Veteran broadcaster, journalist and radio disk jockey, Winston ‘The Whip’ Williams, has died.
He passed away at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) on Sunday morning after a brief illness. He was said to be in his 80s.
Williams worked in the local and regional media for over 50 years, receiving several accolades for his work, including a top disk jock award in the 1970s.
He joined Radio Jamaica (formerly RJR) in 1963 before leaving three years later for work in the Caribbean as a radio host in the Bahamas, where hosted a programme called ‘Music To Remember’ at ZNS.
He returned to Jamaica in 1967 and joined the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) as host of an afternoon show known as ‘The Whip with the solid kick’.
During that stint, he went head-to-head with Radio Jamaica’s ‘El Numero Uno’, disk jockey Don Topping.
It was while he was at JBC that Williams also read radio and television news.
After various stints at JBC and RJR over the years, Williams, also known as the ‘Conscious One’, had a stint at Hot 102 FM in the late 1990s before moving on to Power 106FM in 2003.
He retired from the latter a few years ago, bringing an end to his illustrious media career.
Several tributes have been pouring in for the late broadcaster.
Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sports Minister, Olivia Grange, in a tweet on Sunday, described Williams as “a pioneer of Jamaican radio”.
She added that, “I will always remember that engaging baritone voice of ‘The Whip’ and the great music he played on radio.”
Media personality Simone Clarke tweeted: “RIP Winston Williams, and thank you for your contribution to broadcast media in Jamaica.
“A stickler for quality and standards and getting it right. Sleep well,” she added.
Press Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Naomi Francis, said Williams’ “dedication to broadcasting is now etch(ed) in the sands of time.”
Shared one Twitter user: “Salute to a legend. Spent many hours as a boy listening to the ‘Conscious One from Kingston’.”
