While reflecting on the first part of this write-up, it dawned on me that my top four (4) radio morning shows were indeed made up of two Twi-based as well as two-English shows. Honestly, that outstanding feature hadn’t come to mind until now. Having considered Kokrokoo, a Twi-based show and obviously Peace Fm’s flagship programme, it’s only prudent that I consider an English-based show, for a change.
This show has in fact been what most of the inhabitants of corporate Ghana have been waking up to. You can call it the “kokrokoo” of the educated elite. It is however worthy of note that the use of the term “kokrokoo” here is with reference to the wake-up call most hens and cocks send out each morning. Manned by another of Ghana’s finest broadcasters, his show is indeed his station’s flagship programme; The Super Morning Show (SMS). Hosted by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the SMS indeed touches every sensitive spot.
The show isn’t complete without a motivational word from award-winning playwright, counselor and motivational speaker, Uncle Ebo Whyte. His words are the needed elements to get you in the right frame of mind for the working day. After a quick run through the headlines of the leading newspapers, the sweet voice of Kojo Oppong Nkrumah guides listeners throughout the show, lasting till 10am. Whether he’s on the phone lines, speaking to newsmakers or analyzing the news-making headlines, he comes across as a young man who is truly talented to the core. Sometimes, one wonders why he never pursued a first degree in Mass Communication, but rather toiled at the University of Cape Coast for a Bachelor of Commerce! But perhaps, it’s from the Casely Hayford Hall (CASFORD), his hall of affiliation as an undergraduate that he garnered that can-do spirit.
The SMS is always complete with the latest music which leads listeners wondering how the current affairs cum politics and development inclined show can be so in sync with music. It’s a delight listening to Kojo’s funny comments about the songs he plays and I must confess he’s got good taste for music.
The astute SMS listener would have the privilege of listening to various lawmakers as well as those who matter, on their views on issues being discussed. Almost every time, the right questions are posed, necessitating answers that no doubt inform the opinions of listeners. Because the show and in fact the station, JOY 99.7 Fm, runs all its shows in English, it reaches out to all who comprehend the Queen’s tongue. And indeed, a vast majority of Ghanaians are unable to comprehend the popular Akan language. The SMS therefore reaches out to all such ones including the huge representation of foreigners Ghana has come to be home to. This includes members of the diplomatic corp., refugees, asylum seekers and businessmen. All who fall within this bracket are assured of high quality debates, analysis, and entertainment when they tune in to the Super Morning Show.
Thanks to the wonders of technology, listeners across many oceans can still tune in to the SMS via www.myjoyonline.com although that feat has also been achieved by Peace Fm’s Kokrokoo which also streams live on the internet via www.peacefmonline.com. Perhaps the uniqueness of the Super Morning Show is how it incorporates social networking into the morning show. Thus listeners do air their views and interact via Facebook and Twitter, getting to have their messages read all the same, at little or no cost, rather than using the conventional MTN short code 1422 which costs 30Gp per text.
In terms of promotions and packages for listeners, the SMS sets the standard. Every now and then, a new promotion pops up, promising to start a period of great activity. Perhaps, that’s what Joy Fm is noted for. My personal favorite over the years has been the Read One Hundred (100) Project, which sought to incite listeners, especially the young, to read, while assured of gaining rewards if they were diligent enough at their reading.
Indeed the Super Morning Show lives up to its name. It’s a super morning show; educative, informative, analytical, motivational and entertaining. No doubt it won the CIMG Radio Programme of the Year and GJA Radio Programme of the Year; call it the double, in 2008. It’s little wonder therefore that the Super Morning Show is seated comfortably as a part of my personal top four (4) radio morning shows.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
MY TOP FOUR RADIO MORNING SHOWS IN GHANA- PART 1
It’s the desire of every morning person to be fed with what’s happening around the world. For even the most religious among the lot, their quest to be current and abreast of world events supersedes their early morning encounter with their objects of worship. In a cosmopolitan city like Accra, city dwellers satisfy this quest in most cases, by listening to the radio; while in the shower, while taking breakfast or while stuck in traffic on the way to work. With the multiplicity of radio stations in Ghana, one doesn’t have to go through much stress finding a suitable frequency. In fact, it seems wherever one tunes to has one show or another going on each morning.
But do morning shows live up to their name? Are they able to light up the days of their listeners? What about their content? Whom are they aimed at? Well, these questions are going to guide the study of my four (4) favorite radio morning shows and no doubt Ghana’s top four morning shows. This write-up presents a listener’s point of view of these shows. Having spent some time following these shows, I believe it’s in the right direction that I undertake this study. To start with, I would give an overview of each show before delving into the analytical phase.
In no particular order, the following radio shows are going to be the specimen for this study; PEACE FM’S KOKROKOO, ADOM FM’S DWASO NSEM, JOY FM’S SUPER MORNING SHOW (SMS) AND HITZ FM’S DAYBREAK HITZ.
The first show to be considered is PEACE FM’S KOKROKOO. The show’s host Kwami Sefa Kayi, affectionately called “Chairman” by his panelists and listeners expertly drives Ghana to work from 6:30am-10:00am every other working day. According to him, the best thing about being a broadcaster is “The ability to affect millions of lives positively and to contribute to the development of my country.” A line he has become known for on radio is “We are soldiering on for God and country” and actually, that’s what he does.
Serving his breakfast in Twi, he is able to capture a wider audience. From the newspaper review segment through the phone-ins and the part where his panelists, usually from the different political divide, battle issues out, KOKROKOO comes across as an interesting show. Chairman’s probing questions always hit the right spot, making his respondents let whatever cats they have out of their bags. Mention can be made of how he was able to draw out the inner feelings and thoughts of the infamous Bishop Obinim. That interview no doubt added more salt to Obinim’s injury as he said more than he should have.
Lovers of politics are left full and smiling all day as their respected partymen and women try to defend various political actions. While Uncle Allotey Jacobs, the ‘educated fisherman’ as he’s widely called, is always violently championing the cause of the ruling NDC and justifying their every action while code-switching between Fanti and English, the sharp-tongued Ursula Owusu of the NPP also presents the minority’s view of nation building and as always, tries to point out loopholes in what the ruling party does. You can also trust Kwesi Pratt Jnr. to be as analytical as ever and with his favorite word “Massa”, he can stop anyone in his or her tracks, just to make his submission. KOKROKOO is never complete without the presence of the man who has a copy of every document underneath the sun, Kwaku Baako Jnr. who in most cases is torn between speaking Twi/Fanti and English. He is more often than not championing the course of the NPP and not his CPP and it can be noted that it was even on KOKROKOO that he admitted having voted for the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo during the 2008 general elections.
On the average, Kwami Sefa Kayi proves to be a good moderator of his show and of course his station’s flagship programme. No doubt he’s the current holder of the Morning Show Host of the Year (Radio) title as well as the Radio and Television Personality of the Year. Yes, you can say he’s cemented his name in history. This can be attributed to the fact that he is with one of Ghana’s best radio stations, if not the best. Running about a 70% of his show in Twi, a language that most of his listeners; young, old, elite, unlettered, can relate to, he reaches a wider audience. Quite positively, most businesses deem it prudent to advertise their products on his show. Although that’s purely a marketing strategy that also fetches the station lots of money, one thing the show’s producers may not have noticed is that these commercials take away most of the show’s time.
Besides being hugely tainted by politics, KOKROKOO really is a force to reckon with in the area of radio morning shows. Kwami’s occasional humorous nature tends to relax things when they go out of hand in his studio. His studio-hands also contribute to the show’s success. Wherever they learnt how to embellish from, they were studious in the learning process. They can make serious issues appear as child’s play and vice versa, although this sometimes draws attention from the issue at stake.
Nevertheless, when next you want to know what’s going on in Ghana when you wake up, remember to tune in to the Chairman’s show on Peace Fm on 104.3 MHz. Quite interestingly, his show runs on over 25 affiliate radio stations in and out of Ghana each morning. It’s little wonder therefore that KOKROKOO makes my top four (4).
But do morning shows live up to their name? Are they able to light up the days of their listeners? What about their content? Whom are they aimed at? Well, these questions are going to guide the study of my four (4) favorite radio morning shows and no doubt Ghana’s top four morning shows. This write-up presents a listener’s point of view of these shows. Having spent some time following these shows, I believe it’s in the right direction that I undertake this study. To start with, I would give an overview of each show before delving into the analytical phase.
In no particular order, the following radio shows are going to be the specimen for this study; PEACE FM’S KOKROKOO, ADOM FM’S DWASO NSEM, JOY FM’S SUPER MORNING SHOW (SMS) AND HITZ FM’S DAYBREAK HITZ.
The first show to be considered is PEACE FM’S KOKROKOO. The show’s host Kwami Sefa Kayi, affectionately called “Chairman” by his panelists and listeners expertly drives Ghana to work from 6:30am-10:00am every other working day. According to him, the best thing about being a broadcaster is “The ability to affect millions of lives positively and to contribute to the development of my country.” A line he has become known for on radio is “We are soldiering on for God and country” and actually, that’s what he does.
Serving his breakfast in Twi, he is able to capture a wider audience. From the newspaper review segment through the phone-ins and the part where his panelists, usually from the different political divide, battle issues out, KOKROKOO comes across as an interesting show. Chairman’s probing questions always hit the right spot, making his respondents let whatever cats they have out of their bags. Mention can be made of how he was able to draw out the inner feelings and thoughts of the infamous Bishop Obinim. That interview no doubt added more salt to Obinim’s injury as he said more than he should have.
Lovers of politics are left full and smiling all day as their respected partymen and women try to defend various political actions. While Uncle Allotey Jacobs, the ‘educated fisherman’ as he’s widely called, is always violently championing the cause of the ruling NDC and justifying their every action while code-switching between Fanti and English, the sharp-tongued Ursula Owusu of the NPP also presents the minority’s view of nation building and as always, tries to point out loopholes in what the ruling party does. You can also trust Kwesi Pratt Jnr. to be as analytical as ever and with his favorite word “Massa”, he can stop anyone in his or her tracks, just to make his submission. KOKROKOO is never complete without the presence of the man who has a copy of every document underneath the sun, Kwaku Baako Jnr. who in most cases is torn between speaking Twi/Fanti and English. He is more often than not championing the course of the NPP and not his CPP and it can be noted that it was even on KOKROKOO that he admitted having voted for the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo during the 2008 general elections.
On the average, Kwami Sefa Kayi proves to be a good moderator of his show and of course his station’s flagship programme. No doubt he’s the current holder of the Morning Show Host of the Year (Radio) title as well as the Radio and Television Personality of the Year. Yes, you can say he’s cemented his name in history. This can be attributed to the fact that he is with one of Ghana’s best radio stations, if not the best. Running about a 70% of his show in Twi, a language that most of his listeners; young, old, elite, unlettered, can relate to, he reaches a wider audience. Quite positively, most businesses deem it prudent to advertise their products on his show. Although that’s purely a marketing strategy that also fetches the station lots of money, one thing the show’s producers may not have noticed is that these commercials take away most of the show’s time.
Besides being hugely tainted by politics, KOKROKOO really is a force to reckon with in the area of radio morning shows. Kwami’s occasional humorous nature tends to relax things when they go out of hand in his studio. His studio-hands also contribute to the show’s success. Wherever they learnt how to embellish from, they were studious in the learning process. They can make serious issues appear as child’s play and vice versa, although this sometimes draws attention from the issue at stake.
Nevertheless, when next you want to know what’s going on in Ghana when you wake up, remember to tune in to the Chairman’s show on Peace Fm on 104.3 MHz. Quite interestingly, his show runs on over 25 affiliate radio stations in and out of Ghana each morning. It’s little wonder therefore that KOKROKOO makes my top four (4).
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