Derek Jones - Leading the 'Power' team
published: Tuesday | January 25, 2005

- CONTRIBUTED
Derek Jones, host of 'Good Evening Jamaica' on Power 106 FM.

Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer

DEREK JONES, a managing partner in the prestigious law firm, Myers, Fletcher and Gordon, heads the team of hosts on Power 106's new evening show, Good Evening Jamaica, which hit the airwaves last Monday.

Mr. Jones is no stranger to prime time radio, having appeared as guest host on several occasions for the past year.

With co-anchors Yvette Rowe and Hamlin Grange, he believes that listeners will come to associate the new team with sensible, reliable, informative and incisive news and current affairs, mixed with reasonable amounts of good humour.

Good Evening Jamaica listeners should feel it was worth their time," Mr. Jones said.

With 34 years in the legal profession, he brings a wealth of experience and useful connections to the table.

These will be valuable assets as Good Evening Jamaica will reach audiences in Jamaica and the world via the World Wide Web, on The Gleaner's site, www.go-jamaica.com.

SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE

According to Newton James, managing director of Power 106 FM, Derek Jones brings to Power's new flagship evening show a tremendous knowledge of how things work coupled with a skillful approach to getting the information.

Mr. Jones spoke with The Gleaner about his plans, hopes and aspirations for the show. One thing is for sure, mindful of the fact that he will be influencing thousands or millions of listeners worldwide daily, he is not taking this awesome responsibility lightly.

"Such a programme makes you recognise what a small piece of the world we are. I will be one tiny entity in one of the smallest countries in the world, but at the same time, so many people who will be listening, will rely on me for accurate information," he said when asked how he felt about the position.

He pointed out that in the legal profession, a lawyer's first duty is to the court and then to the client because law operates within a narrower compass but journalism covers a broader spectrum.

However, he's cognizant of the learning curve and confident he'll be able to carry out his duties.

"I think the law and journalism go well together. If people get upset with you, that's unfortunate but I am confident we will be able to find a critical balance," Mr. Jones said.

So, does the Jamaican audience need more of this type of evening programming?

Mr. Jones is positive there is room for all because, "we [Power 106] are not doing a talk show ­ we will be attempting to deliver quality information in an interesting way. There is room for that especially given the reach of Power 106 to persons in the Diaspora and via the Internet. It is up to us to maintain excellent quality."

Good Evening Jamaica" will have a strong listenership, and will add value to the mix and be informative. There is tremendous room for what we will be doing. We will neither be copy cats nor a successor to the previous show because we have some changes in the format and a major part of that is linking with an overseas co-anchor," Mr. Jones explained.

'EARLY BIRD' CREDO

Mr. Jones, who is also the Honorary Consul for Sweden in Jamaica and chairman of the Telecommunications of Jamaica Pension Fund, is not shy about owning his reputation and achievements as a lawyer and hopes to achieve the same level of respect and distinction as a journalist and broadcaster.

Although he has a heavy workload, Mr. Jones finds time for the occasional game of dominoes and bridge.

He subscribes to the 'early bird' credo and can be found working in his office from as early as 6:15 a.m. on workdays. He carries a full load of mainstream practice but makes the necessary adjustments for his new responsibilities.