~999 songs from 100 artists spanning 50 years~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Philipsburg Jubilee Library now has a digital collection of local media contributed by Rolando Tobias to mark the milestone of celebrating 25 years in radio. The presentation was done during a brief ceremony at the Library on Friday, September 2nd. The collection consists of 999 songs from 100 local artists spanning 50 years of music.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tobias recounted how he started his radio career after being asked to give advice to two bank colleagues, Perry Wilson and Stanley Lint, who had been hosting a Friday evening interview program on GBBC, 99.9FM. Shortly after, both Wilson & Lint left to further studies abroad and Tobias was asked to take over their evening shift. Under the tutelage of Eddie Williams, Mike Jarvis, and Phylis Meit, Tobias developed a high standard of performance as a radio personality. Over the past 25 years, he has parlayed his talent from radio personality to public moderator, television personality to the announcer of the live election results for all elections since 2007. He attributes his success in radio/media to his high level of discipline, professionalism, and consistency.
Tobias explained that in all he has done in media and radio over the past 25 years, his role as co-host of the popular Saturday music program Caribbean Classix has been the most rewarding. Having collected a large amount of local music over the past 25 years, he felt it important to contribute his local music collection to the Public Library, in order to preserve the local music as part of the island’s cultural heritage.
In accepting the music collection, the Director of PJL Glenderlin Holiday outlined the important role that the library plays in the local community. She emphasized the importance of posterity and preserving the island’s cultural heritage for future generations. Having the local music collection, an intangible cultural asset, at the library will allow the owners to “replenish their music”. It will also allow students (and adults) who are doing research to be able to access the music, while the public can come and listen at their convenience. The library will not be selling the local music out of respect for the artists and in order not to engage in copyright infringement. The recently established Soualiga Kaiso Association (SKA) was also informed of the conditions. An agreement of the conditions was documented and signed by both Tobias & the Library Board.
Ms. Holiday thanked Tobias for thinking of the Library, promised to preserve the music collection, and congratulated him on his contribution as a radio and media personality over the past 25 years.
