Letters from Ceylon had the message ‘Listen to Radio Ceylon’ in the 1950s and 1960s when the radio station was ‘King of the Airwaves’ in South Asia. Broadcaster Vernon Corea was at the height of his popularity in South Asia in the 1950s and 1960s.
Tag Archives: South Asia
Call for Edward Harper to be recognised as the Father of Broadcasting in Sri Lanka at CHOGM 2013
Edward Harper the Father of Broadcasting of Ceylon
CHOGM 2013 will be held from 10-17 November 2013 in Colombo Sri Lanka
His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and HRH Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall pictured here in Jamaica (Photo from Wikipedia) will open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November 2013.
The Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations
His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and his wife HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will fly to Colombo to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka in November 2013. Also flying to Sri Lanka for CHOGM 2013 will be the British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Vernon Corea’s family have called on Her Majesty’s Government to recognise the contribution made to world broadcasting by a GREAT BRITON, Edward Harper who is widely regarded as the ‘Father of Broadcasting’ in Sri Lanka. If not for Edward Harper and his ground breaking wireless experiments with the Ceylon Wireless Club there would be no Radio Ceylon/Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Vernon Corea was enthralled by radio and the legacy of Edward Harper resulted in Sri Lankan broadcasters mastering the ‘art of radio.’ Vernon had a broadcasting career of 45 years culminating in being appointed the BBC’s first ever Ethnic Minorities Adviser and presenting the hugely popular ‘London Sounds Eastern,’ on BBC Radio London 206 in the 1970s and 1980s.
Thanks to Edward Harper, the Father of Broadcasting in Sri Lanka, broadcasters like Vernon Corea went on to play a pivotal role in radio in South Asia.
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron here with US President Obama has been asked to recognise the historic broadcasting efforts of Edward Harper at CHOGM 2013.
Broadcasting enthusiasts are hoping that His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron will give due recognition to the work of Edward Harper when they are in Sri Lanka to attend CHOGM 2013. This man deserves full credit for what he did for broadcasting in Asia. His achievements should be up there alongside others in terms of innovation. Harper was Chief Engineer with the Ceylon Telegraph Office from 1921 – 1931. During this time he lived in Colombo.
This is what Wikipedia says about Edward Harper –
Edward Harper was an engineer who travelled to Colombo in 1921 to work in the Ceylon Telegraph Department. Harper was appointed Chief Engineer. He had an innovative mind and his passion was broadcasting. Edward Harper is known as the ‘Father of Broadcasting,’ in Ceylon.
Harper together with Ceylonese and English radio enthusiasts founded the Ceylon Wireless Club. They experimented with radio broadcasts in 1923 the first experiments took place from a tiny room in the Central Telegraph Office – gramophone music was broadcast with the aid of a small transmitter captured from a German submarine. The transmitter was built by Ceylon Telegraph engineers.This was historic because it happened three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe. Ceylon plays an equal role in the early beginnings of broadcasting alongside Europe and the United States of America.
On December 16, 1925 a regular broadcasting service was launched in Colombo. The radio station was known as Colombo Radio, adopting the call sign, ‘Colombo Calling.’ As a result of Edward Harper’s efforts and that of the pioneering Ceylonese engineers, Radio Ceylon came into being – it is the oldest radio station in South Asia. Radio Ceylon ruled the airwaves in the region and became an established brand where international broadcasting was concerned.
The inauguration of radio, changed Ceylonese society. Families used to get together in the morning or in the evening and listen to the radio. Radio Ceylon enjoyed unique status as the market leader in South Asia from the 1950s – 1960s. Sri Lanka now has several radio stations and television stations. The media revolution was made possible by those early experiements conducted by Edward Harper and the Ceylonese radio enthusiasts who changed the face of communication on the island. Sri Lanka occupies an important place in the history of broadcasting – radio services were launched just three after the inauguration of the BBC in London.
Radio Ceylon engineer, A.W.Dharmapala (right) showing the radio equipment from the German submarine – used in the radio experiments initiated by Edward Harper and the Ceylon Wireless Club in the 1920s.
Vernon Corea featured on Old Ceylon Facebook Group
Vernon Corea was featured on the Old Ceylon Facebook Group –
The Prime Minister of Ceylon at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
See the clip of the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in London on 2nd June 1953. The entire coronation was covered by Radio Ceylon.
The Prime Minister of Ceylon’s carriage at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is listed here:
http://www.householdcavalry.info/crowning.html
See the official website of the British Monarchy regarding the Coronation in 1953:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/royaleventsandceremonies/coronation/coronation.aspx
A BBC blog had this to say about Radio Ceylon’s coverage of the Coronation in 1953 in London:
‘The BBC made use of all its own transmitting resources, but also those of other broadcasting organisations. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation relayed the broadcast via two of their transmitters, which was also picked up extensively across the whole American Continent, and Radio Ceylon used their highpower transmitters to relay coverage across South and SouthEast Asia. Excluding Europe, the total number of relaying stations was approximately 2,750; in Europe the number was over 200. There were also rebroadcasts by the British Forces Network stations in Europe, the Middle East Land Forces’ transmitters and the Commonwealth Forces’ station in Japan.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/posts/The-Coronation-And-The-BBC
Vernon Corea’s Broadcasting Legacy – he trained broadcasters from all over the world
Vernon Corea passed away ten years ago, on the 23rd of September 2002, he left behind a magnificent broadcasting legeacy. He has trained broadcasters from all over the world during his glittering career of 45 years in broadcasting.
Vernon has trained broadcasters in Sri Lanka, trainee broadcasters from across South Asia and broadcasters in the United Kingdom when he led training courses at the BBC Training Institute in the United Kingdom.
The picture shows Vernon with broadcasters from South Asia.
Vernon Corea has trained broadcasters from around the world.
Max Bygraves and ‘Kiddies Corner’ on Radio Ceylon
It was announced today that the British comedian, actor and singer Max Bygraves has passed away in Australia. Born Walter Bygraves in London’s docklands in the East End, he changed his name after impressing fellow servicemen with his impersonations of Max Miller.
He married Blossom Murray in 1942, shortly before his career took off alongside popular fellow entertainers including Frankie Howard. With his catchphrase ‘I wanna tell you a story’, he was soon appearing at his first Royal Command Performance and was later second on the bill to Judy Garland at the London Palladium.
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Max Bygraves enjoyed huge popularity on the iconic children’s radio programme, ‘Kiddies Corner,’ over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon (SLBC) in the 1960s.
Vernon Corea introduced the music of Max Bygraves to South Asia when he produced the iconic children’s radio programme ‘Kiddies Corner’ over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon. There were several songs by Max Bygraves that were really popular on Radio Ceylon. ‘Kiddies Corner’ has been presented by Vernon Corea, Craig Thompson and Vijaya Corea. The radio programme was produced by Vernon. He play a song written by Max Bygraves himself which was a huge hit in Sri Lanka. It was called:
‘Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellenbogen by the Sea’
Another song by Max Bygraves was also popular on ‘Kiddies Corner’ on Radio Ceylon:
Radio Ceylon (SLBC) aired the historic steps of Neil Armstrong – the first Man on the Moon
Neil Armstrong – the first man on the moon has passed away in the United States of America
Radio Ceylon aired the historic moment when Neil Armstrong stepped on the surface on the moon on July 20th 1969.
Radio Ceylon (SLBC) shared with whole of South Asia the historic space flight of the Apollo 11 Astronauts – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in July 1969
Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon on July 20th 1969.
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon has passed away in the United States of America. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins created history with the Apollo 11 space flight to the moon. Radio Ceylon and SLBC broadcaster Vernon Corea and his family were gathered together around the radio and listened to Neil Armstrong’s historic words: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind.’ Radio Ceylon aired the moment live on the 20th of July 1969. The very next day Neil Armstrong’s words were headline news in the Ceylon Daily News – at the time the newspaper was edited by Vernon’s brother, Ernest Corea.
Jimmy Bharucha
Vernon Corea worked with Jimmy Bharucha at Radio Ceylon and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Jimmy Bharucha died in 2005 in Sri Lanka.
Vernon Corea worked with many great broadcasters of Radio Ceylon and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Once such announcer was the late Jimmy Bharucha.
Information on Jimmy Bharucha on Wikipedia:
Jimmy Bharucha, called a ‘colossus in Sri Lanka‘s broadcasting world’ died in Colombo in June 2005.
Bharucha who was educated at St.Peter’s College,Colombo, had a career in broadcasting spanning 46 years. He was a pioneer of Radio Ceylon and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and his velvet voice was popular not only in Sri Lanka but across the Indian sub-continent.
He joined the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon on September 17, 1951, the station is the oldest in South Asia. Bharucha joined the Commercial Service under the stewardship of Clifford Dodd, who arrived in Ceylon to become the Director of the Commercial Service — Dodd was seconded to Ceylon under the Colombo Plan. Jimmy Bharucha joined the great announcers of Radio Ceylon playing western music. The entire radio station consisted of 45 members of staff including announcers in 1951. He presented some popular programmes including ‘Crookes Hit Parade, Film Magazine, Take It Or Leave It, Melodies and Memories’ among them. Radio Ceylon was ‘King of the Airwaves,’ in the 1950s and 1960s – millions tuned into the radio station – right across South Asia.
Senior Management at the SLBC
Jimmy Bharucha was appointed to senior management positions — as Director, News, and Director, Foreign Relations— he was also Director/Secretary to the Board with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Neville Jayaweera
The inauguration of the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation on 5th January 1967
Vernon Corea had enormous respect for Sri Lanka’s top civil servant of the 1960s, Mr. Neville Jayaweera who was Director-General of Radio Ceylon and masterminded the station changing into a Corporation – it was subsequently known as the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation, changing to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation when the country became a republic in 1972. Vernon Corea and Neville Jayaweera became close friends in the United Kingdom.
When Vernon Corea passed away in September 2002 Neville Jayaweera wrote about his valuable contribution to broadcasting in Sri Lanka. Here are excerpts of his tribute to Vernon Corea:
‘In many respects Vernon represented a dying culture. In the best sense of the term he was essentially a Public School boy, a typical product of Royal College of the pre-56 vintage. His sense of loyalty to his management and to his profession and his compassion and concern for those who worked under him were exemplary. I recall many instances when he would intercede on behalf some hapless subordinate who had fallen foul of the management without ever flinching from his loyalty to the latter. He typified the moral qualities of his schooling, viz. integrity, loyalty and professional excellence. There were certain things which he considered as simply “not done” and which he was incapable of doing. He was incapable of disloyalty to the traditions of his school, of disloyalty to his superiors or of disloyalty towards his subordinates and it was the special quality of his personality that he managed to balance these contradictory impulses with consummate ease and humour.
Vernon went on to distinguish himself at Radio Worldwide and within a few years was invited by the BBC to head their new, ” Ethnic Minorities Unit” where he worked till retirement with great distinction.
No tribute to Vernon Corea can be complete without a reference to his religious convictions. The eldest son of the Rev Ivan Corea and brother of Ernest Corea, who was one time Editor of the Daily news and later Ambassador to Washington, Vernon was a man of deep religious convictions. It will be correct to say that in addressing whatever task that confronted him Vernon’s first impulse was to turn to God. He seemed to look on every circumstance as, in some rationally unexplainable way, as God’s inexorable will for him. In a sense this was the source of his strength, the strength that enabled him to weather circumstances that would normally have crushed others. His faith in Jesus Christ was non-negotiable and indestructible.
In a real sense Vernon’s passing is also a reminder that the curtain is falling rapidly on an era. That era has long since been moved to the sidelines and is now being completely dismantled. Vernon was one of its few surviving representatives.’
Information on Neville Jayaweera from Wikipedia:
 Neville Jayaweera addresses a meeting in the boardroom of Radio Ceylon |
|
| Born | Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | broadcasting executive |
| Employer | The Government of Sri Lanka |
| Known for | spearheading the change over of Radio Ceylon to a public corporation |
| Title | Chairman and Director-General of Radio Ceylon/Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation |
Chairman and Director-General of Radio Ceylon
Neville Jayaweera is a distinguished civil servant of Sri Lanka. He was handpicked by the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake and the Cabinet Minister of Broadcasting, Ranasinghe Premadasa to be both Chairman and Director-General of Radio Ceylon and subsequently the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1967.
Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation
Under his leadership the brand name of the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation was strengthened. The name of the CBC underwent yet another name change in 1972 when Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka. The CBC is now known as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Chairman and Director General of the CBC Neville Jayaweera with the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake.
The SLBC is the oldest radio station in South Asia and enjoyed the title ‘King of the Airwaves’ in South Asia from the 1950s-1970s.
Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva, Tamil: இலங்கை ஒலிபரப்புக் கூட்டுத்தாபனம், Ilangkai Oliparappuk Kūṭṭuttāpaṉam) came into existence on January 5, 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayake who was the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1967 ceremonially opened the newly established Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation along with Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa and the Director-General of the CBC, Neville Jayaweera.The first board of Directors of CBC consisted of Mr. Neville Jayaweera (CCS), Mr.A.L.M.Hashim , Mr.Dharmasiri Kuruppu , Mr. K.A.G. Perera , and Mr. Devar Surya Sena . After the first board meeting it was decided unanimously to appoint the chairman , Mr.Jayaweera , to the post of Director General.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylon_Broadcasting_Corporation
Nihal Bhareti on the SLBC
Radio Ceylon/SLBC Broadcaster Nihal Bhareti
Nihal Bhareti is one of the most popular broadcasters over the airwaves of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Listeners can still listen to his silky voice on the Commercial Service of the SLBC.
Millions tuned in to hear Nihal Bhareti on popular radio programmes such as ‘Radio Journal.’ Nihal Bhareti joined Radio Ceylon in the 1960s, at the time the station enjoyed iconic status as ‘King of the Airwaves’ in South Asia. Nihal Bhareti joined the band of distinguished broadcasters who made Radio Ceylon into a very successful brand.
Nihal Bhareti was mentored by the pioneering Radio Ceylon broadcaster Vernon Corea. Nihal has visited Vernon Corea at Maha Nuge Gardens. When a Memorial Service was held in 2002 to celebrate Vernon’s life at St.Luke’s Church Borella in Sri Lanka, Nihal Bhareti was present with Clifford Basanayake. He recalled the wonderful days of working with Vernon Corea.
Information on Nihal Bhareti from Wikipedia:
Nihal Bhareti is a popular radio announcer with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in Colombo. He joined Radio Ceylon in the 1960s. His mellow voice attracted hundreds of fans in Sri Lanka as well as on the Indian sub-continent.
Bhareti joined the station when it was enjoying huge popularity, right across South Asia.Radio Ceylon ruled the airwaves and millions tuned in to the station from the vast Indian sub-continent.Bhareti’s mellow voice proved popular with local listeners in Sri Lanka as well as listeners on the All Asia beam of the station.
He became part of the institution at a time when Radio Ceylon was riding the crest of the radio waves. He was appointed by Livy Wijemanne who was by then Director of the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon.Bhareti was mentored by senior broadcasters at the station, such as Vernon Corea who gave him his early training in the art of radio. In the early years, Nihal Bhareti assisted Vernon Corea in popular radio programmes such as Take It Or Leave It, broadcast in front of a ‘live’ audience, from a studio in Radio Ceylon. He was a quick learner and his adaptability coupled with a smooth, voice proved to be a hit with listeners of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Bhareti was a true professional.
Nihal Bhareti presented Radio Journal for a decade, this was a popular magazine programme with news, interviews, music and snippets. He was the voice behind such programmes as Holiday Choice, Housewive’s Choice, and Choice of the People, on the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.’ He has been in the forefront of key entertainment programmes in South Asia.Nihal Bhareti has presented the equivalent of the British radio programme ‘Desert Island Discs’ over the airwaves of the SLBC.Well known personalities, even Sri Lankan politicians have all been on the programme. He has interviewed many Sri Lankan music stars for the SLBC, including Nimal Mendis and Mignonne Fernando of the Jetliners.
He climbed the management ladder and he was appointed Director English Services of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in the 1980s.
Bhareti can still be heard on the airwaves and remains a firm favourite with listeners on the island of Sri Lanka. Quite apart from his work on radio, Bhareti has compered many entertainment shows in Colombo. He has also presented entertainment programmes on Sri Lankan television.
Vernon Corea 1927-2002 
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