NATION BUILDER AND MEDIA TITAN Harold Fitzherbert Hoyte died yesterday morning, leaving the country – from the Prime Minister to regular Barbadians – mourning his passing.
He was 77. Hoyte, the doyen of journalism in Barbados and across the region, and one of the founders of the Nation Publishing Co. Limited, died at 11:20 a.m. at his home in St Thomas, with his wife Noreen and sister Sheila Brewster at his side.
He served as this newspaper’s first Editor-in-Chief and held various positions, including President and Editor Emeritus, the latter until his death. He was also chairman of the board of Nation Publishing and a director of One Caribbean Media (OCM), the parent company of The Nation Group.
Hoyte had been ailing after suffering an aneurysm while on holiday in Florida at the end of 2017.
Ten days ago, in honour of his sterling contribution to journalism in Barbados and the building of one of the most successful black companies in the country, Nation House on Fontabelle, St Michael – which officially opened on September 23, 1977 – was renamed the Harold Hoyte & Fred Gollop Media Complex.
As news spread of Hoyte’s passing, tributes from across Barbados, the region and from the diaspora were pouring in, recognising his outstanding work in journalism. Media practitioners, former NATION staff, as well as members of the public also posted their own tributes to a “giant of a man”.
