Fazeer Mohammed-Talk Show Host

Fazeer Mohammed is quite light and breezy, answering my questions with bright big smiles ...an attitude which contrasts drastically with the media storm that has transpired recently which resulted with his abrupt dismissal from CNMG, the home of the morning show he hosted called First Up.

He tells me about his early years and how he came to become a broadcaster, "My inspiration for being a broadcaster came from cricket. My actual dream was to play cricket for the West Indies but if I couldn't do that I wanted to be able to be in the commentators box commenting about it, or to have the ability to write about it."

Fazeer says it took many years for him to realise that journalism was his calling. In his teenage years he thought he was going to be the best accountant that ever lived, that was until he failed his Accounting A levels. He commends his parents for being supportive and he did his Alevel equivalent qualifications at Winnipeg College in Canada. He attributes the isolation of the experience to finding his journalistic calling. 

" I realised the only skill I had was in expression, whether it be in writing or verbally. I got the opportunity to go to the Carlton University in Otowa but turned it down because I was tired of Canada and the cold. I just wanted to come back home"

Fazeer decided to learn on the job and on his return started with the TNT Mirror. Soon he got a freelance opportunity with The Guradian which had a bigger sport section, allowing him to develop his sport journalism skills.

Later he moved into radio with the Trinidad Broadcasting Company where he learned and gained exposure in cricket commentary. It snowballed into doing international commentary, even doing matches not related to the West Indies, opening doors to travel the world.

"Essentially I have fufilled my dreams already professionally, because I wanted to commentate for a West Indies and a Australia game which I did that 1996-1997. So I'm living a post dream existence."

He has  been a freelancer ever sincehe left TBC and splits up his time between different media practices.  Mostly it was taken up with the morning show but still he does cricket commentry,he used to write a column in the Express andhas tremendous responsibility in a family business.

"In June 2007 I was asked to be a cohost for a new morning programme for CNMG and I enjoyed it thoroughly . For reasons best explained by the government of the day I was removed from the programme but I am now taking on co hosting TV6 Morning Edition. This feels like a return of sorts because I used to host the Sporting Edition  on a Friday. Right now I'm in a place where I'm enjoying the luxury of being able to pick and choose what I want to do."

Fazeer's  advice to newcomers in the industry are:

• "When you enter this profession you have to do the hard ground work, working long hours, sometimes for little pay in your beginning years to raise up to the level I'm at now. You have to put in the sacrifice if you want a long term career in the media."

• "You shouldn't get carried away by the limelight and the glory. If you get too preoccupied with that you won't get anywhere. You have to allow yourself to be judged by the quality of your work and then you won't even need to speak, because the quality of your work will speak for you."

• "Being a talk show host or broadcaster isn't a PR job.  It is our job to be entertaining, yes...but to also be probing, challenging and informative. You need to be an allrounder, and not be afraid to ask the hard questions."

• "As a media practitioner you can't begin to water down your priniples, or start wandering away from who you really are. This stance may put you at risk when others challange your principles.  But you should expect such things if you enter the field with the true intention of making a positive difference."

"I don't see my role as being a vanguard for truth and justice..I see myself  more like a parsite. I feed off what is going on around me and attempt to be a sounding board , reflecting or exposing people for the fraud, for the inspiration ... basically for the real truth of the situation."