Wilmot Perkins
Encyclopedia
Wilmot 'Motty' Perkins is a Jamaican radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...

 and the longest serving talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

 host on Jamaican radio.

Background

Perkins was born and raised in the parish of Portland, Jamaica. Perkins attended Calabar High School
Calabar High School
Calabar High School is an all-male, secondary school in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established by the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1912 for the children of Baptist ministers and the children of the poor blacks and was named after the former slave port Calabar, now in Nigeria...

, an all-male, secondary learning institution located in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

.

Radio

Wilmot Perkins started his career on radio hosting his first program What's your Grouse on RJR in 1960. He then took a short break from the airwaves a few years later, during which he went into farming. Motty returned to radio in the 1970s, as host of Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation
Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation
The Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation was a public broadcasting company in Jamaica founded in 1959 by Prime Minister Norman Manley with the aim of emulating the success of other national broadcasting companies such as the BBC and CBC.-History:...

's (JBC) popular call-in program Public Eye. He later hosted 'Hot Line' on RJR and then Straight Talk on KLAS FM 89, before hosting Perkins On Line on Hot 102 FM.

In April 2002, Mr. Perkins took his program Perkins On Line to POWER 106 FM. With his probing interviews and keen analyses of pertinent matters, the program continues to make for compulsive listening. Perkins On Line is spirited interaction with callers on a wide range of topics. It is described by many as "The Poor Man's University." A typical caller will often attribute his or her widening knowledge of events happening in and outside of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 to the information garnered from just listening to these broadcasts.

According to Wilmot Perkins the underlying intent of the program is to, - "focus public attention on the gaping hiatus between what is and what might be, and to do it within a broad framework that embraces not only the history of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, but the history of mankind.
"

Controversy

There are some who often disagree with Wilmot Perkins point of view on issues. However, Motty revels in controversy and these calls add spice. Given the stated intent of the program, Motty says - "if people really think about it, they might discover that 'Perkins on Line' is more profoundly positive than negative." That's why it is called the "Thinking Persons' call-in show".

Perkins has been sued no less than 28 times for Libel and/or Slander. So far none of those cases has been either prosecuted or settled out of court. All have been withdrawn by the plaintiff or simply abandoned. His list of accusers is noteworthy in its own right and includes former Prime Minister Micheal Manley. His most recent plaintiff is among the wealthiest businessmen in Jamaica and owner of the Jamaica Observer Newspaper: Gordon 'Butch' Stewart.

On August 5, 2009 , The Jamaica Observer reported that Mr. Perkins has been sued by Jamaican/British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 businessman Butch Stewart for defamation. The matter is currently before the Jamaican court.

On July 19, 2010 , The Jamaica Observer reported that Mr. Perkins has been slapped with a second lawsuit for libel by Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts is an operator of all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and part of Sandals Resorts International , parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts and The Royal Plantation Collection. Sandals Resorts has a total of 15 couples-only properties,...

 Chairman Butch Stewart. Mr. Perkins is being sued for damages arising from the reproduction of a speech on his radio call-in show Perkins On Line on Power 106 FM. The speech was originally made in the Parliament of Jamaica
Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It is a bicameral body, composed of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives....

 by Member of Parliament Andrew Gallimore on June 28, 2005.

Newspaper

Wilmot Perkins has vast experience as a parliamentary reporter, a news editor and columnist working at the Jamaica Gleaner.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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