death_date predecessor birth_place nationality article_title birth_date known_for spouse image employer education name occupation
14 march 2002 john lampson , director-general , radio ceylon padukka , sri lanka sri lanka sri lankan m. j. perera
 3 february 1915 the of the sri lanka rupavahini corporation first ceylonese director-general of radio ceylon first chairman mrs.gnathie ratna perera m.j perera.jpg the government of sri lanka government kanishta vidyalaya -rrb- nalanda college , colombo bilingual school , padukka -lrb- currently m.d.h. jayawardena m.j.perera education / broadcasting / television executive
m. j. perera

mapatunage james `` m. j. '' perera was a sri lankan civil servant , born on 3 february 1915 with nine members in his family in udumulla , padukka .
he created broadcasting history by being the first ceylonese director general of radio ceylon , the oldest radio station in south asia , taking over the helm from john lampson of the bbc .
perera witnessed the transformation of radio ceylon as `` king of the airwaves '' in south asia the radio station was the market leader and the number one radio station in the region during the 1950s and 1960s , with a loyal base of millions of listeners .
radio ceylon enjoyed huge success under his leadership .
clifford dodd , an australian administrator , was appointed -lrb- via the colombo plan -rrb- as the first director of the commercial service of radio ceylon and he contributed to the station 's popularity across the indian sub-continent .
m.j.perera was also appointed the first chairman of the sri lanka rupavahini corporation , the island 's television station and the country 's first competent authority .
born on 3 february 1915 in padukka , he was educated at rajabisheka vidyalaya -lrb- primary education -rrb- - padukka nalanda college colombo and at the university of ceylon .
he became an assistant government agent and went on to become the permanent secretary of the education and cultural affairs ministry and later as first chairman of the rupavahini -lrb- television -rrb- corporation , retiring from the sri lanka administrative service after 48 years public service .
