KINGSTON, Jamaica, Mar 31 2017 – After decades of service, veteran and prolific broadcaster Alan Magnus demits ‘office’ today.
For many Jamaicans who awoke to his voice on Radio Jamaica (RJR 94 FM) for 46 years, he created sunshine on a cloudy day with his infectious laughter, great sense of humour, good-natured banter, and professionalism.
It was just last year that Magnus said that he realised that he had spent close to half a century waking up at 3 a.m. He realised that over three generations of Jamaicans grew up listening to him every morning while getting ready for work or school.
During this retrospection, he said he also realised that there were so many things he missed, including giving up his nightlife and taking any of his four children to school, even for the first day. At this juncture, ‘Maggie’ as he is also affectionately called, decided that at this stage of his life, already close to 74 years old, it was time to drop the mic.
“I do not think Jamaica needs an almost 74-year-old man waking them up every morning. I decided it was time for me to leave, and I am walking away when I can do so and not in a wheelchair,” Magnus said.
Alan Magnus, who has been at RJR since 1971, was part of an elite cast of broadcasters that included Radcliffe Butler, Neville Willoughby, Marie Garth, and Henry Stennett. He described his first decade at RJR as tumultuous, having been fired twice for falling asleep on the job.
With his characteristic laugh and sharp wit, Magnus said that he remained grateful to this day for his considerate bosses that they were able to work things out.
“I like what I do. Actually, I love it! I started at RJR with the objective of spending one year to see if I would like being an announcer. After one year, I gave myself five years, and after five years, I told myself, ‘I am not going anywhere’,” Magnus said.
“Most people would have wanted to go into management, but I wanted to stay behind the mic and interact with the audience. This was most fulfilling for me. It was fun! I never planned a show. I would just ‘wing it’ – as long as I did not get the station into trouble,” he added.
On the last outside broadcast from Ocho Rios, Magnus was showered with love from an appreciative crowd that came from far and near to wish him well as he exits morning radio.
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