In April of 2014 Alan Magnus ‘the Madnut’ celebrated a whopping 43 years in media. This is the man that many wake up hearing every morning on radio, with his infectious laughter and good natured banter.
When questioned about his timelessness and how he manages to remain relevant in an era when everyone seems to be embracing youth and all things hip and happening, Magnus shrugs and emphasizes that it is the sheer love of the profession that keeps him doing what he does. He says his longevity can be attributed to him simply being himself on the air. “I have often wondered myself how I survived so long. I guess it’s because I never tried to pretend to be what I’m not….I do what I like and hope people enjoy it.”
Magnus, who previously was an engineer with the telephone company, said he was drawn to media because he felt he had the knack for it and so when he got the opportunity to audition, he took it. “When they finally offered me the job I said I would stay for a year. So one year became five and after five, I realised this was where I wanted to be.”
A lot has changed since he first went on air. “I can say that the proliferation of media houses has been the biggest change for me. In my time it was just RJR and JBC and if you wanted to get into media the chances were limited. The bad side to that is the lowering of broadcasting standards. Parents used to say to their children ‘if you want to know how a word is pronounced, listen to the radio’. Now they can’t say that. Now it is as if standards don’t matter.”
For Magnus, there is nothing he would have done differently. “I’m pretty happy with the way things have worked out. RJR and I have had a rocky start but now we’ve developed a mutual understanding that works. For me though to lift the level of professionalism in media we need to address the use of Standard English. I still want to know when the word ‘team’ became plural! I hear too many grammatical mistakes in our news casts. Back in the day you had to do 3 to 4 months of training. You are given words to learn and pronounce. It was months before I even saw a microphone. Now you see someone who starts today and tomorrow they are on the air. Just like that.”
In terms of achievements, Magnus is too humble a fellow to be bothered with accolades heaped on him hence he actually forgot he received national honours years ago. “I don’t really look at things like that. I think I’m one of the luckiest persons around as I’ve found a job that I would probably have done for free! I actually look forward to work every morning. It’s about entertaining people and to a lesser extent educating them and as long as I can do that, I’m happy.”
Share this post:
When questioned about his timelessness and how he manages to remain relevant in an era when everyone seems to be embracing youth and all things hip and happening, Magnus shrugs and emphasizes that it is the sheer love of the profession that keeps him doing what he does. He says his longevity can be attributed to him simply being himself on the air. “I have often wondered myself how I survived so long. I guess it’s because I never tried to pretend to be what I’m not….I do what I like and hope people enjoy it.”
Magnus, who previously was an engineer with the telephone company, said he was drawn to media because he felt he had the knack for it and so when he got the opportunity to audition, he took it. “When they finally offered me the job I said I would stay for a year. So one year became five and after five, I realised this was where I wanted to be.”
A lot has changed since he first went on air. “I can say that the proliferation of media houses has been the biggest change for me. In my time it was just RJR and JBC and if you wanted to get into media the chances were limited. The bad side to that is the lowering of broadcasting standards. Parents used to say to their children ‘if you want to know how a word is pronounced, listen to the radio’. Now they can’t say that. Now it is as if standards don’t matter.”
For Magnus, there is nothing he would have done differently. “I’m pretty happy with the way things have worked out. RJR and I have had a rocky start but now we’ve developed a mutual understanding that works. For me though to lift the level of professionalism in media we need to address the use of Standard English. I still want to know when the word ‘team’ became plural! I hear too many grammatical mistakes in our news casts. Back in the day you had to do 3 to 4 months of training. You are given words to learn and pronounce. It was months before I even saw a microphone. Now you see someone who starts today and tomorrow they are on the air. Just like that.”
In terms of achievements, Magnus is too humble a fellow to be bothered with accolades heaped on him hence he actually forgot he received national honours years ago. “I don’t really look at things like that. I think I’m one of the luckiest persons around as I’ve found a job that I would probably have done for free! I actually look forward to work every morning. It’s about entertaining people and to a lesser extent educating them and as long as I can do that, I’m happy.”
Share this post: