Media’s first Indian voice

IN 1947 Radio Trinidad was launched and Kamal Mohammed was invited to host the programme “Indian Talent on Parade” every Sunday from 1 to 2 pm.

This marked the entry of the Indian voice onto the national landscape. Indian programmes were however to remain limited to minutes a day for over 40 years after that historic Sunday in 1947. It was felt that there was no need to appeal to the Indian community’s needs and there was thought that Indian programmes were not economically viable. The denial of Indian culture as part of the national culture was reflected in the marginal exposure it received on the mainstream media. The Indian community had to look inward for cultural support with Indian movies and pre-recorded music cassettes. There were several attempts to have more Indian radio programmes and even Indian radio stations. These applications were dismissed by the black controlled government of the day. However on July 4 1993, the paradigm of denying an Indian voice was to be forever shattered. This year Indians celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the first Indian radio station.

In the early 1980s Marcelle Mahabir began discussions with friends about the Indo-Trinidadian dream of opening an exclusive Indian formatted radio station. Mahabir saw a marketing opportunity waiting to be exploited. The Indian population constituted approximately 39 percent of the national population yet up to that point in time there was only thirty minutes of Indian music per day on any radio station. Mahabir felt that even if 20 percent of this unsatisfied Indian market can be captured, the radio station would be economically viable with advertising support. Instructive to this decision was the fact there was a yawning void in the Indian community’s cultural needs regarding the media. The first step in this journey began with an approach to his friend Mr Richard Henderson. Mahabir informed Henderson that he could obtain a radio frequency from Mr Winfield Aleong, another friend who had also promised to be a financial supporter. Trinidad and Tobago’s first Indian radio station 103 FM was then born. A seed capital of approximately $2 million was injected. Aleong controlled the majority of the shares reflective of his ownership of the frequency and capital he injected. Henderson was in charge of administration and news, while Mahabir was assigned marketing and programming the new station. An Afro-Trinidadian, Sino-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian, who were all Christians, came together to begin a project that gave a voice in the national media landscape to the Indo-Trinidadian population, particularly the Hindu community. 

A lot of work was required to get the station off the ground from concept to reality. Programmes, Indian announcers and developing a receptive advertising support to market the station were impossible to get in the Port of Spain centric advertising agencies and businesses which were content to be ignorant of the Indo-Trinidadian presence. Henderson recruited a former associate Mr Hans Hanoomansingh as a shareholder and presenter. Hanoomansingh was responsible for the Indian community outreach programme by the station, even before it was launched, thereby playing a critical role in the formative years. Hanoonmansingh met with organisations such as the SDMS, ASJA and other smaller Indian groups to solicit support for the station. All Indian based organisations embraced and supported the station. In exchange, the station gave them free airtime for a limited time. Ms Joy Rampersadsingh joined the team in marketing and assisted in the development of the programmes: announcers. The Port-of-Spain centric advertising agencies, media houses as well as some Indian businesses felt that the Indian format would never work. Many felt that an Indian radio station would divide the nation and augment the already existing ethnic cleavages. Rampersadsingh and salesman M. Ramdeo Eaknath therefore had to go into the Indian community from the small business upwards to solicit advertising support. The rural Indian businesses responded tremendously to the concept of an Indian radio station. 

Two months before the station was launched, the advertising on the station was 90 percent sold out. This task was achieved without the support of the powerful Port of Spain businesses and advertising agencies except Advantage Advertising. Advantage Advertising was the only advertising agency owned and managed solely by Indians — Keith Nexar and Steve Mathura. Mathura was the grandson of Indo-Trinidadaian politican and cultural activist CB Mathura, while Nexar is the son-in-law of SDMS Pundit Sahadeo Sohan of San Juan. Due to their Indianness Nexar and Mathura recognized that the Indian radio station would have a ready market and be economically viable. Two days before the station opened, the two Afro-Trinidadians operators who were trained on the controls resigned citing that they could not cope with the Indian format of the proposed station. Mahabir’s son, Perry Mahabir filled the breach and worked assiduously to ensure that the station was on the airwaves and stayed on the airwaves.

On July 4th 1993 announcer Sadro Mohammed opened the station. The pioneer in modern Indian broadcasting was born. Shamoon Mohammed, Kalish Bedi, DJ Mamoo, Suruj Rambachan, Aruna Mohammed, Pundit Capildeo Maharaj all worked tirelessly in developing a strong Indian formatted radio station. After a mere year of operations, a Market Facts and Opinion media survey revealed that 103 FM commanded 26 percent of the total radio audience. The station’s transmission at that point was only from 4:45am to 8pm daily. Yet this limited air-time prompted such success that soon many others jumped on the Indian radio station bandwagon.  While financial rewards were the driving force behind the first Indian station, yet it still represented an ambition of the Indo-Trinidadian population. For the first time since the arrival of Indians in 1845, there was now a medium solely dedicated to reflecting their cultural expressions and views. FM 103 has to be considered a benchmark in the Indian presence in Trinidad, in politics, religion, and culture. Since 1993 the station has impacted significantly upon not only Indian society but also non-Indian society. An analysis of the impact of this Indian radio station is still required.