- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 09/Jul 08:52

Hans was a media pioneer

THE EDITOR: The TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to the family of Hans Hanoomansingh on his passing. In 2009, Hanoomansingh was honoured by the TTPBA with the Award for Media Excellence for his contribution to the development of radio in TT, with a career that spanned almost 50 years, and reached all cultures of our society. His career included almost all aspects of media. He began in broadcasting in 1961 with Radio Guardian, which evolved into the National Broadcasting Service, which was later twinned with TT Television to become ICN. During the 44 years in media, he served as duty announcer, news editor, current affairs producer, political analyst, cultural producer, cultural pioneer and Panorama presenter. He was a pioneer in Indian programming on NBN as a radio and later television broadcaster with his programme From the Silver Screen, a programme of Hindi film music. He also hosted Gems of India which fed a need for Indian classical music in the region. Later, he would be one of the founding directors of 103FM, with Marcel Mahabir and Dik Henderson. It was the first radio station to broadcast all-Indian programming on a 24-hour schedule, a crowning achievement to his lifetime work in promoting Indian culture through teaching, stage performances, competitions, conferences, radio and television. He opened his own production studio, Heritage Communications, in 1997, producing documentaries on Indians in the Caribbean diaspora, the Spiritual Baptists, and major leaders of the country, to name a few. The journalistic influence did not end there and in 2005 Hanoomansingh ventured into his own radio station – Heritage Radio – a station that targeted a non-ethnic-based niche, and promoted all cultural interests. It was the first radio station to be based in south Trinidad, feeding a need for “south news,” with its transmitter positioned in Gran Couva. Hanoomansingh and his pioneering accomplishments that so greatly impacted the media landscape in TT will long be remembered. TT PUBLISHERS AND BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION The post Hans was a media pioneer appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.