 |
| Retired broadcaster, Teye Kitcher |
Every June 4th,
Jerry John Rawlings’ 1979 coup in Ghana inspired by his Armed Forces
Revolutionary Council (AFRC) readily comes to mind. This year, as in previous
years, the story was not different. I knew nothing substantial in history―
worldwide― that occurred on the aforementioned date than Rawlings’ coup.
Then, in the afternoon,
as I watched Aljazeera, I heard something that was totally new to me. The
anchor mentioned Tiananmen and that it was a protest which happened in Beijing,
China, in 1989. The news report said many people died in that protest. After I
had watched the news report, I sought to find out more about this mass death in
history.
“The Tiananmen Square
protests, commonly known in mainland China as the June Fourth Incident, were
student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing during 1989. In
what became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with assault rifles
and tanks fired at the demonstrators and those trying to block the military’s
advance into Tiananmen Square. Estimates of the death toll vary from several
hundreds to thousands,” so is it captured by Wikipedia.
 |
| Journalist Adrian Brown reports on the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 |
Whereas I was thrilled
to have learnt something new, what really got me excited was the Aljazeera
reporter who filed the story from Beijing on the 30th anniversary of the
protests. The reporter was Adrian Brown – a foreign correspondent in Beijing –
and as if by design, he was the same reporter who covered the demonstration and
subsequent massacre 30 years ago.
 |
| Adrian Brown recounts the Tiananmen Massacre |
Adrian Brown and his
Tiananmen reports make me miss many Ghanaian journalists currently on retirement.
One of such persons who readily comes to mind is Teye Kitcher who proceeded on
retirement from Ghana Broadcasting Corporation [GBC] few weeks ago. For me,
journalists must not retire, especially when they are strong and healthy and so
much on top of their business.
Born to Mr. Joseph
Richard Wentum-Kitcher from Osu and Ada and Vida Mercy Wentum-Kitcher of Sempe,
all in the Greater Accra Region and Saltpond, Central Region, the then little
Teye Kitcher began his education at the Osu Presbyterian Boys Primary School in
1965.
“I attended the Ada
Foah Presbyterian Boys Middle Boarding School from 1970 to 1973. I thereafter
attended the Ada Secondary School and then Ghana Institute of Journalism [GIJ].
I studied Diploma in Journalism and completed in 1981. Luck smiled on me as I
got to start work at GBC on 7th of April 1982 till I retired this year on the
7th of July,” Mr. Kitcher tells me in a WhatsApp chat.
A whopping 37 years of
service to mother Ghana as a journalist!? Incredible! I got to personally know
Mr. Teye Kitcher when we sat in the same lecture hall at GIJ for a degree in
journalism. That was in 2014/16. Nonetheless, I had heard his soothingly deep
voice on Radio Ghana as far away as Wamfia in the Bono Region when I served as
a mentee during my third year at the Berekum College of Education in 2010.
Teye Kitcher’s voice
and fantastic pronunciations of words in the English Language urged one to
listen to the news whenever he presented it no matter how badly one wanted to
switch the radio dial.
“About 15 years of my
time at GBC was spent as a correspondent at the Castle, Osu, during the time of
former President Jerry John Rawlings. I began work at the Castle at the rank of
a reporter; the lowest rank in the newsroom,” he narrated.
“My work at the Castle
took me to places as far as Newfoundland; as far west of the world to Los
Angeles; as far east as Brunei and as far south as New Zealand,” he continued.
He tells me that while
he so much enjoyed his job as a journalist working in the newsroom and later as
a presidential press corps member – flying to countries around the globe – that
joy was punctuated with shock and pain at a point.
“My most challenging
assignment was during the coverage of the Kokomba-Nanumba-Dagomba conflict in
the 90s,” he said sending me an emoji depicting his painful experience. Mr.
Kitcher says the coverage of the conflict was very much challenging for him
mainly because of the weight of emotional strain it had on him.
“I had never seen so
much destruction and deaths in all my life. Solo, trust me! I left the Castle
6th January, 2001. I came back to the newsroom to assume the role of Shift
Leader. I later produced and presented Ghana Today – a news magazine program. I
went on to become a supervisor and retired as Head of News.”
Without exaggerating
issues, whoever listened to the retired broadcaster present Ghana Today on
Radio Ghana would attest he lifted the stories out of his scripts, making it
hard for listeners to switch to Focus on Africa [on BBC radio] which aired at
the same time – 1500GMT.
“The time is three
o’clock and this is Ghana Today where we bring you reports from our
correspondents across the country,” his introduction would go. His style of
questioning whenever he engaged his correspondents was spectacular.
This aside, another
news segment Mr. Kitcher fronted was the Major News Bulletin at 1pm on radio.
It was always a delight to hear this amazing broadcaster read scripts on News
Commentary [a segment on the news].
Undoubtedly, here is a
man full of rich experience as a journalist. Must such a person retire from
journalism because he is 60 years old when he could actively be a walking
institution in the GBC newsroom?
I am an ardent viewer
of Aljazeera and, I perhaps think, I know all of the station’s reporters and
correspondents. Talk of the old but active Mike Hanna who reports from
Washington DC in the United States, Adrian Brown from Beijing, from Pakistan
Kamal Hyder and Diplomatic Editor, James Bays, among others. Watching these
phenomenal journalists is such a pleasure. This is because it is not about them
being old but being full of rich experience as they have done what they do
repeatedly.
I believe that we need
such experienced folks in every newsroom to help shape affairs. I am not, in
anyway, suggesting that the young folks are not on top of their job. The point,
however, is that there are some old folks whose knowledge the young crop of
journalists earnestly need to better their trade.
I am sure you have
heard of TV3’s Stephen Anti of News@10 fame, right? Truth be told, the likes of
Stephen Antis and Teye Kitchers drive the news. I have produced the former for
over three years now on 3FM [92.7] as he reads the then Newshour [at 6pm] now
Hot Edition [at 5:30pm].
Stephan Anti – though
not overly old – is that type of a newsreader or anchor who basically needs no
scripts or prepared questions. Yes! Just get him the microphone and it is as if
he was destined to do what he does.
A mention could also be
made of the former GBC newsreader, Mercy Sowah. Although I never have met her
before, having monitored her from afar – via radio – aside her overly soothing
voice, I could tell that GBC had a treasure that it perhaps never knew.
I understand that GBC
has been engaging its men and women on retirement to teach at its training
school. This, I must say, is commendable and must be continued. We must tap the
experiences of the doyens.
Anyway, did you know
that the man whose news reading gift you so much enjoyed never wanted to be a
journalist? Interesting!
“My earlier interest
was in architecture. I was, however, encouraged to pursue journalism by my big
brother, Paul,” he tells me. Fate, indeed, has a way of turning around things
in our lives.
Mr. Kitcher says he is
much grateful to all and sundry, especially his listeners, who made his career
a success. He hints that there are three people who, however, were very
instrumental in his professional career as a journalist.
“My professional life
was shaped by three Johns. John Nyankuma, a former Head of News [at GBC] who
taught me all I know about broadcast writing; Johnnie Ashie Kotei, one time
Head of Programming at GBC and my father-in-law who taught me presentation
skills; and Jerry John Rawlings who mentored me in critical thinking.”
Mr. Kitcher is today thanking
persons who shaped his life but, probably, little does he know that he has
himself shaped many lives, especially people he directly worked with.
“He was my boss who
later became my friend. He was a boss-friend who knew how and where to draw the
lines between professionalism and friendship. He also knew how and when to
combine the two to get the best out of me,” says Abdul Hayi Moomen, one of the
celebrated broadcasters in the country, to me in a WhatsApp chat.
“I would miss his
friendly but stern and strict nature― fair but firm. He was one person who was
passionate about seeing the state broadcaster take back its place as the
pacesetter of broadcasting in Ghana― and for that, I will miss him. This is
because I share the same sentiments. In his absence, there’s almost no one left
to look up to,” he adds.
For Nana Achia Aboagye,
also at GBC, Mr. Teye Kitcher is a role model who keeps inspiring her even when
he is out there on retirement.
“I consider him my
father and I was fortunate to have sat in the same classroom/lecture hall with
him at GIJ. He’s such a wonderful figure whom I look up to in my career. He has
been my source of inspiration since day one,” she said.
“Mr. Kitcher is very knowledgeable,
humble and affable. What I miss about him is his jovial nature. He plays with
everyone in the office. He doesn’t discriminate at all. He appreciates and
respects everyone,” Ms. Aboagye intimates.
If it is the case that
the retired broadcaster never received any award or citation, I do not consider
such a big deal. I have always told my close friends that the best award in the
world is giving other people [and even animals] the reason to live and this has
been confirmed by Mr. Moomen and Nana Achia.
Mr. Kitcher is 60 years
old but, mind you, he did not retire on a ‘simple note’. He bagged Masters in
Communication Studies, majoring in Media Management, from GIJ in 2017. You can
only wait to see him lecture in a communication/journalism school near you as
he is currently doing so at the Wisconsin University College in Accra. All said
and done, however, let the broadcaster’s passion for excellence and higher
heights in education motivate you to achieve that dream. It is never too late
to be that wo/man in the mirror in front of you!
The writer is a
broadcast journalist with TV3/3FM. Views expressed here are solely his and do
not, in anyway, reflect the editorial policy of his organization.
Email:
nehusthan4@yahoo.com
Twitter: @aniwaba
No comments:
Post a Comment