Radio Jamaica Celebrating 70 Years

Page 56 Sunday July 4, 2021 T he 70-year history of Radio Jamaica has not been without its challenges. For the first nine years of its existence, Radio Jamaica/RJR was the only commercial radio station transmitting in Jamaica. Then almost nine years to the day, after Radio Jamaica went on air, JBC Radio joined the fray. For the next 31 years, JBC would be the major competition for Radio Jamaica. In 1963, JBC Television went on air and fragmented the media landscape a bit more. Television evening news now posed a realistic threat to RJR’s stranglehold on evening programming. The novelty of television had some people suggesting that the days of radio were over, however, this proved not to be the case as the number of owners of radios of all kinds vastly outnumbered the number of persons who owned television sets, and radio was the portable medium that you could walk around with or listen to on your way to or from work. The next challenge was that of FM radio, but RJR stood supreme with Capital Stereo and then FAME 95FM (the “Fraternity of Amazing Musical Expression”), with music specifically aimed at youth. In 1990, IRIE FM launched with its all- reggae format, which, for a while, took them to the top of the radio polls, but this too, RJR overcame and returned to its rightful position as number one. With the acquisition of JBC’s assets in 1997, RJR relaunched JBC Radio 2 as HITZ 92FM, a sports and music lifestyle station. It was the first station to offer specific services to sports fans. At the same time, the prevalence of the Internet had been increasing dramatically, and the availability of music and news on a myriad online services like YouTube, MySpace, and then I-Tunes meant that more people were getting their news and entertainment via cable, television, and Internet. The cable television networks had been growing exponentially since Hurricane Gilbert. RJR itself had started Jamaica News Network (JNN) and Real Entertainment TV (RETV) to fill spots in the cable television niche market, and with the 1997 acquisition of JBC TV, which it transformed into TVJ, RJR was now the biggest player in the local television market. After the turn of the 21st century, Jamaican media became even more fragmented, with new radio stations popping up almost on an annual basis and offering services in different niche areas of the media landscape. Radio Jamaica decided that its longevity would be best served by sticking to its original format of being the station for everyone, all ages and tastes. This decision proved successful as Radio Jamaica returned to the top of the radio polls, and the health of RJR as a group was validated by the loyalty of its advertisers. In 2015, the RJR Group took another large step forward in solidifying its media supremacy in Jamaica by launching 1spotmedia as its over the top platform for global radio and television services. As a subscriber of 1spotmedia, you can watch or listen to any of the group’s programme regardless of where you are in the world. Future The Radio Jamaica of continues on page 57