SIMON Crosskill dropped yet another media bombshell last Friday morning on TVJ’s Smile Jamaica, It’s Morning Time show when he disclosed that today, Wednesday, May 23, would be his last appearance on the show.

Few people would dispute that his departure marks the end of an era in television broadcasting in Jamaica. As one colleague remarked to me, the dissolution of the Crosskill and Bell team may be compared to the end of the ‘Putus and Morgie’, ‘Bim and Bam’, or even ‘Lou and Ranny’ era. This may not be an exaggeration if you check the research data, and one wonders if TVJ can ever be the same again.

Those of us who have been around long enough will recall the doldrums into which television had fallen in an earlier period when satellite television was the vastly preferred entertainment option and everybody with the means had a dish.

With the acquisition of JBC by the RJR Group, things began to change substantially, albeit for different reasons. In my view, the real development truly came when the station, eventually re-christened TVJ, could eventually boast that it offered a menu predominantly comprising locally produced high-quality productions.

The oft-repeated evidence of its success has been pointed to in annual media studies up to 2011. The data therein confirmed that the station at peak commanded more than 75 per cent audience share with local cable channels accounting for a mere six or seven per cent. Amazingly, Smile Jamaica, at last check, was the station’s premier production, representing about 80 per cent of morning viewers, even more than the major morning newscast.

Given all of that, so far 2012 certainly has not been the best of years for the RJR Group in general, and TVJ in particular. First there was the resignation of its resourceful General Manager Kay Osborne and now Crosskill’s exit.

While the station continues to enjoy the lion’s share of the media market, surely some of the reasons for their enormous success are programming and management expertise such as was provided by the Smile Jamaica Simon Crosskill/Neville ‘Burtis’ Bell duo and by Kay Osborne. Of course, given its track record in recent years, TVJ can be expected to bounce back from these ‘setbacks’ and most well-thinking Jamaicans may still hope that the station’s resourcefulness will again be in evidence when Smile Jamaica broadcasts ‘to the world’ from London during the period of the Olympic Games.

I spoke briefly to both Simon and the managing director of the RJR Group, Gary Allen, about the reasons that led to Crosskill’s exit. I still am not entirely convinced I know the real reasons for the parting of the ways. I will leave you, my readers, to be the judge.

As is to be expected, the MD concedes that the break is a dent in the plans for broadcasting from London and that they are currently involved in determining who would be the replacement. Also, as explained, he currently has his hands full with the various changes in the Group and so this was not a convenient time to answer all my questions. He has, however, promised to accommodate questions about Simon’s replacement in time for my next column.

I had better luck with Crosskill who regrets the timing of his departure, especially in light of the station’s plans for the Olympic coverage. He maintained that he leaves TVJ with no hard feelings and that there was no falling-out with the station’s management.

Early in June he is to commence co-hosting, with Lance Whittaker, a sports magazine show called Sports Zone on SportsMax cable television.

But why would he want to leave a station like TVJ that dominates the market for one that has less than seven per cent of audience share? That ratings position is unlikely to change in a hurry, as not that many households possess cable and fewer still have a subscription that includes SportsMax. Unless, of course, the move was for economic reasons.

Crosskill conceded that financial security is one explanation, but that this was not a major factor. He further explained that the opportunity presented by SportsMax had come at a good time in terms of his career direction. It allowed him a chance to return to his core, sports broadcasting.

Readers may recall that he had previously been the RJR Group head of sports and station manager of HITZ 92 FM, and of Radio Jamaica Limited. All that changed with the company’s restructuring exercise which left him without a substantial position and must surely have reduced his economic base.

However, he was given a contract to continue some work in sports and specifically the Smile Jamaica programme.

SportsMax seized the opportunity to woo him away and appeared to have been working the case for many months. There was no way, it seems, that both entities could have been accommodated simultaneously. The RJR Group has a policy which does not allow any of its broadcasters, even freelancers, to work on a competing station; that much was confirmed by Gary Allen.

Besides, with Lance Whittaker going to London, Sports Zone was in a bind for a new host. So the timing, while regrettable for TVJ, is perfect for SportsMax. Crosskill also added that he loved the idea of joining the new and ambitious experiment that is Sports Zone.

The announcement has been so far greeted with some amount of dismay by many of Crosskill’s fans, (and no doubt TVJ fans) especially on his Facebook page. There is absolutely no doubt that TVJ’s loss is SportsMax’s gain. This columnist wishes him success in his new role, while hoping that in the interim TVJ will “wheel and come again”.

‘Unlocking a Mystery: Missing 14-year-old returns home,’ was the headline of a story published in The Gleaner on Monday, May 21. This was the story of a child who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances from her home but who had returned, to the understandable delight of her parents.

Stories about missing children have been on the public agenda of discussion in recent months. There has been much concern expressed about what has happened to most of these children. Are they really missing? Were they abducted or did they leave their homes of their own free will?

Most readers would have expected that this story would have shed some light on these questions. Not so. This was merely a case of another misleading headline that failed to deliver on its promise. A pity.