Radio Jamaica Celebrating 70 Years

Page 78 Sunday July 4, 2021 (On April 20, 2021 the complete broadcaster and newsman Michael Sharpe died. His passing is the most current of those of our family who have gone too soon. The Radio Jamaica family and the group was hit hard by his passing as his impact and influence spread far, wide and deep within the DNA of the group and the industry. At the time of his passing he was one of the hosts of the Morning Traffic Reports on Radio Jamaica 94FM and his lists of programme associations were as immense as his influence. Other programmes he stamped his class on included: On Radio – Inside Gordon House, The Jazz Jam, Sharpe Talk, Hotline; On Television – TVJ’s Prime Time News, Your Issues Live, TVJ’s Exposure, JNN’s Frontline News, JNN’s Insight and JNN’s The Exchange. Michael served in management as a news supervisor, assistant news editor –radio, news editor television and head of news operations at JNN.) TRIBUTE TO Michael Sharpe By Gary Allen, CEO RJRGLEANER Communications Group T hese past 37 years of association between Michael Sharpe and Radio Jamaica, The RJR Communications Group and now The RJRGLEANER Communications Group has been one of an excellent professional relationship, on which we reflect with pride and with admiration. Michael has worked for both the Gleaner and Radio Jamaica, which makes him an RJRGLEANER Man. He has worked with and for: Radio Jamaica, TVJ and JNN, with RETV and with Multi Media Jamaica, which puts his DNA firmly in every one of our major brands. He took to these assignments with diligence and commitment, assignment after assignment, year after year and decade after decade. He was legendary for his coverage of the Parliament beat and the Crime Beat, yet gave as much energy to every area of his work, whether agriculture, education, health, regional or international affairs. He prided himself on being informed, so that he could inform others – so that he could inform a nation. He always said he was an informer – a “paid informer.” As a newsman, Michael had more than a nose for news. He had an entire being for news. Michael worked as a radio and television reporter, as a radio and television producer, as a radio and television news and programme presenter, as a radio and television news reader/anchor. He worked as Deputy News Editor for Radio, as head of TV News, as head of JNN and as anything we asked him to do in broadcasting. He did outside broadcasts a plenty and he did interviews of Prime Ministers, Ministers, Captains of Industry and of the “man in the street”. But, Michael did more; he was Web Content Editor for rjrnewsonline and also as a producer of news, entertainment and even sports events. Michael learnt everything he could. So, he became the cameraman as he is required to, not only filming here but traveling on assignments overseas in the Caribbean and as far as to Africa to do his own filming and reporting. He learnt how to do technical editing as well, so he could film, write, present and report his own stories – THE FULL MEDIA PACKAGE in one “sharpe” journalist. Outside of his programming, journalistic and technical roles, Michael had further impact as a philanthropist. Many of the stories he covered did not end with the coverage. Those he interviewed sometimes became his beneficiaries. Stories of need became projects and challenges for Michael to help. Since his passing, the numerous stories of help people have declared they received from him, make this the real news. Michael was a philanthropist working through the media. Indeed, the lives that he changed with close friends through “Sharpe Talk” are here to show. And it runs much deeper than the well-publicized kidney transplant in Cuba. We have been seeing through others how Michael’s impact will live on in what he has done, what he has instilled and those he has enabled and inspired. He was also a mentor! The many youngsters he has rescued from idleness, given a start, helped to find an interest, trained to do something, inspired to do better, challenged to relentlessly pursue EXCELLENCE, will all live on. His admonition to them was rooted in his own mentor, veteran journalist Terry Smith’s advice to him to – “Kill them with Excellence and silence those who doubt your commitment and abilities!” Michael instilled that in so many youngsters. Many who doubted themselves before their first live report or their first chance at anchoring a newscast, were taught, trained, inspired and enabled by him! continues on page 79