica

BY MARK THOMPSON

Engineers Melvis Cummings (left) Albert Williams and Neville Fung

T

he crisp, clear audio flowing from radios locked on RJR 94FM, FAME 95FM and HITZ 92FM and the excellent picture and sound quality on television sets tuned in to Television Jamaica (TVJ), Reggae Entertainment Television (RETV), TVJ Sports Network (TVJSN) and Jamaica News Network (JNN) represent broadcast engineering at its best at the RJR Communications Group.

The media giant has established a solid reputation for maintaining consistent service delivery at the highest standards across all its brands. Much of this success can be attributed to the team of experienced broadcast engineers and professionals who are committed to delivering optimum viewer and listener experiences.

According to Melvis Cummings, chief engineer in charge of operations at the RJR Communications Group, the core function of the engineering department is to provide technical expertise for the delivery of signals based on international standards.

“Broadcast

engineering

is

operating and maintaining the equipment used in television and radio broadcasts.

We ensure that the broadcast signal and the equipment and systems responsible for sending it are in excellent condition,” stated Cummings.

Elaborating on the scope of work that falls under the umbrella of broadcast engineering, Cummings noted that tasks also include installing and testing new facilities and equipment, outside broadcasting, troubleshooting technical faults, and mitigating the loss of service due to equipment failure by quickly implementing solutions. He noted that it was also important for broadcast engineers to keep abreast of the constant changes in technology in the industry, while adding information technology (IT) competences to their skill set.

“We constantly strive to make our system more efficient, and we try to utilize the appropriate new technology to deliver the strongest and clearest signal in the most cost effective way. That is very important, so we try to stay ahead of the curve and on a platform that allows us to always be ready for change.”

about

24 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

IT-based platform Addressing the transmission process at RJR, Cummings explained that a digital system is used, which is converted to analogue at the backend. The media entity has 14 transmitter sites across Jamaica, with TV and radio being amalgamated at certain locations “The daily operations of our system here is all IT-based on a computer platform.

In our subsystem, we use studio to transmitter links for radio, but we also have the option of using an IT-based medium to deliver the signal. We have a radio unit that talks over IP [Internet Protocol] by using an IP address. Then it talks to a different site and using that, we can come back in to the studio. That is how we do some of our broadcasts for TV. We shoot to a site and all we do is patch it back straight to here,” stated Cummings.

He explained that once a signal is taken from studio, it goes to the IT-based system in the technical core, and from there an IT protocol transmission for the microwave system is used to hit two different sites at the same time by deploying two different

antennae. This then transmits to other stations as the signal “daisy chains” around the country to provide broadcast coverage. That microwave link is part of the IT platform. He added that this IT backbone can also be used for outside broadcasts as an alternative to using a radio unit to come directly into the studio.

important to prioritize things that will restore service delivery to viewers and listeners in the shortest possible time.

Cummings noted that RJR’s IT-based system is among the first to be implemented in the Caribbean, and it provides the convenience of being able to monitor technical issues from a central location.

“As an engineer, you always have to think quickly and turn things around quickly to avert a bad situation.

If a Old radio receivers on display at the RJR Museum transmitter is down in an area, are more than equal to the task. we try to repair it within 24 hours using our team of engineers stationed here “We do have challenges, but we accept and across the island. We try to position that this is the nature of the business. It’s ourselves to quickly activate backup a test of the mettle you are made of, and solutions to rectify such problems.” we always try to acquit ourselves in the

“From here, we can look at the entire system and know what is happening.

If something should go down, we can pinpoint where the problem is by using the computer system, so we have the management system here that allows us to do all of that,” he explained.

Overcoming challenges In a fast paced environment where things can go wrong quickly, broadcast engineers must be prepared to take swift and decisive corrective action to ensure minimum broadcast downtime. Cummings noted that in pressure situations, it is

He noted that in the age of 24-hour programming, the job of a broadcast engineer will require working odd hours during a 24-hour shift system. Things become more demanding during natural disasters, as the hours become even longer and the level of preparation heightens.

Despite the challenges, Cummings indicated that he and his team

best way possible. It can be high-stress at times, but we are up for the challenge.

We strive to maintain our reputation as the media brand of choice for the nation, so we put in the hard work behind the scenes to ensure that our viewers and listeners enjoy the highest clarity and quality.”

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Norma Brown Bell You may know her as an emcee for popular shows and events.

You may know here as an architect of Capitol Stereo and FAME FM. However, for hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans, Norma Brown Bell (NBB) is the voice which tells them which route to take and which route to avoid on their daily morning commute to work.

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Managing

the Magic Norma Brown Bell – Road Traffic Angel According to Brown Bell, this relationship, between herself and the listening public, is one of the most pleasing of her life. “It is the smiles which are the most memorable… the shouts of recognition, the waves. That is the true reward; not the salary but the understanding that you are making a difference in people’s lives, that you’re someone they depend on daily.”

Brown Bell had the background. Hailing from the suburbs of Morant Bay, she travelled to school daily with the Blake brothers of Merritone Music fame and actually never had time to become a true RJR fan. “At Wolmer’s [Girls’ School], you had to be serious about your studies and there was little time for anything else and in any case, lawn tennis was my passion at the time.”

A series of mishaps led to Brown Bell foregoing sixth form for a commercial course at Durham College before heading off to stay with her mother in New York. In America she studied announcing, which she had by then identified as the career she wished to pursue. Although she studied in the States she was never in any doubt that it was Jamaican radio that she wanted to serve, so she came home to get a job with one or the other of Jamaica’s two radio stations.

Once home, she applied to JBC for employment but her application was misplaced on the day of her interview and she decided to send a second application to RJR, where she was immediately employed. As Brown Bell tells it, when she asked Winston Ridgard why he, rather than the human resource manager was interviewing her, he replied, “We have no H.R. department.” The pioneering spirit still pervaded RJR at that time (1972) and Brown Bell was thrown in feet first as an on-air announcer.

Morning traffic In 1984 she made another move, starting as a senior announcer on Capitol Stereo under programmes manager, Don Topping. She has the greatest respect for Topping who she regards as a creative genius. “Topping had just the greatest ideas... idea after idea!” In 1987, she was

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NORMA BROWN BELL longer wanted to be an on-air disc jockey she went to Mr. Spaulding to announce her retirement but Mr. Spaulding, anticipating her move, had already made arrangements to offer her the post of community outreach officer.

promoted to programmes manager and when she had to leave the same year on maternity leave, she elevated Francoise St Juste to act on her behalf.

In 1989 she was made programmes director for RJR 94 FM. During this time, Brown Bell was asked to join the team doing morning traffic reports on RJR. The brainchild of Hol Plummer and Ed Barnes, the traffic report was presented unsponsored for the first two years and had an immediate impact.

She also began to present Thursday reports as “Girl Friday on a Thursday” to give a fillip to the traffic vibe. Brown Bell also became the voice of the ICWI “Road Angel” programme, which rewarded females who practiced safe driving skills during the morning traffic segments.

Community Outreach

NBB was next drawn into the marketing field, being asked to obtain sponsorship for RJR sports programming in the 1990s.

She had also become more and more involved in working with Angela Reid and Grace Dunn who were in charge of the RJR outreach programme, which grew Henry Stennett prepares for helicopter traffic report after the Eventide home was burnt to the ground in the tragic Barnes took Brown Bell into training fire, which took 153 lives in 1980. and in a short time she became the go-to person when Henry Stennett So when Norma decided that she no was unavailable or on leave.

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Brown Bell welcomed the opportunity and the challenge with open arms. Even with this important work that she was doing with the Golden Age Home (Cluster C), The Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CBA) and the CBA/RJR Basic School (of which she is board chair), Brown Bell is still best known as that informative and alert voice of morning traffic.

Like Magic She admits that she confounds and amazes many of her listeners with her ability to swiftly describe traffic conditions from all around Kingston and all over the island while driving around in either the OB unit or personal vehicle. To many listeners it is like magic. Brown Bell admits that what really creates this magic is professionalism, attention to detail and a string of correspondents and members of the public who pass on valuable information.

She whispers the secret that many reports are based on observations made the day before or even more previously as it relates to road closures, road work, special events, traffic changes, new signal lights or other predictable phenomena.

NBB is proud of her record of always being on time for her early morning duties and enjoys being able to surprise her listeners with her whereabouts for her first traffic report of the day. But it is not magic. It is Norma Brown Bell, true 100% RJR professional, and road angel “managing the magic”.

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“Richie B” Burgess interviews dancehall artiste Shabba Ranks

R&B star James Ingram signs autograph for fans including Norma Brown Bell (right)

RJR’s contribution

to the development of Jamaican Music The history of Jamaican music cannot be separated from the history of Jamaican radio and for over a decade that history belonged wholly and solely to RJR.

A

lthough broadcasting began primarily as a “news” outlet, it soon became evident that there was a great demand for entertainment programming, especially programming on music and drama. In the era pre-dating the development of the Jamaican studio system it was RJR which offered the opportunity to do “wire” recordings.

Numbers of Jamaicans took the station up on that offer and many local recordings were made at RJR. However, except as a spur to the ‘concept of recording itself’ these recordings were not seminal to the development of Jamaican music. That love for music and the spur to create came in large part with the advent of Redifussion in 1951.

Redifussion was in effect radio being transmitted by wire to a special unit at your home, office or any other place where a subscriber paid for the service (3 pence a day) and it introduced a unique twist to Jamaican radio. After sign-off every evening, RJR would transmit uninterrupted music programming throughout the night.

This innovation created two important phenomena.

Firstly, it expanded the audience for music of all types all around the island and inspired many Jamaicans to consider music as a profession. Secondly, it offered an outlet for local music, which had not existed before. As with drama, this included many live programmes offered daily or weekly.

Among the popular shows of the day which showcased music of various types were: the Archie Lindo and Hugh Wilson produced “Talent Parade” live from the Carib cinema and hosted by Karl Magnus; and programmes hosted by pioneering radio announcers Marie Garth, Adrian Robinson, Tony Verity, Roy Reid, Radcliffe Butler and Dottie Dean (Dorothy La Croix).

The musical range of these programmes was extraordinary and perhaps unmatched anywhere else in the world.

All in all, it is doubtful whether Jamaican music could have developed or thrived without the power of radio and without the pioneering role played by RJR in making music an essential for virtually the entire Jamaican population.

Influential exposure Jamaica sat in an ideal position to be exposed to all forms of Western music.

The British had brought us classical music and various forms of popular music. From America, our next door neighbours and from which many powerful AM stations could be heard, we adopted Southern Blues, jump blues, swing, jazz and bee bop as well as country & western and a slew of gospel styles from Mahalia Jackson to Jim Reeves.

From Cuba, the Dominican Republic and mainland Latin America we absorbed the Latin stylings of greats such as Dámaso Pérez Prado, Xavier Cugat and a host of others playing rhythms including the Bolero, the Danzon, the Rumba, the Mambo, the Merengue, the Samba, and later forms including the Cha-cha-cha, Salsa and the Bossa Nova. From the Eastern Caribbean we had Calypso and Zouk. Many of the biggest Calypso hits were in fact recorded in Jamaica and had their first airplay here, as artistes such as The Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener regularly made the trek to Jamaican studios.

The importance of our exposure to these music forms cannot be understated.

Jamaicans developed a very catholic taste in music and the fare at local hotels and live music venues was heavily influenced by this mixture. Live instrumental groups played a variety of styles, while singers were heavily influenced by the Black sounds coming out of the America south (artistes such as Fats Domino and Louis

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RJR AND JAMAICAN MUSIC

R&B legend Jeffrey Osborne in the RJR studio

Francois St Juste interviews singer Judy Mowatt

Jordan).

This background later translated into a tendency to produce local music covers of the popular radio hits of the day: Skatalites “Guns of Navarone” or “Beard Man Ska”, and covers by Alton Ellis, Denroy Wilson, John Holt, Dennis Brown, Errol Dunkley and many others, which often became so associated with the cover singer that the originals were all but forgotten.

As the 50s morphed into the 60s, more and more Jamaican folk music and music of African origins began to be also exposed on radio. It was the heyday of the Frats Quintet and the fledgling “Jamaica Folk Singers”. Again the influence on the music was substantial with many songs borrowing from the music, lyrics or rhythmic styles of these traditional pieces. Also flexing her musical muscles was Miss Lou (Louise Bennett-Coverley), who re-introduced many folk songs, which were on the verge of being lost and often sang snippets of these songs during her live and recorded radio programmes.

While the main developments in Jamaican music were taking place in the studios and through the instrumentality of the sound systems of the day, it was a development that was mainly confined to Kingston and a few other built-up towns (Montego Bay and May Pen among others). It was radio that truly spread the gospel of ska, rock steady and reggae nationwide.

Radio dominance It was radio, and primarily RJR, the dominant station of the day, that changed a music system that had little regard for

record production except to supply juke boxes and the overseas market (especially Britain from the mento days), into a nation where, by the 1970s, it was not unusual for a top hit to sell over 60,000 copies. This was astonishing in a country of around two million people. At the same time sales of 100,000 in Britain meant a solid chart hit.

Radio had in fact popularized the music and became its main promoter. It also maintained various musical niches with various styles of mellow music becoming associated with Sunday fare, others with evening music, or late night music, while the top hits of the day were presented on afternoon radio.

RJR also influenced how Jamaican music was regarded on the world stage, as the more seriously it was taken as a true world music so too did the world become more interested. While Bob Marley was still being regarded as difficult to interview and hard to understand, Neville Willoughby conducted what is regarded as perhaps the most important interview with the late reggae superstar, on his “Pipeline” show on RJR. It allowed Bob to express himself openly in a format which was uncensored and with a host whom he trusted and the result made many media giants stand up and take notice. No wonder the “interview“ was one of Bob Marley’s album.

At the beginning of the 1950s, radios were a rarity, with perhaps one or two in any community. That became one or two in any neighbourhood, then one or two in every street until by the beginning of the 1960s the transistor radio had taken over and radio became a person’s mobile device. Now your music could

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go anywhere with you. By the 1980s the advent of the “Ghetto Blaster” and other combined radio/cassette units meant that not only could you take your music with

The Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose with Moya Thomas on a visit to RJR

you, but you could also record it at any time.

Simultaneously, the advent of FM broadcasting and shows dedicated to the music of the day, many with limited advertising interruptions, meant that every man or woman’s “ghetto blaster’ became a live mobile disco allowing radio music show hosts to become superstar “selectors.” People such as Winston “the Whip” Williams, Don Topping, Barry “G” Gordon and Richie “B” Burgess became the arbiters of musical.

All in all, it is doubtful whether Jamaican music could have developed or thrived without the power of radio and without the pioneering role played by RJR in music recording and making music an essential for virtually the entire Jamaican population.

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Family of Stalwarts

By Gabrielle McDowell

Every successful establishment needs a firm and resolute team. The RJR Communications Group (RJR) has been fortunate to have a determined cadre of media professionals who have remained steadfast over the years. Through innumerable trials, the organisation has remained a pioneer for 65 years by “reaching you in every way.�

The following are comments from but a few members of the family of stalwarts. Dictated as they say by extremely busy schedules, other distinguished stalwarts include Dorraine Samuels, Donovan Dacres, Derrick Wilks, Jennifer Lyons, and Michael Bryce.

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FAMILY OF STALWARTS Dionne Jackson-Miller

Senior Producer/Presenter of Beyond the Headlines, RJR 94 FM and Presenter of All Angles, TVJ

Dionne Jackson-Miller

Dionne Jackson-Miller feels ecstatic about her endeavors through RJR. She recalled, “I started over 20 years ago at RJR as a freelance correspondent, working out of the Western Bureau in Montego Bay. After a few months, I was named Bureau Chief and remained in Montego Bay until I moved to Kingston about 12 years ago.

“In Montego Bay, I had been part of a group of people from the newsroom who began to work on Beyond The Headlines which, when it started, used to air from 10.30 p.m. to 1 a.m. We had to schedule all our live interviews for the 10.30 to 11 p.m. slot and even then, a lot of times, our guests would fall asleep on us and not answer the phone. Or someone would answer and refuse to wake the person.

friend. Once we moved to Kingston, I was working exclusively on Beyond The Headlines. After a few years, Moya Thomas, our then Head of News, asked me if I was interested in hosting a TV current affairs programme that she was developing, called All Angles. I believe in seizing opportunity (the motto of my old high school is Carpe Diem, meaning, ‘Seize the Opportunity’), so I went for it, and I really enjoy it.”

Jackson-Miller, who is president of the Press Association of Jamaica, stated: “I’ve had a good relationship with RJR and I like it here. I’ve spent almost my entire professional life so far at RJR. What I really appreciate is that the RJR Communications Group has so many possibilities for continued growth. I’ve certainly been able to take advantage of those, and I’m always looking for new possibilities for personal and professional growth.

Broadcaster, RJR 94FM and Co-host, Jamaican Morning show Paula-Ann Porter-Jones believes that RJR has impacted her life. She declared that “The majority of my broadcast career has been spent with the RJR Group first with FAME FM for 13 years and now with RJR 94FM for the past eight and a half years. I have ‘grown up’ as a broadcaster with the station and through the assistance of many past and present employees who have provided guidance and training through the years. Some include Rosamond Brown, Francois St Juste, Roger Hamilton, Norma Brown Bell and Derrick Wilks.”

Michael Sharpe

Operations Manager, JNN

“The most important thing is not to be afraid of exploring opportunities in areas outside of your comfort zone, otherwise you stagnate, and that can get boring. I can tell you I’m never bored!” She said, “Next year, all things being equal, will make 20 years since the start of Beyond The Headlines and 10 years since All Angles was created.

I can’t believe it! It’s been great so far, and I hope there’s even better to come.”

Michael Sharpe

Operations manager of Jamaica News Network (JNN), Michael Sharpe says he has contributed significantly to RJR for over 31 years. He started his journalistic career in 1984. A manager at the time, Lester Spaulding, had offered him the “lucky chance,” he said. However, it took a little more spiritual stimulation from a few others before Sharpe decided to take on the task at hand. His journey took him from television to radio.

“I remember one wife saying very sternly, “He’s sleeping, and I’m not waking him!” The late Hugh Crosskill encouraged the newsroom to create Beyond The Headlines, and he was a wonderful mentor to us.”

Jackson-Miller shared that it was a relief to her that Crosskill moved the programme to drive time at 5.30 p.m. She said, “My first co-host was Judith McLaughlin, who is still a good

Paula-Ann Porter-Jones

Paula-Ann Porter-Jones

Sharpe states, “I started out in the RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 35

FAMILY OF STALWARTS

newsroom.

I was deputy news editor and I have done many radio programmes and many overseas assignments.”

He mentions that RJR has definitely awarded him with an abundance of favorable circumstances during his years of service. He proudly comments, “31 years is nothing to scoff at...”

Francois St. Juste

morning programme on RJR. “My journey at RJR has greatly impacted my life experience. I was allowed to grow in a profession where I focused on my hobby and passion, music and entertainment. This has allowed me to immerse myself in all aspects of this industry, locally and internationally, as well as participate in the growth and transformation of the industry through radio.”

General Manager – Radio Services

Patrick Anderson Group Head of Sports, RJR

Francois St Juste

“Currently, I am general manager – Radio Services, with responsibility for the radio stations: RJR, FAME and Hitz, the Broadcast Technicians department (this runs the technical side of outside broadcasts and all the recording studios) and finally, I am in charge of the record library.

“I joined RJR through FAME FM in 1984 as an announcer. I was just completing my Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics at the University of the West Indies. In 1987, I became supervisor of the FAME staff. In 1991, I was promoted to assistant programmes manager. In 1996, I was programmes manager/executive producer of FAME FM. In 2007, I was general manager of Radio (RJR, FAME and Hitz). Since 2012, I have been hosting the Saturday

Patrick Anderson

Patrick Anderson is currently the Group Head of Sports at RJR. He says, “My journey through RJR began on Monday December 7, 1987. I was hired by programmes director, Don Topping, after being recruited by Ed Barnes.

It was a crucial time in my fledgling career. I sought advice about the move from the then JBC to RJR, and the overwhelming advice was not to leave television for radio because television has more scope and offered greater opportunities. However, maybe I did not get that memo, because I was not interested in television per se, to appear on television, but to engage television and media in general, to

36 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

bring sports to the people…a lot of sports.

“While JBC did obviously air sports, in my mind it was not enough. Outside of the major events such as World Cup Football finals and the Olympic Games – which each occurred every four years – there was a drought in between and it didn’t appear to me there was a plan to cover Jamaica’s basketball leagues, the premier league, the major league, netball, swimming or the extensive portfolio of sports covered LIVE on radio by RJR. “Remember in 1987, there was one television station in Jamaica. So my move was to get into the trenches to cover sports, and I have no regrets. I have thoroughly and still enjoy highly, the LIVE coverage of sporting events.

And when our job is done, I wish that the public will say ‘yes,’ they enjoyed the coverage and we made them feel like they were there. That is what drove me then, and still drives me today.”

Patrick Anderson says that “RJR is like a university. You meet folks from every background and all kinds and different types of experiences and skills set. My advice for any young journalist is to come and work at RJR, soak up all the experience you can, because it will prepare you fully for a successful ride in life.”

Earl Moxam

Special Assignments Editor “My formal position is Special Assignments Editor. In practical terms, I perform a range of functions which do not necessarily fall under that job description. Much of my working day (and night) is currently spent providing oversight for the news website: www. rjrnewsonline.com

“I host the weekly news review show, That’s a Rap, which airs on RJR 94 FM on Sundays, at 12:15 p.m.

“On Monday mornings (on Smile Jamaica), I do The International Earl Moxam Week that Was an analysis of some of the major international stories that made the news the previous week. In addition, I do various news stories and features for both radio and television and share in the hosting of our coverage of special events. My availability to do these stories/ features has been significantly constrained over the last two years, however, because of my online commitments.”

Courtney Sergeant

Marketer/Producer, Self Employed

Courtney Sergeant

Courtney Sergeant started out his journey in 1971, as a ‘stringer’ while attending the Brampton College. He was a correspondent in the Sports’ Department between 1972 and 1977. Sergeant says he produced good quality material and therefore received numerous assignments.

In 1976, he was drafted into RJR as a sports coordinator/ producer. He has also covered events like the Rothmans International Tennis Tournament.

Sergeant says he has worked with editors and other media professionals including Winston Manning, David

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FAMILY OF STALWARTS Ebanks, Carlton Forbes, Edward Barnes, Lance Whittaker, Michael Siva and Simon Crosskill.

Sergeant was the co-producer of the radio sports talk-show, Sports Call and producer of the programme Sports Zone. Now, he is a media liaison, and a marketer/producer of entertainment events including the Black and White New Years’ Eve Ball.

He said, “RJR has taught me about commitment and love. It has given me opportunities and I maintain a high standard of work. I take pride in my work, and in knowing and meeting people.”

Arthur Hall

Senior News Editor, Gleaner Arthur Hall detailed that in 1984 fresh out of high school, he went on to spend roughly 11 years working with the Telemar Data Entry Company that was owned by RJR. When he returned to RJR in 2002, he was in Radio as a reporter. He then moved on to being a radio news editor, and when he finally left in 2007, he was the head of TV news.

Arthur Hall

Hall has had numerous supporters.

However, the main ones were Lester Spaulding, managing director at the time, and Moya Thomas, Group Head of News when he returned to RJR in 2002. He truly believes that RJR impacted his life and that it has propelled him towards his current position. Hall said, “RJR shaped me.”

“My first introduction to media was when I joined Telemar in 1984 fresh out of high school. So all of my formative years were spent at RJR post high school... My first supervisory role was at Telemar; my first managerial role was at Telemar. When I came back to

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RJR I learned television, which I never did in school. I never did it previously... persons on television, too numerous to mention, held my hand and taught me. Most of the person who I am now has been shaped by the fire-storm at Radio Jamaica.”

Hall shared his mantra that takes him through times of hardship. He said, “My thing is, ‘Why worry when you can pray?’ That’s the approach I take to life, that’s the approach I take to media. There’s no need to worry about it.” He advises young and aspiring journalists that, “The media is a hard task master... It’s hard work...”

He says that too many young people enter into news media not realizing how many long hours they will need to spend in order to hone their craft. “It is not the glamour that you see on TV, and you have to be prepared for that...”

Committed, loyal and resilient, these media professionals have devoted many years of service in great faith.

They have paved the way for the generation behind them. They are a true source of motivation; surely those who come after them will benefit from their phenomenal legacy.

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The Dean

of Morning Radio

A

lan Magnus came to radio by an unorthodox route. Working at the Telephone Company in 1971 he met up with a friend from the newsroom at RJR for a drink and was making selections from the juke box and talking about the artistes and music. His friend was impressed with his knowledge and selection and suggested that he (Alan) should be working at RJR. He offered to get Alan an audition, which Alan agreed to, expecting never to hear from him about it again. Two weeks later the call came for him to come in and audition and the rest is radio history.

Alan Magnus — 44 years at RJR

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ALAN MAGNUS 44 YEARS OF RADIO

The Only Constant A year later Neville Willoughby was scheduled for a onemonth vacation from “The Good Morning Man” show and Alan was asked to fill in. He agreed reluctantly, as he regarded this show as the premier show on Jamaican radio and was not sure he was yet ready for that level of exposure and did not want “to spoil Neville’s show.” The month went well and was extended for a further two weeks, as Willoughby extended his vacation.

to FM; RJR became a group. Almost every scheduled programme was revamped, cancelled or modernized.

The only constant, outside the news, has been Alan Magnus in the morning.

The list of announcers who have come and gone (some to return) has read like a who’s who of Jamaican broadcasting, but the one man who has never gone away (for any noticeable length of time) has been Alan Magnus.

Now there may be outside broadcasts from locations like London, the USA and many places around Jamaica, but at 5 a.m. Alan Magnus will be on air… every morning… five days a week. He is truly the Dean of morning radio.

Magnus and Samuels worked together for two decades

Magnus was already quite familiar with RJR having on many occasions been a performer (with his singing group) on Vere John’s “Opportunity Knocks”. Later he would record a hit single, Flying Machine. So he was comfortable with the idea of working there, although quite apprehensive about working with established radio jocks such as Winston Williams, Marie Garth and Don Topping.

Alan started at RJR in April 1971, insisting that he only intended to work at RJR for a year before returning to the Telephone Company, however, that became five years and it’s now 44 years. The first year Alan was moved from time-slot to time-slot, learning the ins and outs of radio at different times of the day and for different target audiences. It was an amazing experience for the young announcer, as he rubbed shoulders with many of the pioneers of radio, such as Tony Verity, Charlie Babcock, Dottie Dean, and the incomparable newsreader, Erica Allen.

Nearing the end of that time Magnus saw Willoughby and asked him when he was returning? Willoughby replied that he was not returning to morning radio, as he was preparing to launch his own evening show, “Pipeline”.

Subsequently, Winston Ridgard asked Alan to take over the programme and he has been its host ever since.

Alan and his wife of decades Kerry Magnus

Originally it was a six-day a week programme, but in the mid-80s a decision was made to bring in Dorraine Samuels as co-host and move to weekdays only.

Magnus and Samuels worked together for two decades before the show reverted to the one man format in 2006.

During the 43 years that Alan has been on air on the “Good Morning Man” show, the media landscape has been transformed. AM transitioned

Alan Magnus, Dorraine Samuels and Simon Crosskill in their youthful days

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NEWS

RJR & THE NEWS RJR 94-FM is Jamaica’s first and primary source of news. Scientofic surveys confirms this unmistakable fact. For six decades, RJR has covered every major news story at home and overseas keeping Jamaicans informed. Here is a taste of some of the major news stories which RJR has championed over the past 60 years

RJR Election Coverage 1972: Seated around the news room table in conversation, left to right are Paul Miller, Dwight Whylie, Peter Abrahams and Frank Hill.

August 17, 1951: Hurricane Charlie roars across Jamaica, causing 132 deaths, leaving tens of thousands homeless and precipitating widespread devastation. Radio Jamaica’s transmitter at Tinson Pen is damaged. The engineering team works tirelessly to have the station back on air on the provisionally by the 19th, with full service restored the following day.

September 19, 1961: A referendum on the issue of Jamaica remaining in or leaving the West Indian Federation results in a rejection of Federation. Then Premier, Norman Manley, calls a General Election, and is defeated by the JLP under Alexander Bustamante.

August 6, 1962: Jamaica is declared Independent from Great Britain. A huge crowd gathered at the National Stadium to witness the lowering of the Union Jack and the raising of the Jamaican flag.

Early 1963: A group of ‘Rastafarians and Black American militants’ engages the police in a shoot-out in the resort town of Montego Bay, after the lawmen discover an arms cache.

Seven people are killed.

October 1963: RJR provides coverage of Tropical Storm Flora, which damages much of Jamaica.

February 1, 1964: Workers at the JamaicaBroadcasting Corporation JBC, go on strike, seeking better wage and fringe benefits . The strike, one of the longest in Jamaica’s history, lasts until May of that year.

In 1966: Jamaica became the first and still the only Caribbean country to host the prestigious Commonwealth Games at the National Stadium in Kingston. RJR provided full coverage of the Games.

October 1966: A report carried by RJR News of an arms find at the Chocomo Lawn Club, in the run-up to the 1967 General Elections, earns the ire of the ruling JLP. A writ is filed in court

42 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

to quash all further reports on the incident.

October 1968: The barring of Guyanese lecturer and intellectual, Walter Rodney, from Jamaica touches off violent demonstrations. Also at this time, widespread strikes cripple the country, with workers at the Water Commission, Fire Brigade, The Railway, Telephone Company and elsewhere walking off their jobs. The situation inspired the hit song, “Everyt’ing Crash” by The Ethiopians.

March 2, 1972: After sweeping to victory three days earlier in the General Election, the PNP’s Michael Manley is sworn in as Prime Minister.

June 12, 1974: Radio Jamaica’s operating licence is extended for a period of 12 years. “Substantial national ownership by 1977” is included among the conditions.

December 1976: In a year of a State of Emergency, the PNP under Michael Manley is returned to power.

September 1977: Radio Jamaica officially becomes a Government entity. The then Caribbean representative for Rediffusion Limited gathers members of the management team in the company’s boardroom to announce the deal.

July 1980: Hurricane Allen skirts the northeast coast, causing significant damage to crops (particularly banana) and to facilities, such as the RJR transmitters at Galina in St. Mary, and Cooper’s Hill in St. Andrew.

October 30, 1980: A violent, lengthy and bloody election campaign (over 800 dead) culminates in the General Election won by the Jamaica Labour Party with Edward Seaga being sworn in as Prime Minister. RJR reporters are, for the first time, forced to travel in unmarked vehicles because of threats and accusations pointed at the media house for its coverage.

May 11, 1981: Montego Bay is declared a city. Also reggae king Bob Marley died in Florida and is buried in Jamaica.

April 11, 1985: The former Eventide Home is destroyed by fire, re-opens later as the Golden Age Home. A fund-raising drive launched after the fire by RJR contributes $400,000 towards the rebuilding and refurbishing of the home. RJR becomes the first private sector group to adopt a cluster at the new home.

November 29, 1987: Planned Presidential Elections in Haiti are aborted, as a military junta tightens its grip on the country.

Radio Jamaica provides daily updates leading up to the election date, as well as a special live edition of “Exposure” on the day. The coverage earns the Theodore Sealy Award for News Reporting in the Press Association of Jamaica Annual Journalism Awards.

April 1988: In the continuing divestment of Government holdings in RJR, employees take up 279,000 “C” shares on offer. Under recently instituted changes in the company’s Articles of Association, individual staffers are allowed to hold up to 4% of the “C” stock.

September 12, 1988: Hurricane Gilbert, one of the most devastating hurricane (the first direct hit by a hurricane on the island since Charlie in 1951); it rips through Jamaica, destroying buildings and equipment, felling trees and agricultural crops, and leaving 43 Jamaicans dead in its wake.

March 30, 1992: Michael Manley steps down as Prime Minister due to ill health and P.J. Patterson becomes Jamaica’s sixth Prime Minister. The following year, Patterson leads the PNP to electoral victory and follows that with election wins in 1997 and 2002, the best election-winning record of any Jamaican Prime Minister.

English-speaking Caribbean team to play in the World Cup in France in 1998.

December 1997: The PNP, under P.J. Patterson, wins its third term of office in General Elections marred by controversy over the voters’ list and concerns over electoral fraud.

October 16, 2002: The PNP wins an historic fourth consecutive term in office in the General Election.

September 2004: Hurricane Ivan results in widespread damage across Jamaica.

March 2006: Portia Simpson Miller became the first female president of the People’s National Party and the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica following the retirement of P.J. Patterson. She is Jamaica’s 7th Prime Minister since independence.

September 2007: Bruce Golding becomes Jamaica’s 8th Prime Minister since independence, leading the Jamaica Labour Party to its first victory in a General Election since 1989.

January 2010: A massive earthquake in Haiti leaves 250,000 people dead and millions homeless.

May 2010: Security forces storm Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston to execute an arrest warrant for Christopher “Dudus” Coke who is wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The operation results in the death of over 74 civilians and several members of the security forces as Prime Minister Bruce Golding declares a limited state of emergency.

January 1993: On the eve of the anniversary of the 1907 quake, a 5.1 (Richter scale) tremor hits parts of Kingston and St. Catherine. The news team, each headed to other assignments, hastily regroups to provide coverage of the quake and its aftermath.

November 1997: A draw at home against Mexico caps a fairytale Qualification run for the Reggae Boyz World Cup football team, setting off national and worldwide euphoria among Jamaicans. The Reggae Boyz becomes the first

RJR News team hard at work on General Election coverage

The news hits home! Hurricane damage at Broadcast House

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 43

HOLFORD

‘HOL’ PLUMMER

All the rungs

I

f there is one person, outside Chairman J. Lester Spaulding who exemplifies upward mobility in RJR it must be Holford “Hol” Plummer.

He has climbed the corporate ladder at RJR all the way to the very top.

Plummer joined the Rediffusion Department as a technician in 1955 and in 1958 was transferred to RJR as an operator in the Engineering Department, at Tinson Pen where, from 1966-1970, RJR’s 720AM transmitter was located. Hol was there and a part of the pioneering move to RJR’s introduction of FM services, as the first such station in the western hemisphere to operate on those frequencies.

Plummer also held the position as an operator in the Programmes Department and returned to Broadcasting House at RJR on Lyndhurst Road. His promotion to producer (Programmes Department) in 1970 also saw him covering, along with Dotty Dean and Desmond Chambers,

the historic inaugural Air Jamaica flight to New York in the 1970’s. He produced “What’s Your Grouse” (Hot Line), which featured Philip Jackson, as well as Dick Pixley and Dwight Whylie who have both since passed away. Hol became known for producing outside broadcasts from outside Jamaica and there were many notable ones.

Plummer became the assistant programme director for outside broadcasts in 1980 and his creativity inspired the development of Jamaica’s first Traffic Reports. He also produced the first formatted overseas programme in Miami and did the ‘Good Morning Man’ show with Alan Magnus in New York at the JFK airport.

In 1989 Plummer also accompanied current managing director Gary Allen on assignment in Florida, producing many special reports on the ravages of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida with an emphasis on the impact of Jamaicans in the so called “Kingston 21”.

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In 1989 he was appointed staff representative to the Board of RJR on which he also served in his own right. He was made Executive Studio Manager in 1997, while still on the Board and served in that management position until his retirement from such duties in 2006. Before retiring, Plummer had another pioneering feat to achieve when along with RJR and Jamaica’s First Lady of Talk Show Radio, Barbara Gloudon they broadcast Hotline live from “Ground Zero” in New York a few days after the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Plummer eventually retired from the Board in February 2011, after serving for 21 years and four months, in a company he had joined and served for a total of 53 years. In its 65 years of existence, Hol Plummer with 53 years of service stands tall as the man with the longest service record to the company, to date.

ALL THE RUNGS

Carl Domville (left), RJR’s Board Director; Marie Garth, former announcer and Hol Plummer, Studio Manager at the 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service July 9, 2000.

IS AM HIL IS DDOLORERE PERNATIA seri in exerovi duntia vent. Ilitatque dolecto enet lam accae nobitincid eatur.

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 45

Did You Know?

They served too!

Some of Jamaica most celebrated personalities have served on the RJR Board over the years. Below are a few of them: The late Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverly, OM, OJ, MBE (Miss Lou) served for almost five years (October 1977 – June 1980). Miss Lou is the iconic Jamaican cultural, literary, dramatic and folk hero.

The Rt Rev Bishop Neville deSousa, OJ, served for three years (June 1977 – June 1980). Rev deSousa was Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay from 1973 to 1979 and Anglican Bishop of Jamaica from 1979 to 2000.

Owen K. Melhado (O.K.) served for less than three years (September 1977 – June 1980). Mr Melhado is a retired captain of industry who served at the helm of D&G and Air Jamaica, on the boards of various public and private sector entities and as an administrator at Jamaica House.

Maxine Henry-Wilson served from June 1980 to January 1981. Mrs Henry-Wilson is a former Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, and executive of the PNP. She is currently the executive director and chief executive officer of the Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission.

Richard Small served for six months (June 1980 to December 1980). Mr. Small is one of Jamaica’s most feared and respected attorneys, in many high profile cases.

Derrick Smith served for eight months (April 1981 to December 1981). Mr. Smith, an MP, is the leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives. He is also the opposition spokesman on National Security and a longstanding executive of the JLP. Troy Caine served for almost two years from December 1981 to November 1983. Mr Caine is a graphics consultant, designer, artist, 46 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

calligrapher, writer, researcher, political analyst and historian who is an executive member of the JLP. Neville James served for almost three years from May 1982 to February 1985. Mr. James is the former managing director of Island Broadcasting Limited (KLAS FM). He served for many years as a radio commentator and business executive and has had a distinguished career in media.

Olivia “Babsy” Grange, MP, served for 12 months from November 1983 to January 1984. Ms. Grange is a record producer and politician who has held ministerial responsibilities for Information, Culture, Gender Affairs and Sports and is a respected executive of the JLP. Audley Shaw, MP, served for almost 7½ years from February 1982 to July 1989. Mr. Shaw is a seasoned politician who has served as Minister of Finance and the Public Service, in the Senate and as general secretary and deputy leader of the JLP. Delroy Lindsay served for 11 months from October 1987 to September 1988. A banker, Delroy Lindsay headed the Workers Bank and the Corporate Group and was a founding partner in the Jamaica Observer.

Peter John Thwaites served for over a year from October 1989 to November 1990. Mr Thwaites is the chairman of “Crime Stop, a director of Seprod and has served the PSOJ and the JDF. Sandra Minott-Phillips, QC, served for over two years from August 1989 to December 1991. Mrs. Minott-Phillips is a highly respected lawyer, author and long-standing member of the Council of the Jamaican Bar Association.

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 47

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1spotmedia is the RJR Communication Group‘s Over The Top Television (OTT) service, that offers the television and radio brands, Television Jamaica (TVJ), Reggae Entertainment TV (RETV), Jamaica News Network (JNN), Television Jamaica Sports Network (TVJSN), RJR94FM, FAMEFM, and HITZFM, in one spot, everywhere and anywhere in the world. 1spotmedia provides live stream and video on demand (VOD), Jamaican content to viewers and listeners around the world.

1spotmedia is the newest strategic business unit of the RJR Communications Group and represents the vision to make the Group’s highly demanded media content available to global audiences.

The service was released on January 15, 2015 and has been steadily growing even without full promotion The platform provides a delightful experience, with ease of use for all viewers and listeners on all modern devices – laptops, PCs, iPads, tablets and android telephones. The site allows visitors to browse the media content of the RJR Group, register and experience some of the best Jamaican programmes long after their first airing, or subscribe and access the full range of the RJR Group’s radio and television content, all on one interactive platform.

Access to 1spotmedia on tablets and smartphones is made possible with the 1spotmedia app, available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The streaming service of live

channels is free to viewers in Jamaica.

The live streams and all VOD archival content is available at a monthly cost of US$9.99 to subscribers all across the world.

The platform is a collaborative project between the RJR Communications Group and Unified Video Technologies (UNIV) in the United States using cutting edge technology in the globally trendsetting OTT landscape.

The platform will eventually offer geographically targeted advertising options in the form of pre rolls on the live streams and VOD content as well as commercial insertions in the commercial breaks in streams outside of Jamaica. Additionally, other channels interested in joining this platform can be added.

Championships, the JAAA’s Jamaica Invitational Track Meet, the UTECH Classic, and the JAAA’s Senior National Athletic Championships.

1spotmedia represents the future for the delivery of Jamaica and Caribbean content internationally, and the promotion of Jamaican and Caribbean cultures and lifestyles. In an increasingly globalized business environment, 1spotmedia also provides a platform for local businesses to reach global audiences with their message and products.

This innovation creates opportunities for increased organizational efficiencies in content creation and use. New doors are also open for independent programme producers, for the development of indigenous programmes. Importantly, 1spotmedia represents the first online full service content delivery for the Caribbean and a new revenue stream for the RJR Communications Group.

Also released this year as a part of the OTT offering is the portal 1spotevents. com which allows for the specific monetization of content via 1Spotmedia represent the future for the Pay per View delivery of Jamaica and Caribbean content offerings. internationally and the promotion of Jamaican Already in and Caribbean culture and lifestyle. In an 2015, pay-perview (PPV) increasingly globalized business environment, events were 1Spotmedia also provides a platform for local made available business to reach global audiences with their for the annual message and products.

ISSA Boys and Girls Athletic

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 49

An Inside Look at Outside Broadcasting

BY MARK THOMPSON

Outside Broadcast Unit at Caymannas Park in the days of wired broadcasts

With decades of unrivalled experience underpinned by the savvy deployment of leading edge technology and an unwavering commitment to the highest standards, the RJR Communications Group continues to elevate the delivery of outside broadcasting services in the local and regional electronic media landscape.

The media giant has established a strong reputation for surpassing expectations in its execution of outside broadcasts (OBs), which are generally defined as television or radio programmes produced away from a purpose-built studio. An OB is typically used to broadcast live events such as marketing/promotional activities, sports, festivals and breaking news.

50 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

Francois St. Juste, the RJR Communications Group’s general manager for radio services, noted that the media entity has mounted successful OBs in a variety of locations across town, in rural areas and across the globe. When he curiously added above the earth as an OB location, it immediately begged an explanation, which he readily provided.

“We did a very special OB from a balloon that was a couple hundred feet in the air.

I was actually a part of that in the early days of FAME FM. The main point that I’m making is that we can do an outside broadcast from anywhere once we can have a signal connection.”

The early years In the decade of the 1970s, despite the many advances in technology, broadcasting was still a rugged frontier in many respects. Leon Lyons, who worked with RJR from 1971 to 2009 in areas such as studio engineering, information technology and technical systems administration, can recall a time when OBs were far from easy to execute. He described an early era when the desire to broadcast from locations of varying distances outside the studio was constrained by the technology of the day. “The technology was pretty simple back then and we had our fair share of challenges. A lot of things remain the same in terms of production, but it is really the improvement in technology for transmission and better quality equipment that is really making the difference today,� Lyons stated.

The use of Very High Frequency (VHF) transmission links in the 1970s initially confined OBs to locations around town, as the technology was primarily suited for short-distance terrestrial communication. Lyons explained that for a horseracing radio OB from Caymanas Park, a technical operator would have to travel to the location in a special van equipped with a studio link transmitter with a telescopic antenna.

RJR team preparing for an Outside Broadcast

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 51

OUTSIDE BROADCASTING

“Because the process was so cumbersome, we had to be on location hours ahead of the actual broadcast time to set up cables and run studio tests. Transmitters could not run off batteries so lack of access to power meant no broadcast,” he said.

Lyons pointed out that back then, RJR only had two transmitters available for OBs. After initially using the second transmitter as a backup, he noted that the decision was made to do two broadcasts at different locations on the same day in order to derive more revenue from sponsors/clients.

Sometimes the situation was tricky, because things could easily go wrong.”

The growing popularity of OBs pushed RJR to expand its range of coverage beyond Kingston, and Lyons Crowd at FAME Road Party Outside Broadcast

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OUTSIDE BROADCASTING in attendance at the location.

“Those are the two main ways that we do it technically…we take all the relevant equipment to the location and send the signal back to the studio, which then rebroadcasts it out in the same way that we broadcast programming from within the studio. This is typical process of an outside broadcast for radio,” St. Juste explained.

He added that with the advent of more modern equipment, they are now able to do small scale outside broadcasting for radio using one person with essentially a phone and a battery pack. This eschews the need for extensive equipment and a large team.

Leon ‘Flatto‘ Lyons, who worked with RJR from 1971 to 2009

explained that this step involved renting broadcast lines from the Jamaica Telephone Company (JTC).

This process had its challenges, as it was also cumbersome and incurred expenses. In the event of inclement weather, the chance of getting a clear line was significantly diminished.

Despite the many challenges, Lyons asserted that RJR was able to develop quality control systems through prudent human resource management, which facilitated a high success rate for OBs. Coupled with the improvements in technology that resulted in broadcast lines being superseded by telephone lines with compatibility to mixers, a new era was ushered in for outside broadcasting.

Modern Radio OB St. Juste explained that today, radio OBs are mainly done using a transmitter to send the signal directly back to the station, or by routing it through a telephone line using Comrex broadcast equipment.

He also spoke to the growing use of 3G and 4G mobile telecommunications technology to facilitate transmission from the field back to the studio, and mentioned the options of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines and satellite for international broadcasts.

Quality personnel Much of the success of an OB is predicated on the quality of the personnel involved, and according to St. Juste, the RJR Communications Group has a very competent cadre of professionals who consistently deliver outstanding work. These employees include engineers, producers and announcers. “We really do have very competent people who can deliver a flawless and successful outside broadcast,” said St. Juste.

He described a successful OB as one that allows listeners and viewers at home to fully appreciate what is taking place at a location by delivering an immersive experience.

He added that an OB is also considered successful when it meets the needs of a client or sponsor as it relates to the dissemination of specific information, and thoroughly engages the live crowd

Pioneering innovation While acknowledging that outside broadcasting has evolved over the years, St. Juste asserted that RJR has managed to stay ahead of the pack by riding on the crest of the wave of innovation.

“I’m not really trying to brag here, but pretty much every innovation in radio and broadcasting in Jamaica has come from the RJR Communications Group. We were first on the scene, and by that fact, we became the most experienced in the market. We have embraced new technologies in our broadcasting suite, and the various approaches to outside broadcasting have, for the most part, come through our innovation and acceptance of technology,” stated St. Juste.

St. Juste recalled some of the more memorable OBs that reflected RJR’s pioneering spirit, such as the previously mentioned hot air balloon adventure, a live big band performance featuring Sonny Bradshaw, the longstanding morning traffic updates and reporting from Ground Zero after 9/11. In the case of the latter OB, RJR was the only Jamaican radio station that was in New York after the calamity.

Reflecting on RJR’s stellar record, St. Juste commented that while executing successful OBs has largely become routine, the media entity is constantly striving to raise the bar and exceed expectations.

“We continue to be the innovators in outside broadcasting. It is a lot of hard work, and we remain committed to surmounting all the challenges. We pride ourselves on not only being the nation’s station, but also on being a global station that with people and places all over the world.”

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 53

Jennifer Delisser-Lyons

The

By Ruth Chisholm

All hail the librarians! They are the brilliant guardians and organisers of cherished precious content.

J

ennifer Delisser-Lyons is the stellar supervising librarian in the records library at RJR. For over 40 years she has been undoubtedly the keeper of some of your favourite songs that have flowed through the airwaves into your kitchens on a Sunday afternoon or while you were getting ready for that hectic work day. And of course, she loves the music.

As the librarian, her job included sourcing or procuring all the music for the station.

“We had to really prepare the music sheets for the presenters so that for every programme they had all the music they needed. Over time,” she added,” some of the presenters would prepare their music sheets themselves but we still had to ensure all the music was available.

The music sheets are very important, especially for copyright purposes. We had to make sure that any programme that was recorded here or offsite was organised and ready for use at the right time for every segment every day.”

Lyons has lived a lifetime and a half at RJR. She has experienced so much joy, and has been through painful losses at her workplace and “second home.” “I have met some of the music greats and have photos with people like the Spinners, the Stylistics.

I met the Jackson 5 when they came into the studio; I met Ben E. King and the O’Jays,” she said; “so many great musicians! Bob [Marley] used to come by the library too,” she reminisced. “He and others like Dennis Brown all visited the library when they came to RJR.” Her personal life also blossomed as she got married while at RJR and basked in the birth of her son during her tenure at the station. But, she also experienced the passing of her parents and lost two fellow librarians during her four decades.

Jennifer Lyons second left with RJR colleagues

Life at RJR Her life at RJR began shortly after leaving St. Hugh’s High School. “I was enrolled at Duffs because I was doing a secretarial course and a little before graduation, Newton James, who was the chief engineer at JBC at the time, asked me to sit in as his secretary for a few weeks because his secretary was on vacation.

Well, she never came back so I ended up doing that for a few months.” Lyons admitted she hadn’t enjoyed that role too much.

‘Even though many of the presenters select their own music now due to the technological advancements, the librarian’s role is still critical because everything still had to be available at a moment’s notice.’

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As fate would have it, her friend had just left JBC and taken up a position at RJR. “My friend Cecile told me of a post at Capitol Stereo [which later became FAME] as an assistant librarian.

So I applied and the rest is history,” she laughed.

After being at Capitol Stereo for about three years, an opportunity appeared. “I was

off on maternity leave and just before returning to work, Winston Ridgard, who was the programmes manager, sent me to do a professional library management course at the National Library of Jamaica.

When I returned to work I returned to RJR as the supervising librarian.

“Boy, I have been at RJR so long that sometimes I don’t need the catalogue,” she laughed. “Someone could come in and say, ‘Do you have so and so?’ I could just walk to the shelf…most times at least… and just find the music. Yeah, I have been here that long. I remember where almost all the music would be.”

able to accommodate the 45s or the LPs.” Lyons said even though many of the presenters select their own music now due to the technological advancements, the librarian’s role is still critical because everything still had to be available at a moment’s notice.

Regardless of how the times have changed Jennifer Lyons with world famous singing group the Stylistics Critical role she remembers the Over the years she has tried to keep up fun. “We used to enjoy with her coworkers, the eventful road with all the changes and importantly the ourselves, especially during September trips and exciting sports events. music. “I’m old school but I have to try to Remember. That’s when we chose a and keep up. We have everything here parish every year and hosted outdoor And now, even after so many years, her including music going back to the 1940s broadcasts in the different towns,” she commitment remains so sound, it is nearly and all the way forward to the current said excitedly. “Everyone came. From impossible to envision her in another role. content. We have every genre in the the technicians to the librarians, everyone library, from dancehall to pop music.” went and we had so much fun.”

“I’m a freelancer now though,” she said with an accomplished sigh. “I actually “We went from vinyl to compact discs The work-turned family-type excursions retired in 2009 so I only go in three days to now so many people play the music included “crabbing” out at Port a week now. But I’ve enjoyed it so much I the Ad_Layout computer.1 But we 10:15 still AM Henderson.

Her enthusiastic recollection couldn’t have done anything else.”

Fraser directly Fontaine from Half Page 6/24/15 Page 1 have a turntable because we have to be guided you to images of cooking crab

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56 | RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS

MILESTONES November 17, 1939 — VP5PZ makes its first official broadcast from Seaview Avenue, Kingston 10.

1940 — VP5PZ is rechristened ZQI and taken over by the British Colonial Government.

July 9, 1950 — The Jamaica Broadcasting Company takes over ZQI from the government and renames it Radio Jamaica.

Broadcast House at Lyndhurst Road

1951 — Radio Jamaica adds its redefussion service and becomes know as RJR (Radio Jamaica and Re-defussion).

August 1951 — RJR moves to Broadcast House on Lyndhurst Road, Kingston 5.

1953 — RJR begins FM transmissions at Coleyville and Tinson Pen. 1959 — In response to the founding of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation by the Government, Radio Jamaica officially changes its name to Radio Jamaica Limited.

The official ceremony marking the opening of Rediffusion service in Jamaica, on June 25, 1951. Photo shows Dennis Gick (right), making the inaugural broadcast.

1971 — Alan Magnus takes over the hosting of the “Good Morning Man” Show.

1972 — RJR establishes the first FM station in the British Commonwealth (outside Britain) RJR The Supreme Sound.

1977 — The Government divests RJR to a wide-ranging Jamaican ownership group. Douglas Judah (first chairman of RJR) resigns after almost 28 years at the helm. He is replaced by Peter Abrahams.

1997 — RJR acquires most of JBC in Government divestment.

1997 — JBC TV rechristened as Television Jamaica (TVJ)

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and RJR Chairman J.A. Lester Spaulding signs purchase agreement for JBC media entities.

1999 — RJR and its subsidiary entities become the RJR Communications Group 2004 — The RJR Communications Group opens its new state-of-the-art facility at Broadcast House to host RJR 94 FM, FAME FM, TVJ, Hitz 92 FM, Jamaica News Network (JNN), Reggae Entertainment Television (RE-TV); TVJ Sports Network (TVJ SN) and Multi-Media Jamaica Limited.

2005 — The RJR Sports Foundation takes over the staging of the annual National Sportsman and Sportswoman Awards.

2015 — RJR Communications Group creates “1SpotMedia” an integrated phone app and online subscriber service for all group media content.

Dr. Peter Phillips participates in the ground breaking ceremony for the Television, News, Sports and Engineering buildings in 2003.

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Helping the less fortunate

By Gabrielle McDowell

O

ver the years, helping the less fortunate in our Jamaican community has always been a top priority at the RJR Communications Group.

Much focus has been placed on improving the overall quality of life of our youngest and eldest members of society. Many associations have benefited from the giving spirit of the phenomenal outreach programme now directed by Norma Brown-Bell.

The lady with the keen eye for details has orchestrated the development of the company’s involvement in The Golden Age Home’s Cluster C, and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau/RJR Basic School, for over a decade.

These two main charities have not deterred RJR from assisting many other

charities and individuals on an ad hoc basis through fund-raising, discounted air-time and direct contributions.

The Golden Age Home, located at 3 St Joseph’s Avenue, Kingston 3, serves as a haven for hundreds of destitute and homeless senior citizens. Ever since the devastating fire at the Eventide Home on Slipe Pen Road in 1980, which took 153 lives and completely destroyed the property, RJR has been instrumental in the Golden Age Home rising from the ashes of the Eventide Home.

This all began at the time when a young RJR radio announcer, Carlington Sinclair, appealed for funds and mobilized donations on the home’s behalf. Arising from his appeal and the

A time of giving

fund-raising it generated, RJR assigned Angela Reid and Grace Dunn to lead its interest, as it became the major single source of funding in rebuilding a re-imagined and more purposeful Golden Age Home to replace the lost Eventide home.

The Golden Age Home has proven to be the largest Caribbean shelter, specific to this function of caring for less fortunate senior citizens. It houses approximately 403 residents, local to Kingston and St Andrew, in a serene atmosphere conducive to an overall positive existence. RJR has been devoted to its sponsorship and has dedicated itself to long-term service for the 67 inhabitants of one of the eight clusters, Cluster C.

Sharing with the elderly

Cluster supervisor, Morlene Moncrieffe, has innumerable memories from serving the Golden Age Home. She had this to say: “I really admire our sponsor RJR; they were our first sponsor. They are there.

Norma comes all the time and she knows the residents; she knows the ill... The RJR foundation is there to meet our needs instantaneously. They have been here throughout the years since 1985. We truly want to give God thanks for bestowing RJR on us. We truly love them.”

RJR receives assistance in its fund-raising from a plethora of sources, including Food for the Poor, hotel chains and food distributors. It also arranges concerts at the Home or outside and other events where performers offer their services free of charge, helping to ensure a

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 59

Lester Spaulding – the Spaulding House, which earned the winning position for the school’s inter-quiz competition held in March 2009.

Brown Bell also shared that a really proud moment for her was when the school won the INSPORTS Basic Schools Athletics Championships for the 8th time.

Laughingly she said, “I Children of The Citizens’ Advice Bureau/ RJR Basic School was on cloud nine! I just full and eventful life experience for the think we have a pretty residents. good thing running... Satisfaction is the key to this...”

The Basic School Nigel Francis, the proud principal, said: Another of RJR’s outreach programme “My love has grown for the children and is The Citizens’ Advice Bureau/ RJR people in general. I used to live nearby Basic School at 29 Beechwood Avenue, when I first started teaching here, so I Kingston 5.

It provides a quality enjoyed having this in my community. learning experience for more than 280 This is the foundation; the first seven children between the ages of three and years are the most important for further six years. The children perform well learning. I wanted to be a part of that... I in various exercises. There are three want to be the first person to contribute houses at the school, one of which is to that in a positive way.” named for the RJR Group chairman, JA

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The Missionary The indefatigable Norma Brown Bell, the RJR community outreach officer, has had close to 38 years of experience in volunteerism. She said: “I like to call myself a missionary... What I have is my love and my care for people... I just have this passion for always just wanting to help, even if it’s just one person on a daily basis.”

“Radio Jamaica,” she said, “has always been involved with outreach... This was only challenging to a point because when you’re doing something, a project, then it needs assistance...” Her biggest concern is getting people to want to care to help other people and see the work that RJR is doing and join in the service.

RJR rightly prides itself, without fanfare, in the outstanding work that it does for the community. It has displayed the real meaning behind the popular phrase, “Service above Self”.

The emphasis placed on assisting the often overlooked members of our society, shows the strength of character that lies within the entity that is RJR.

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Ralston C

M KENZIE Several lives in one lifetime

Ralston McKenzie is a broadcaster and journalist whose life has had many defining chapters. His demeanor is calm. His voice: steady and credible. He is currently the producer and presenter of Sunday Contact, a weekly programme aired on RJR 94 FM and online, that links persons with long-lost family and friends.

B

orn in the United Kingdom, McKenzie lived in Egypt during his father’s tenure as a flight sergeant in World War II. He is a St. George’s College old boy and has enjoyed high achievements in Jamaica’s insurance industry. He has won gold medals and was a four time national champion in speech and drama.

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McKenzie is also a lector in the lay ministry at St. Richard’s Church.

He has worked as a civil engineering draughtsman in the Ministry of Works and served as a medical technologist in histo-pathology. Due to a lack of funding, he could not complete his pursuit of medical studies. He later had a desire to enter the United Nations after completing his BSc in International Relations. However, fate seemed to have reserved him for his listeners and a wide media landscape.

SEVERAL LIVES IN ONE LIFETIME that all announcers got training,” McKenzie added.

In 1968, while studying at the University of the West Indies, some family friends introduced him to Hugh Wong, who was the programmes director at RJR, who lived up the street.

“He thought I sounded good and encouraged me to apply to RJR. I wrote the letter and also sent it to JBC. JBC responded first as Beverly Anderson called me in for an audition that same day,” he said. “I was employed to do TV continuity, time signals, voice over scripts, programme parades and so on.”

Significant skills According to McKenzie, he acquired significant journalism skills while at JBC. “People like Megan Thomas… she was amazing… just fantastic. She became my mentor and coached me a lot. I also got support from Joe Lewis.”

During this time McKenzie also entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s drama and speech competitions. “I won the first time I entered and taking the top prize had become a news flash. So Wycliffe Bennett said I needed to be on air. Bennett who was a distinguished dramatist and speaker made sure

McKenzie went on to work with some of the greats including Trevor Rhone, Dee Harris and Yvonne Jones. He went on to win three more gold medals in drama and speech. He also kept learning his craft at JBC. “I worked with camera crews too, doing production and outdoor broadcast.”

He was on fire and learned as much as he could to become better.

“I learned radio techniques from observing Uriel Aldridge, who was just very versatile, as well as Winston Williams and Jeff “Free I” Dixon. There were also Reggie Carter and Leonie Forbes who were quite remarkable,” he said. “I’ve really worked with some amazing people.”

RJR’s intense training

By January 1970, he had joined RJR and the training stepped up. “Howard Clarke was a senior producer there and I worked with him.

The announcers went through six weeks of intense training before they could say one word on the air. Marie Garth, Don Topping and Charlie Babcock were also around at the time.

The training was magnificent.”

McKenzie got his break on RJR doing Lunchtime Spin.

Later Winston Ridgard, then assistant programmes director, and Hugh Wong wanted a programme that

aired between dusk and dark. “They wanted to reach the young people coming home from school and to create a mood of relaxation. They were trying to come up with a name and so I suggested The Evening People Show.

That was it. With a great jazz intro and outro by Marty Paich, listeners were clued in every evening. “The show took off,” he said. From about 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. the show held the higher ratings compared to JBC’s evening programme at that time.

“I did The Evening People Show for five years. I eventually accepted a promotion, with hesitation because it meant I would be off the air. But that was how it went. You had to move up.

Henry Stennett took over the slot.”

It was an exciting time in radio. RJR had moved to FM and McKenzie was also enjoying helping with recruiting new announcers. “I remember the first time I heard Dorraine Samuels.

She was being interviewed after a beauty pageant. Neville Willoughby interviewed her and when he put the mic toward her this mellifluous voice came over. We had to have her at RJR!”

A young animated Ralston McKenzeie

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SEVERAL LIVES IN ONE LIFETIME Sunday Contact It wasn’t always easy.

When McKenzie went back to school to get his BSc he eventually took a pay cut and went to work at Capitol Stereo, which later became FAME. “I played music from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., but it was the only way to stay on air.”

He recalls a funny story when he dozed off at the controls. “You were only playing music but you still had to be alert. I remember when the operator had to run up to the studio and wake me up because the listeners were hearing the grooves.”

He laughed. “Those were the days.”

The distinctive McKenzie smile

After completing his university studies he got married and worked with Ridgard to come up with the format for Sunday Contact. “Even with the Sunday programmes I

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did, I also still did state functions and outdoor broadcasts. I had the opportunity to chat briefly with the Queen and various international heads of state. I’ve also been very involved in the newsroom.

“I’ve read the news on JBC Television and worked on the morning programmes. But, after all that, travelling and studying in the United States, returning to my family and having three years working in insurance under my belt, I went back to Sunday Contact.”

Several lives in one lifetime! That’s Ralston McKenzie. He did it all with such gusto and ambition and remains one of the most distinguished voices and media personalities Jamaica has come to know and love.

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Leadership

Sets the tone

O

ne of the notable features of the RJR Communications Group and a strong indication of why the RJR name remains respected and envied 65 years on, is its strong belief in continuity and promoting from within its own organisation.

The list of managers and executives employed to the group who started as lowly employees is legion.

In 65 years, there have been only four chairmen in charge at RJR. They are Douglas Judah (1950—1977), Peter Abrahams (1977—1979), the Reverend C. Evans-Bailey (1979—1994), and J. Lester Spaulding (1994—1997) as RJR Limited chairman, and again (1997 to the present) as RJR Communications Group chairman.

Not many corporate entities can say the same, and certainly not many whose ownership is constitutionally required to have a mix of private sector groupings, including the church and trade unions.

It is the quality of the leadership which has allowed for such a unique situation at RJR and all the chairmen, excepting the Rev. Evans-Bailey have been media people.

Even at the managerial level the trend remains the same. Senior managers Gary Cole, Francois St Juste, Yvonne Wilks-O’Grady and Trevor Johnson have each served RJR for over two

decades. Others at the managerial level including Paula-Ann Porter-Jones and Norma Brown Bell have been at RJR for decades and announcer Alan Magnus has 44 years of service to the station.

That’s a main reason why RJR continues to make seamless transitions through major changes and comes out better on the other end, while others flounder to keep up. The knowledge, experience and network of colleagues and contacts inside the media, the private sector and the public sector mean that RJR management is ready for any eventuality. However, that does not indicate that they are “stuck in the mud” or lacking innovation or creativity. They are prepared to

Vision and ideas In 1997 when RJR acquired most of the holdings of JBC, Yvonne Wilks half-jokingly said to Chairman Lester Spaulding, “We have so many entities now that we really should be known as a group.” Spaulding’s response was immediate, “Okay, let’s do that.”

Hence the RJR Communications Group!

That’s the same kind of leadership that saw FM broadcasting as the future, long before it had become popular globally.

That same leadership saw JBC-TV as an entity to be returned to its number one spot in Jamaica even while it was struggling in the mid 90s and transformed it into TVJ, the clear leader in Jamaican broadcast television.

It is that leadership which is still active today, making sure that the RJR Communications Group’s presence on the internet and across all social media is strong, relevant and up-to-date and just recently launching 1SpotMedia, the first Caribbean internet and phone app online subscription service.

Douglas Judah

change with the times and act when required. Some decisions come from board or staff meetings, others arise

out of necessity.

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It is that same vision and commitment to national development that led the group to take up the hosting of the National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards in 2006, even though at the time they were certain that it would mean a financial loss for the company. They have since turned that

LEADERSHIP SETS THE TONE The same foresight created “Contender” as one of the most successful shows on local television and a main reason why boxing here at home has suddenly become a major point of interest and investment after years of being ignored and neglected.

TVJ led the entertainment revolution with “E.R.” (Entertainment Report) and made talent shows the talk of the nation with Digicel’s “Rising Stars”.

Peter Abrahams

around, re-energizing the event and making it relevant to their television audience globally.

The group under the leadership of managing director, Gary Allen is back in the black and defying the economic doldrums, which has beset the nation for the last decade. Young fresh talent is at work at RE-TV and at HITZ 92 FM and FAME continues to maintain its market share.

In the end it is not the trickle-down effect of leadership that has been the crucial factor. It is the steady stream of new ideas brought on mainly by staffers promoted from within

Rev. C. Evans Bailey

who view themselves not only as employees but also as part of the RJR family, a very hard family to leave and a family which once acquired is yours for life.

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Honouring Sport The National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards is not only a sports awards ceremony but also a red carpet affair where our sportswomen display classy evening wear, adorning perfectly shaped figures; and our nattily attired sportsmen stride proudly across a national stage in an event beamed across the hemisphere.

When RJR decided to take up the hosting of the annual National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards in 2006 (for the 2005 awards) it was with mixed perspectives. The station was aware of the weight of sporting history that it would be representing and cognizant of the need to continue a commitment to excellence that had been engendered by the Machado and continued by the Carreras companies.

RJR Sports Foundation board members Mike Fennell (chairman, Selection Committee), Carrole Guntley and Molly Rhone enjoying the moment.

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Olympian & special guest Felix Sanchez being interviewed on the red carpet by RJR’s Jermaine Brown and Jenny Jenny.

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THE NATIONAL SPORTSMAN & SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS RJR also knew that it would be serving the sportsmen and sportswomen who were representing and had represented Jamaica so gloriously; as well as the sporting associations, which are the engines of sport in Jamaica. It was a major commitment and one entered only when it was made clear that there was no other viable candidate.

It was almost certain that at least in the first year and possibly much longer, the show would be a drain on RJR’s resources and not a money earner. To ensure the smooth running of the awards, RJR established the RJR Sports Foundation and put on its Board a wide cross section of top professionals in sport, marketing, production and tourism.

Under their guidance and leadership, RJR felt certain that not only could standards for the awards be maintained but the show and the awards could also be significantly improved to the benefit of the athletes, the administrators, the sporting associations and the listening and viewing public.

The first five years were full of teething issues and RJR came close to giving up the awards on more than one occasion, but always the deciding factor was the commitment to the national good.

No comparable candidate for producing the awards offered itself and the awards had to continue in the national interest.

Through a combination of careful planning, intensified marketing, an upgrading of the product as a live television event and closer interaction with the relevant stakeholders in the sporting fraternity, the event gathered steam and became must-see television, not just for Jamaica, but also an increasingly larger global audience. The full media resources of the RJR Communications Group were brought to bear on the awards to ensure that each year was better than the previous one and the athletes responded with more commitment to the event and more interest in the awards.

This was a boom time for Jamaican sports, with the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies in 2007 and the amazing results at the Beijing Olympic Games (2008) and IAAF Berlin World Championships (2009) in Athletics putting Usain Bolt and Jamaica firmly at centre-stage for global sport.

Now, the awards have become one of the most anticipated annual events on the sporting calendar.

It is a shining example of what RJR professionalism brings to any task and how dedicated RJR is to national development.

It may have started out with much uncertainty but the RJR Sports Foundation’s National Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year Awards is now a clear winner.

RJR National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards

Sportsman and Sportswoman nominees pose

The ‘Fab 3’ Merlene Ottey, Veronica CampbelBrown and Mike McCallum share lens time

Tony “T Rob” Robinson, Christene King, Yvonne Wilks and Hol Plummer

HITZ 92 FM’s Oral Tracy interviews Asafa Powell

RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 71

D

orraine Samuels has always liked listening to the news, not so much for the content as the delivery, as she loved to hear the news being read: crisply, clearly and with a full understanding of its importance. She recalls that Erica Allen was a particular favourite because of her outstanding delivery.

Radio in general was important to the St Hugh’s High School student, but not overly so. Mostly she enjoyed the music and listening to the newscasts.

More important at that point in her life was the drama training she received at St Hugh’s, which she credits with developing her ability to interact with people and remaining calm and professional regardless of the circumstances. Samuels was also big into music being a very proficient singer, pianist, guitarist and violinist.

In 1980, the multi-faceted Samuels entered the Miss Jamaica World pageant.

As part of the process the finalists visited RJR to record statements, which were used

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during the live coronation pageant.

Dorraine already had some experience in public speaking, including offering the Vote of Thanks at the school’s graduation exercise.

After recording her statement, she was asked to do it again. A puzzled and slightly nervous Samuels asked what was wrong and was told “Nothing. We just would like you to do it again.” She read the statement again and looked up to see a much larger audience in attendance. To her surprise and consternation she was asked to read the statement a third time. Dorraine complied and found on completion that they audience had grown even larger.

At that point she was asked if she had ever thought of going into radio. She laughed off the suggestion answering with a firm “no.” But they were persistent and asked her to come into the studio to do an audition. Dorraine said she would, after the coronation show, not expecting things to go any further.

On the night of the coronation show Samuels was being interviewed by

of the “Good Morning Man” Show) began to have short chit-chats as Magnus handed over the microphone to Samuels who followed him on air. Their synergy was outstanding from the onset and eventually that chit-chat developed into minutes of spontaneous banter between the two hosts. The unofficial segment became hugely popular with listeners to the point where, on the rare occasions when their interaction was shortened or absent, many would call in asking why they had quarreled and advising them to make up.

RJR realized they had a winner on their hands and asked Samuels to join Magnus after the 7 a.m. news in the mornings, in effect merging the two shows to create The “Good Morning Jamaica” show, which continued until “Hot Line” began. That partnership lasted for two decades and was responsible for some of the most memorable moments on air for RJR. Dorraine and Alan on air

Neville Willoughby, who said, “I understand that you speak as well as you sing” and Dorraine responded with a crisp “That’s correct.” The crowd went wild, effectively ending the interview right there as the rest could not be heard over the cheers and clamour.

Clearly they agreed that she spoke very well.

Eventually in 2004, Dorraine was asked to read TVJ’s evening newscast as she became firmly settled as the news voice of

stupor, saying that although they had never met her they consider her their friend and adding… “I want to talk to you about this, [OR] I want you to be the last person I talk to.”

“One memorable day we had a caller on the family counsellor segment of Jamaica Today and the caller said he had committed a rape and wanted to come clean and he in fact did,” Samuels recalled.

Samuels has developed extensive contacts with resource persons in a wide range of areas and does not have difficulty in guiding callers in the right direction.

Her years of experience have honed that knowledge base. “When I just came staffers would say, I have been here 10 years [OR] 19 years and I said you must be mad. Now I’m here 34 years.”

Among her most treasured experiences, Samuels tells of a broadcast trip to Bermuda during Jamaica’s independence celebrations. “It was a huge fair and arriving I saw hundreds of people clad in black green and gold. Jamaican music was playing and Jamaican cuisine was wafting its fragrance all over the grounds. It was an awesome feeling and I was filled with pride that this could happen, OUTSIDE Jamaica.”

I also dressed the part. It’s a matter of pride. I firmly believe that pride in the product and proper training should be a must for all radio announcers

RJR quickly called her in for an interview which was conducted

by Winston Ridgard.

Two weeks later she was asked to come in for another interview, this time with Ralston McKenzie. Then the phone rang for the third time, but this time to ask when she could start. Samuels’ response was: “Start what?” Start working at RJR as an announcer, was the quick response. As a result Dorraine Samuels joined the staff of RJR in January 1981 after an overseas vacation.

Outstanding synergy Dorraine Samuels’ first assignment after training was on the “Sunday Magazine” programme, after which she moved to “Jamaica Today” which followed the “Good Morning Man” show. “Jamaica Today” also allowed her to read the news for the first time on-air as there was a newscast in the programme.

In 1984, Samuels and Alan Magnus (host

RJR and of Jamaican news broadcasting.

She also did “Newsline 5” and the midday news, the three being the most important newscasts of the day.

Treasured experiences

During her time at RJR she covered the visits of many dignitaries and celebrities, including Neslon Mandela and The Pope, but regrets never having personally met Mandela or been given the opportunity to shake US President Barack Obama’s hand.

Samuels wants broadcast standards for announcers maintained.

“Don Topping gave me extensive training for three months before I went on-air and I was prepared with diction, pronunciation and delivery. I also dressed the part. It’s a matter of pride. I firmly believe that pride in the product and proper training should be a must for all radio announcers.”

For Dorraine, RJR has been many things. “It has been business. It has been family.

It has afforded me the opportunity to meet a wide cross-section of people. It allowed me the chance for a lot of travelling. In the process I have become a de facto counsellor, marriage counsellor, child psychologist and friend to thousands of listeners.”

Dorraine Samuels (second left) Alan Magnus, Amina Blackwood People would sometimes call Meeks and the late Bagga Brown Dorraine when in a suicidal RADIO JAMAICA PIONEERS FOR SIXTY FIVE YEARS | 73

Audel Simms

Driving the Stars

A

udel Simms is not just a driver. He is the heart of transportation at RJR. Simms started working at the station on July 17, 1984.

“I came from St Mary and stayed with my aunt who was a teacher at the Portmore Academy and she would never put up with there being any station playing in the house except RJR. If she came home and heard JBC playing it was all hell let loose in the house. So from very young, like it or not, I was RJR people.”

Telling the story of his life at RJR, Simms related: “I came to town in 1969 when selfreliance was the mantra of the day, so I wrote to my father in England and asked him to send me a Ford Transit so I could start my own transportation business. The bus, when it came, was not in great condition but I will always be grateful because my father gave me a start.

Ford Transit, the public transportation workhorse of the 70’s

became friends and one day I asked him if there was any work at RJR for my bus. Mr Plummer said come down to RJR and I was there bright and early Monday morning. I met with Rupert Hartley and got the job based on Mr Plummer’s recommendation. I told him I would do my best and he said that was all he asked and I have been here ever since.”

“They told me I would be transporting Alan Magnus from the Good Morning Man Show and I said; ‘What!!!’ He was one of my heroes along with Neville Willoughby, Don Topping, and Winston Williams. Alan Magnus was #1 on radio so I said to myself, if I am transporting him, I will have to be # 1 too.

“My first pick-up was Stan Reynolds who worked in the newsroom and [he] would give Magnus tidbits to pass on to the listeners. I picked up people from all over Kingston and St Catherine and I made it a point of duty to always familiarise myself with the person’s address and drive the route before the first pick-up so I would not waste any time.

Being on time was crucial.

They told me I would be transporting Alan Magnus from the Good Morning Man Show and I said, ‘What!!!’

— Audel Simms

Wake up calls

“I got a contract with York Pharmacy.

My grandmother always told me, if you don’t work you can’t eat. Mr Moodie from York Pharmacy hired me even though the bus did not look great. ‘That’s cosmetic’, he said. ‘Not important!’ I worked with York for four years.

“I used to listen to Hol Plummer on Capitol Stereo, 9 p.m. to midnight Saturdays, and called in to discuss music asking why he played so much Trinidadian music. Eventually we

Audel Simms says, “It has been great being a part of the RJR family”

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It was a 4 a.m. start every morning and sometimes earlier. I knew who of my pick-ups was always on time and ready and who had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. So some people I had to call to make sure they were up and would be ready when I arrived.

When I came to a gate, the person got five minutes to come out and then I moved on regardless. In the busiest

period it was about 15 people to pick up in the morning and about the same to drop off in the evening.

“In 1998, it got more complicated as I had to make drop-offs and pick-ups both at Lyndhurst Road and at South Odeon Avenue (JBC). At various times it has meant three vehicles on the road to do all the pick-ups and dropoffs on time. We would schedule their movements by zone. Now, by 2…3 o’clock you have to be up, waking the drivers and making sure they are on the road on time for the pick-ups.

Simms is a firm believer in the rights of the advertisers who are RJR clients.

“When an advertiser buys time he expects that the team for the show on which he has bought time will be working so we have to make sure they are there on time so the advertiser gets his or her due.”

Life lesson Simms loves to interact with live radio.

“I am a radio person, not television

or internet or phone,” and he is a regular caller to many radio shows. “It has been great being part of the RJR family. I watched people like Gary Allen and Moya Thomas come in as young people and grow with RJR, to now where Mr Allen is MD. That has been fascinating for me.

“I also had the pleasure of working with the greatest journalist of all-time, Terry Smith. His passion for his work was extraordinary. Terry Smith mentored a whole slew of young journalists and it was amazing to watch.”

Alan Magnus which provided the lesson again. Simms was on his way to pick up Magnus one morning in torrential rain. The roads were flooded and he turned off to make a detour arriving at the home late. Mrs Magnus made him feel the full force of her fury, refusing to listen to his excuses or explanations and insisting that, “there is no excuse for being late.” That is a lesson Simms has taken with him ever since. It is one of the life lessons he lives by and one of the reasons why he is still at RJR 31 years on.

Simms also spoke about the harsh conditions he had to endure at times. “I had a pick- up in Ensom City and I had to do that about 3:30 in the morning and it was mosquito infested and my Lada had no air conditioning so it was a hot, sweaty drive every morning with the windows closed.

But in the end, it was driving

Adrian Robinson presents Noel Dexter with an award for music at the annual Advertising Awards show

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Melville Harris RJR’s St Elizabeth correspondent for over 30 years

M

elville Harris’

colleagues called him the St. Elizabeth Bureau Chief. Why? This was because Harris had an enviable network of sources in St. Elizabeth and other parts of western Jamaica. “If any of my colleagues in the newsroom want information now, even though I am not travelling around the island as much and am based mainly in St. Elizabeth they know they can count on me to give them information,” he said. “When I returned their calls they knew it was because I had the information they needed.”

Harris made time for this interview just after wrapping up his faithful listening to the 5 p.m. RJR newscast.

“I made journalism my profession and I have been

Melville Harris receives the Lay Magistrates’ Association 2015 Golden Scale Award at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel

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at it for over 30 years,” said Harris, who began his career in 1976 while still at St. Jago High School.

“I was approached by persons in news at the Gleaner to do some writing. They wanted to know if I would write stories about things affecting St. Catherine. I used to play around with writing stories and I had a few friends at the Gleaner. I used this as a chance to earn some pocket money.”

According to Harris, in 1987 Alan Rickards saw him covering an event and asked why he wasn’t writing for RJR. He considered it and applied soon after for a role in the newsroom. The news editor at the time was Janette Mowatt.

“She requested samples of my writing so I submitted two articles but I didn’t get a response. That was late 1987. I thought I didn’t get the job,” he said.

“If I had to do it all over again I would still go back to RJR,” he said emphatically.

We’ve been by your side, turning dreams into reality, transforming houses into homes and changing meals into memories.

We’ll continue to deliver the quality products and services you deserve because you are the reason

we’re here.

@GraceKennedyGrp

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GraceKennedyLimited

www.gracekennedy.com

ST ELIZABETH CORRESPONDENT FOR OVER 30 YEARS However in February 1988, while in Kingston, he visited RJR and asked to speak to the news editor.

to also cover Westmoreland, Hanover and Trelawny. He roamed western Jamaica for just over a decade.

“She asked how come I wasn’t writing for them. I told her I applied but I hadn’t heard anything. And would you believe there was a cheque in the drawer for me for the two articles [I had written]. She said, ‘but it says here we have had you on since October 1987.’

So I had got the job after all!”

“When I started, life wasn’t as easy in terms of news gathering. Technology was nowhere where it is now. The Olympia typewriter and the fax machine were our best friends.”

Harris named it the ‘bung-bung’ due to the sound that the typewriter keys made. “We typed on newsprint and then faxed that to the news centre.

Or some people called in the stories.”

Harris’ voice fades as he recalls his first computer lesson, which was delivered at 32 Lyndhurst Road, Kingston. “That took awhile – the computer lessons - but eventually I caught on.”

And so Harris’ RJR journey was well underway.

Nothing but excitement

Another thing that happened shortly after Hurricane Gilbert that had Harris remembering how creative the team in the newsroom could be to make sure the news stories were prepared quickly.

Melville Harris prides himself in his work and contribution to the growth of the RJR 94FM brand

Into the fire he went with his first major assignment being the coverage of Hurricane Gilbert that same year.

“Jennifer Grant handed me a tape recorder and told me they needed stories on the fishermen in Treasure Beach and how they had been affected by Hurricane Gilbert.” After that it became all about news from St. Elizabeth for Harris.

He was later asked to fill in at the Western Bureau and in doing so travelled from St, Elizabeth to St. James sometimes three times per week. Harris was eventually asked

“It was Friday after Gilbert and the then managing director J. Lester Spaulding entered the newsroom at about 12:35 p.m. I was only there to collect my cheque and those of my colleagues in Montego Bay,” he said. “That’s what you did in those days because there was no direct deposit.”

Spaulding arrived at the newsroom to find out if there was any information coming out of the Eastern Caribbean (EC) with respect to the impact of the hurricane.

“He hadn’t heard any reports referring to the Eastern Caribbean so he had us calling people in the EC and turning those updates into news stories. Remember, this is just before the 1 p.m. news should be read,” he said excitedly.

His enthusiasm was palpable as he remembered how the day unfolded. “I was the young one so they put me at

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the stairs and there I was sliding down the railing. We formed a relay system, one reporter to another, funneling the information to the newsroom bit by bit.”

And that is how the EC news stories got included in the 1 p.m. newscast.

“Spaulding bought lunch for everyone in the newsroom that day,” said Harris.

“He really showed what we could accomplish with togetherness and I developed a great deal of respect for him.”

Fun and camaraderie Harris remembers the RJR newsroom being a lot of fun. “Everyone helped each other and we all had a great sense of humour.”

During his time with RJR he prides himself in his investigative work and subsequently his contribution to the growth of RJR 94FM as a brand.

“We did some marvellous work there.

I had the opportunity to initiate the Western Report and to also do Man in the Street, which later became the Roving Report.

He also has fond memories of persons who coached him over the years as he developed as a journalist.

“Gary Allen, Earl Moxam and Jennifer Grant were some of the people who helped me to grow. As well as the late Megan Thomas,” he added. “She was a tower of strength!”

Thomas, he said, coached many members of staff. “She spent so much time with us and helped us with techniques to help the listeners to better understand what we were saying. She was wonderful.”

Melville Harris resides in Siloah, St. Elizabeth. He is married with a daughter.

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Pernell Parchment keeps traffic moving

By Ruth Chisholm

A radio station’s programmes department needs special back up. On many occasions that back up came from Pernell Parchment, who was with RJR for a memorable 37 years.

Between 1972 and 2009, she was a traffic clerk, worked in marketing and was a programme assistant. “I have supported so many people, like Dottie Dean, Don Topping, Norma Brown Bell, Hol Plummer and Francois St. Juste.” At one point she also assisted Lester Spaulding while he worked in the accounting department.

RJR’s Pernell Parchment and Jennifer Lyons

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PERNELL PARCHMENT “I enjoyed my time at RJR. I’m happily retired now, but I had some great times while I was there.”

Parchment recalls the high energy that catapulted everyone during elections. “In those days things

were not computerized so we had to monitor the phones. The newsroom got updates feed by feed. Lots of running happened but it was so exciting. We had to prepare forms for the telephone operators…you know… so they would have the ready list of the constituencies.”

Parchment even recalls sleeping at the station. She loved the work though so she didn’t mind. “For the most part though, when time came the company would make sure you got home.”

She recalled how strict things were too. “Those days to go on air you had to have a great voice and an excellent command of the English language.

If you didn’t have that you were not allowed to speak on air,” she said with great conviction.

“My time at RJR was nothing short of dynamic. I got to try so many things. Don Topping and a few others sometimes had me do commercials.

I did some promos too.” Spinning records wasn’t really her thing though.

“I tried spinning records on a weekend but I didn’t like it very much. I preferred the other work,” she said favorably.

An outstanding moment for Parchment was “when the company went public and the staff got to buy shares in RJR; that felt so good,” she enthused. “It made me and so many others feel even more committed. We felt like after all the years we were a part of something that was really big.”

“I had had plans to be a teacher but that never happened,” she laughed. “It was all about media and RJR.”

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Corridors

of Power “I was at RJR for nearly 40 years.

I got to work with some great people, like Charlie Babcock, Norman Cunningham, Marie Garth, Desmond Chambers, Tony Verity and Dottie Dean. We were like family there!”

Topping recalled special characteristics about some of his colleagues. “Tony was all about theory and very influential among younger people. Desmond was a great impromptu person…

Desmond could ad lib,” he laughed. “He could just walk into the studio and just light it up!”

Don Topping

Don Topping ‘El Numero Uno’ Donald Topping, before becoming an independent media consultant in Florida, USA, was known for his electrifying voice that infused the airwaves. From the Don Topping Thing and the Don Topping Odyssey, to the internationally acclaimed Jazz an d Blues Festival, and numerous other concerts, Topping continues to be the consummate host and memorable presenter.

He has also held roles in Perry Henzel’s The Harder They Come and the James Bond classic, Live and Let Die. The broadcasting legend and acclaimed disc jockey is even an internationallycertified tennis umpire.

During his career with RJR, Topping had had a hand in recruiting and supervising some of the most stellar names in Jamaican radio. These included Rosamond Brown, Henry Stennett, Dorraine Samuels, Hol Plummer and Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess.

He was a grand host and was scintillating on stage. Even when there were headliners to introduce like the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Lou Rawls, Nancy Wilson and Alicia Keys, Topping held audiences in the palm of his hands, especially the ladies, with that unmistakable voice. He was regal in stature and exuded comfort and ease at the same time.

“I loved to perform,” he said, with reference to being an announcer. “But becoming a supervisor in programmes was a part of the career growth, so I

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did it.” Perhaps what Topping loved even more was the music and the ability to share it with the listeners.

Topping admits to having an enviable record collection and listening to music remains one of his favourite past times.

When he is in Jamaica he most certainly checks out the radio scene.

“Sometimes it feels like I never left,” he said. “Yes, a lot has changed still, like the use of local dialect. You rarely had that back when I was on. But there is still something familiar about it all.”

To him, radio was everything back in his day. “Radio was ubiquitous. It told people where everything was. If you were a cricket fan, that was your lifeline.

In an emergency people depended on radio. It was where you went for theatre, as you had some great radio dramas on at that time.”

And what is his advice to persons wanting to get into broadcasting?

“You have to practice your craft. I used to be in my basement with my tape recorder. You may not be as good as you think you are. Practice is everything.”

Gerry McDaniel Host of Palav As a broadcaster, Gerry McDaniel is the charming voice behind Palav, the delightful Sunday afternoon programme focused on a casual conversation with intriguing personalities.

CORRIDORS OF POWER A career in broadcasting was also fed by his various interests, including the performing arts.

McDaniel also credits Marguerite Newland and other members of the JBC Radio Central family for his growth as a broadcaster and for his general professional development.

A few words from Jamaica’s national anthem inspired the creation of Palav. “Teach us true respect for all.”

“On Palav you get to see multiple dimensions of these people. We see them portrayed one way in the news for example, but in having this casual conversation you get to hear about a whole person…the likes, dislikes, goals, challenges and the life lessons that each has experienced. People can’t be reduced to soundbytes. Palav allows listeners and me included, to see a variety of people through a different lens and to understand difference.”

McDaniel sought to promote respect through knowledge. This

His positive influencers in his broadcasting career include Dorraine

McDaniel took night programmes on radio while he had his full time day jobs. He even redefined one nightly programme By Candlelight due to the easy listening it offered and the ambiance he created.

Gerry McDaniel

became the basis of the show. Palav, now in its 11th year, has had what McDaniel refers to as “intriguing” guests. He credits interviews with Jah Cure, Yvonne McCalla Sobers and Edward Seaga as just some of the personalities that joined him for the Sunday afternoon conversations.

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CORRIDORS OF POWER Samuels, who he referred to with great fondness. “Ralston Mckenzie was also remarkable. He was calm and gave his heart to the job at all times.”

after landing an audition with FAME. He called Francois St. Juste persistently until he got an audition.

In addition to his role of leading development support communication at the World Bank, McDaniel has added teaching to his list of accomplishments as he inspires young minds at the University of the West Indies through the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication He spearheaded communication and outreach at Jamaica Foundation for Life-long Learning and has added his media and communication acumen to the tourism and health sectors.

“I started on the Graveyard Shift with Michael Thompson from midnight until 5a.m. It was a challenge yes, but the other job I had during the day gave me a little flexibility. I was able to get some rest in between and get it all done. But it wasn’t always easy.”

Jerry Davy Vibe Master His moniker is the vibe master. And can he build a vibe! From road shows, tactical community events and general media and communication services, Jeremiah Davy has developed a special brand through his company J-Werks Inter-Active. Just ask his diverse pool of corporate clients.

Davy, a broadcaster and media consultant, has added his name to a league of extraordinary media professionals. Radio came naturally and Davy’s broadcasting career began

To him radio granted him the power to reach so many people.

It was not something he took lightly so he also set out to inspire people and always made room for charity and giving back where possible.

According to Davy he had help and lots of encouragement.

“Elaine Wint Leslie helped me to grow as a broadcaster. Others like PaulaAnn Porter and Barry Gordon have also inspired me. Porter, because her speech is always spot-on and Gordon because he has managed to take radio to a different level and reinvent himself.”

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Jerry Davy

Davy never really slowed. In addition to a career in broadcasting he took on hosting at Cactus Night Club to “build the vibes” on a Friday night. He was the ideal entertainer and host and it showed everywhere he went even when he travelled with the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica’s national football team, in their pursuit of a place in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finals.

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