Jamaica Information Service

At the time of its establishment in 1956, the Agency embraced two main functions: the production and dissemination of information; functions that remain part of the Agency's core responsibilities to this day. The Agency was first known as the Government Public Relations Office (GPRO), which was primarily concerned with issuing press releases and maintaining good relations between the press and the Government. The scope of the GPRO was widened in 1957 when it was integrated with the Jamaica Film Unit and the Government Broadcasting Service. Subsequently, Photography, and a Publications unit were added to the structure of the organisation. In 1963, the GPRO was renamed the Jamaica Information Service, and a Television unit was formed. During this period, the JIS focussed primarily on writing and distributing press releases and photographs, writing publications, mounting public education campaigns, and producing stories for radio, film and television. The Agency also had a mobile service which showed films in rural communities islandwide. In 1974, the name of the organisation was changed to the Agency for Public Information (API) and reverted to Jamaica Information Service in 1980. In 1984, the print news and photography functions were turned over to the newly formed Jamaica Press (JAMPRESS), the national press agency. The public affairs (now public relations), radio, television and printing functions remained with the JIS.