West Indian radio was still taking baby steps in South Florida when John “John T.” Hodgson moved there in the early 1980’s. It did not take long for him to make his mark on WAVS 1170 AM, the region’s most-listened Caribbean station.
For the past 33 years, John T has been a fixture on ‘WAVS’, hosting The Morning Ride from 7 am to 10 am. It offers a diverse playlist of reggae, dancehall, soca and Rhythm and Blues, as well as a healthy serving of current affairs.
He believes WAVS has honored its objective by serving South Florida’s West Indian community well, keeping them abreast of the latest developments back home.
“There is, by my estimation, over a million Caribbean immigrants residing in South Florida. WAVS is the only licensed 24-hour Caribbean radio station servicing this vast population with news, sports, interviews and a blend of American and Caribbean music,” John T noted.
His work on WAVS was recognized on August 25 by the Rootz Of Music organization. He was one of five radio personalities honored for outstanding contribution to broadcasting in South Florida in a ceremony that took place at Nova University at Davie.
Mike Aitcheson, John T’s colleague at WAVS, Clinton Lindsay of Foundation Radio Network, Desmond Patterson of Rainbow Records and Don Daly of AM 880 were the other recipients.
Eugene Grey, who conceptualized the event with his wife Felicia in 2011, addressed the importance of Disc Jockeys.
“Disc jockeys are, as they always were, an important, invaluable and necessary link in the music chain. Their role begins after we the artists/musicians create the music. They have the sonic billboard to bring the music to the ears of the people, without the people none of us have a livelihood,” he said. “Like any other product, there must be exposure in order to have a market. Disc jockeys help in creating the expectation in the people that will translate in the economic possibilities for all. Disc jockeys are marketers directly and indirectly. In addition, they are instrumental in promoting the artists through radio airplay.”
John T never worked in radio prior to migrating from Jamaica to the United States. But he was strongly influenced by the top DJs back home, such as Winston Williams, Jeff “Free I” Dixon, Errol “ET” Thompson and Uriel Aldridge who all worked at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.
WAVS started as a Spanish station in 1969, but for the past 25 years has broadcast 100 per cent West Indian content. John T spoke about the company’s progress since he joined its ranks.
“There was never a 24-hour Caribbean radio station until WAVS in the late ‘80’s. We have transitioned from vinyl to cassettes to CDs and flash drives. We now broadcast on the worldwide web and have the capacity to simulcast on both the AM and FM frequencies.” Reply Reply All Forward
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