By Jovani Davis
(Source: CNW)
Veteran sports journalist and broadcaster Donald Oliver has died, according to a report from the Jamaica Gleaner.
Oliver reportedly passed away suddenly this morning after suffering a medical emergency.
Widely regarded as one of Jamaica’s most respected voices in sports media, Oliver built a distinguished career as a journalist, commentator, television presenter, producer and writer.
Over more than two decades, Donald Oliver built an extensive and influential career across Jamaica’s major broadcast media houses, spanning radio, television, live commentary and sports production.
Oliver most recently served as Senior Producer at SportsMax Limited, a role he held from February 2016. Based in Kingston, he worked as a senior editorial voice within the network, contributing as a producer, journalist, presenter, writer and media consultant, and helping to shape SportsMax’s football and cricket coverage across the region.
Prior to joining SportsMax, Oliver spent just over seven years at CVM Communications Group between 2008 and 2016. During that period, he played a central role in CVM’s sports output, writing, producing and presenting multiple flagship programmes. These included Spotlight: CVM Sports Year in Review in 2009, 2010 and 2012, as well as a major Olympics feature produced for CVM’s 2012 advertising pitch.
At CVM, Oliver also co-founded and produced the popular sports call-in programme Football GPS, delivered television commentary for the schoolboy football season, and contributed track and field commentary for events such as the Milo Western Relays and Western Champs. He produced Road to Champs, a weekly half-hour athletics feature, oversaw live coverage of the Gibson Relays, and provided regional radio commentary during the West Indies ODI tour of Bangladesh in 2012. In 2014, he co-produced CVM Television’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup, which included six live shows and nightly one-hour delayed broadcasts.
In recognition of his journalistic work, Oliver received a Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2009, a milestone he often cited as pivotal in his career.
Oliver began his professional journey at RJR Communications Group, where he was hired full-time in 2002 at the age of 17. During his six-year tenure, he progressed rapidly from reporter and producer to one of the station’s trusted young voices. He began radio commentary on schoolboy football in 2003, expanded to radio and television commentary for the National Premier League in 2004, and covered CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers and Gold Cup tournaments in 2005.
His international experience included selection to the radio commentary team for the West Indies tour of Pakistan in 2006 and reporting on the World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, in 2007. He also helped pioneer digitalized radio sports year-in-review productions at RJR and later presented Prime Time Sports on Television Jamaica in 2008.
Across each phase of his career, Oliver remained deeply committed to live commentary, production excellence and storytelling—earning respect as one of Jamaica’s most versatile and knowledgeable sports broadcasters.