Greg Roskowski

Who is Greg Roskowski?

Greg Roskowski was an announcer of Radio Ceylon during the height of the station's popularity in the 1950s in South Asia. Roskowski, born of a Polish father and a Japanese mother, was the booming voice of Radio Ceylon's morning radio programs.

The Roskowski family at one time also owned and ran Hotel Nippon, a middle-budget hotel and restaurant, situated in the commercial heart of Colombo. Hotel Nippon has one of the earliest oriental restaurants and it exists to this day, in downtown Colombo.

According to one-time radio colleague Jimmy Bharucha, Greg Roskowski used to receive fan mail of over 500 letters a day. Listeners to Radio Ceylon enjoyed his 'wakey wakey' style and he introduced the hit songs of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Bill Haley & His Comets, Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley to audiences in Ceylon and beyond.

Greg Roskowski was known as 'Happy-go-lucky-Greg' over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon. He was immensely popular on the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon and the All Asia Service where he presented a countdown of English pop music called the Binanca Hit Parade.

Indian listeners of Greg Roskowski's programme then wrote into the station in the thousands clamouring for a countdown programme of Hindi filmi songs since All India Radio had banned Bollywood music. Binaca Geetmala, presented by Ameen Sayani, was the outcome – it became an iconic radio programme over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon.