Victor Aquilina, pioneer of local broadcasting, dies at 92

One of the pioneers of broadcasting in Malta, Victor Aquilina, has died in Australia. He was 92.

Aquilina is credited as having been the first disc jockey on cable radio, the service run by Rediffusion, which he joined in 1950.

He also worked as a programme producer and newscaster before becoming assistant head of programmes in 1966 and head of programmes in 1971. He was also involved in the production of several TV programmes when Rediffusion set up Malta Television in 1962. 

Rediffusion’s operations were nationalised in 1975 after a sit-in by the workers, led by the General Workers’ Union, which saw a lock-out of the management.  Xandir Malta was then set up as a branch of the state-owned Telemalta communications company.

Aquilina resigned a short time later and migrated to Australia where he headed SBS Radio Melbourne producing programmes for the Maltese community in Australia.

He retired in 1995 a year after having been awarded the Medalja għal-Qadi tar-Repubblika by the Maltese government.