Radio Jamaica Celebrating 70 Years

Walking in Big Shoes Francois St. Juste Believe it or not, when François St Juste joined the Radio Jamaica Ltd. family in 1984, he was completing a degree not aligned to anything in the media, but in physics. But then again, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised since a major part of the study of physics is all about movement and energy, and François has been on the move up the media ladder ever since those halcyon days of the early ‘80s. He has spent 36 years at Radio Jamaica Limited, more than half the lifetime of the company. His mother, Marguerite St Juste, worked in media, and his father, Chappy was an iconic film and video producer and director of photography. François was invited to join the FAME 95FM team by Don Topping, Norma Brown-Bell, and Hol Plummer and quickly made a name for himself as one of the bright young stars of the FAME 95FM family. His ascension was swift. In 1987 he became supervisor of the FAME 95FM staff. Then in 1991, he was promoted to Assistant Programmes Manager, and in 1996, he rose to the position of Manager-Executive Producer of FAME 95FM. In 2007, he stepped up even more, becoming the General Manager of Radio (RJR, FAME, and HITZ). In 2012, he began hosting the Saturday morning show on Radio Jamaica, a prelude to his current position of host of Sunny Side Up , the weekday morning show, which is the most popular show on radio. François took over from the immensely popular host Alan Magnus, who had filled that slot for 46 years. “The first thing I had to do when I took over the show was to re-engage those generations of listeners who were Alan Magnus fans and were suffering from losing his voice on radio. Then we had to reimagine the show to engage new generations of listeners as the main audience for the show had been ageing over the years. We have managed to do that fairly successfully and maintained the slot’s number-one position on radio. “Radio Jamaica has a special place in the media landscape in Jamaica. Its longevity, stability, and solidity make it unique among Jamaican media houses. As Radio Jamaica loves to say about itself, it is, in fact, credible and reliable and has been so for all seven decades. Radio Jamaica, as it has now reverted to its original name, is the most trusted source for news, information, and entertainment and has become ingrained in the Jamaican psyche. Working with Paula has been extremely easy as we have both worked together and developed professional and personal relationships from our time at FAME 95FM. We understand each other’s personalities and styles, and it makes it very easy for us to work as a team. “Radio Jamaica has been good for my career as the company allows you to express your individuality within its corporate framework. As a result, I have also been able to establish myself in other areas – entertainment, advertising, and music.” François St Juste has already proven that he is capable of walking in very big shoes. Sunday July 4, 2021 Page 19