Julian Ernest Chetvynde Rogers MBE (born 11 November 1947 in Barbados) is a Caribbean broadcaster and journalist., Observer News, 17 May 2010. He has worked as broadcast manager, TV and radio host and producer, publisher, trainer, lecturer, media consultant and public relations professional. Involved since the 1970s with the building of national radio stations notably in Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda, and part of "the original team set up to 'revolutionise' the media industry in Trinidad and Tobago with the rebranding of the Trinidad and Tobago Television Company (TTT) into CNMG",Aabida Allaham, "Sell CNMG, says ex-journalist Cuffie" , Trinidad Express Newspapers, 10 November 2010. he has been called "the Caribbean man"Antigua Sun, 15 March 2004. and has established a reputation as one of the region's most respected media practitioners."Reflections of a Pioneer – The Observer Group", Business Focus (Antigua & Barbuda), Issue 21, December/January 2008, p. 18.Caroline Popovic has written (St Lucia Star, 13 September 2000) : "...without the likes of Ken Gordon in Trinidad, Ricky Singh and David de Caires from Guyana, Julian Rogers in Barbados, Ossie Clarke in Jamaica and Rick Wayne in St. Lucia, the populations of their respective countries would undoubtedly be living in a state of fear, a little like the Cubans, the Haitians and the Columbians. In those countries, local journalists either work for the government, live elsewhere, rot in jail or are buried in marked or unmarked graves.... Nothing must ever come in the way of a journalist and his right to publish. Least of all a government." His characteristic style as a broadcaster is to conduct biting interviews; one commentator refers to "the persistent journalistic exploits of a resurgent, sharp-witted and emphatic Julian Rogers".Rawlston Pompey, "Democracy and Democratic Rule", Caribarena, 19 April 2010.
Among initiatives in regional news-gathering and dissemination with which he has been associated, his TV talk show Talk Caribbean (1998–2000) – featuring hour-long interviews with guests ranging from politicians to entertainers – was "the Caribbean Broadcasting Union's first attempt at live interactive television"."'Talk Caribbean' debuts on Monday" , 10 July 1998. His live broadcasts continue to break new ground for Caribbean television and radio, as with his 2007 coverage of the Trinidad and Tobago general elections, "CNews – Campaign 41",IslandMix , 11 May 2007."Campaign 41 launches" , Allyuh.com, 4 November 2007. and his anchoring of the live broadcast covering the inaugural ceremony of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which took place in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2005."CCJ inauguration to be broadcast live" , Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, 12 April 2005. Additionally, in November 2010, his commentary at the state funeral of Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson was among the applauded "outstanding contributions of famous media gurus" coordinated by Starcom Network.Peter Simmons, , Nation News, 7 November 2010.
Rogers is currently managing director of the Jamaica Observer, taking over the position from Danville Walker in 2019."Walker leaving Observer" , Jamaica Observer, 3 April 2019."The word is patience... for Barbados", Jamaica Observer, 29 May 2019.
Biography
Education Julian Rogers was born of Guyanese parentage in Bridgetown, Barbados, and was educated at Cooperative High School, Barbados (1960–64), where he was a Foundation Scholarship winner. He attended the University of the West Indies, Caribbean Institute of Mass Media at Mona, Jamaica (1974–75), on a UNESCO scholarship, receiving a Diploma in Mass Communications for his thesis "The creation of an exchange regime for Caribbean radio and television programming and production", which was later converted into a UNESCO-funded project for the Caribbean Broadcasting Union. He also attended Syracuse University (1980) as a member of the International Media Program, and was on attachment to WCCO television and radio in Minneapolis.
Broadcast and media career Rogers began his career as a broadcaster at the age of 16, in March 1964,Martina Johnson, "Veteran broadcaster singled out for Queen’s Birthday Award" , The Daily Observer (Antigua), 17 June 2014. when he joined the Barbados Rediffusion Service as a scriptwriter, eventually becoming a radio announcer, outside broadcast commentator and producer. In 1969, three years after the launch of television in Barbados, he hosted one of the first game shows in the region.
Moving to Montserrat in 1970, he was an announcer for Radio Antilles, hosting their morning show. As manager of their English Service (1976–77), he reformatted the station and established the Caribbean correspondents' news network, a forerunner of the Caribbean News Agency. The station delivered breaking news of the Caribbean for much of the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1971, Rogers was appointed Programme Director of ZDK Radio, in Antigua & Barbuda, establishing the country's first non-government-owned commercial radio station. Until March 1972 he hosted the morning show and anchored the major evening newscast.
Back in Barbados, he worked for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (1977–79) as a television news anchor, hosting and producing programmes such as Understanding (with young panellists including a future prime minister of Barbados, David Thompson), Window on the World and Yearenders. As a television host, Rogers has been acknowledged with setting standards of competence for the Caribbean comparable with those of Larry King in the USA.Media Watch, 28 July 2008. During a subsequent stint at CBC (1981–82) he acted as the company's Programme Manager and Head of Productions. He then worked for eight years, from 1982 to 1990, as Programme Director for Barbados Rediffusion's Voice of Barbados, which he was responsible for rebranding.
From 1993 to 1995, he was general manager of Prime Radio 106,Bevan Springer, "Julian Rogers gets high honor", Amsterdam News, 19 June 2014. a subsidiary of Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) in Trinidad and Tobago, for which he then became an anchor on TV6 (1995–98). He became a pioneer of breakfast television in the country, launching Trinidad's first live morning television talk show with producer Natalie Williams."Queen awards MBE to Julian Rogers", Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 16 June 2014.
In May 1998, Rogers returned to Barbados, where he produced and hosted the country's first morning television show, Wake Up Caribbean, for CBC.Conference Co-Chairs, Banking on the Future Summit.
He went on to establish the first independent radio station in St Kitts, Winn FM, in 2000, and the following year supervised the setting up of Antigua & Barbuda's first independent radio station.
Rogers was also the publisher of the Sunday Scoop newspaper,"World Press Day Event: Discussion on Investigative Journalism and Awards Ceremony", The Carter Center, 29 April 2005. founded in 2004 in Antigua & Barbuda.
As chief content officer and a member of the executive group of Caribbean New Media Group Limited (CNMG),"Queen Awards Veteran Journalist Julian Rogers MBE" , Caribbean New Media Group, 3 July 2014. from 2007 to 2008, he directed the development of content for what was to be the most modern national television, radio and new media company in the Caribbean, which "drew on technology and drew on the professionals in the industry to create something that surpassed all other media houses throughout the region". He also served as their Head of News and Current Affairs.
Later based in Antigua and Barbuda, where in 2001 he was consultant in the setting up of Observer Radio, Rogers was general manager of the Observer Media Group under the chairmanship of Winston Derrick, overseeing the operations of two radio stations – Observer Radio and Hitz FM – as well as the Daily Observer newspaper, while continuing to develop strategies for international and Caribbean-wide media coverage,"Journalism – no glamour and fame", BBC Caribbean.com, 17 August 2005. particularly since the closure of the BBC Caribbean service."CARICOM stakeholders review CSME education and discuss pan-Caribbean broadcasting" , Caribbean News Now, 22 June 2011."Observer Caribbean is in the planning stage…", The Antigua and Barbuda High Commission Official Newsletter, Issue 142, April 2011, p. 8.Shelton Daniel, , Daily Observer, 29 March 2011.
As managing editor of Guardian Media Limited, Rogers oversaw a major redevelopment of the Trinidad Guardian, CNC3-TV and TBC Radio Network, before being appointed managing director of the Jamaica Observer in 2019, taking over the position from Danville Walker.
Consultancy work
Since 1975, Rogers has worked as an independent consultant to both government and private sector throughout the Caribbean region, including Guyana, Belize, Barbados, Jamaica, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Maarten and Anguilla. He was Corporate Communications Consultant"Prime Minister to intervene in LIME issue", The Barbados Advocate, 2 April 2009. for LIME (Landline, Internet, Mobile, Entertainment), serving as a member of the team working on the transformation of the 13-country business units into one pan-Caribbean company (June 2008 – February 2009). He has been an adviser to several regional and international institutions on media development and to the University of the West Indies on media training.
As a trainer, he has been employed by Voice of America, and conducted a study of Caribbean television and radio content suitable for exchange under the aegis of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union and UNESCO.
In addition, Rogers has served on the Advisory Council to the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and sits on the Regional Advisory Board of the Jamaica-based Caribbean Institute for Media and Communication (CARIMAC).
He established a company in Antigua and Barbuda to manage radio and television operations and provide media consultancy services, and in November 2014 launched a radio station, Rogers Radio Caribbean.Joanne Briggs, "Hello from Antigua/Barbuda: Julian Rogers starts his own radio station", Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 9 January 2015.
Controversy