Growing Gains

I’ve always had a deep love for music and I have learned a thing or two about using music as a language. The DJ/selector can use sound to make the crowd move and convey powerful messages.

That’s me in the green sweater with the rest of the crew of 96.1. The power behind the playlists: news, engineers, djays and marketing teams. We had a lot of fun and we were passionate about what we did.

When I was growing up we used the radio for news and entertainment (local and international). Newspapers offered more local news and features about international stories not covered by the radio. We didn’t have a television until I was eight. Before that, we would go to a neighbor’s house to watch episodes of Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk.

Radio, television and newspapers are still important news sources and I think radio still has traction as it reaches places even the internet can’t. Sometimes you can get the radio and not a phone signal. 

I grew up thinking radio was the most credible source. I don’t feel the same way today.

I started working at Express House, the first home of WEFM 96.1 in 1996. Under the guidance of Sharmaine Baboolal I wrote newscasts which covered local, regional and international news, sports and developments in technology and entertainment. Even to court to cover matters arising out of the murder-suicide which occurred at the Prime Ministerʼs residence in 1991. 

At this time, I also became part of the team which founded VOX magazine, which was printed by the Express. We all decided that the team would best be led by Nazma Muller. Marise de Fritas, Renee Pollonais, Nadella Benjamin and I created The Virtual Couple. It was a coming-of-age soap written for the magazine, anchored in the relationship between the main characters, Fish and Teresa. In the narrative, we tackled the rising cost of living, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and suicide.

As TV6 is housed in the same building, I also cut my teeth in television production here. Producer Sherrie Ann DeLeon took me on as a producer/reporter on the TV magazine programe VIBE, hosted by Ronnie McIntosh and Tricia Lee Kelshall.

Writing for radio, I learned to construct sharper opening sentences which resonated and also to compose succinctly, with color. 

Radio news and features generally donʼt go past a three to five minute time frame on music driven stations such as 96.1. Every second counts.