#Ho_Radio_Review: The Bustling Airwaves Of Ho – Part 2

By:  Jonathan AtsuTachie

Brunch time or mid morning programming has always been exciting even in the days of the Volta Star Radio and VP FM duopoly in Ho, which lasted for more than a decade after the advent of private radio in Ghana. The current 10am to 12pm style for mid morning shows, which basically revolves around good music for listeners as they go about their daily work routines, Live Presenter Mentions (to enrich the wallet of the stations), tit bits on various topics such as love, fashion, entertainment, food and more which has gained grounds on Ghana’s radio landscape was pioneered by VP FM in the radio market of Ho.

As such, they were holding down listeners with this style until the duopoly ended when Hope FM entered the radio market in Ho from their hill-top studios, followed later by US FM, Kekeli FM, Tosh FM, and lately, Kuul FM. This write up takes a look at the mid-morning shows on the various stations operating in Ho and how they are faring in the opinion of the writer.

Afrikiko Mix on Kekeli 102.9 FM

The show which airs immediately after the Super Morning Show (what a name to give to a show which runs mostly in Ewe?) on Kekeli FM is gradually becoming the goose that lays the golden eggs for the station. The host Dr. J (or something like that) has played a major role in making the show the favourite of most listeners in Ho and its environs. Anyone who doubts the popularity of this show in Ho, should just take a walk from the Ho Police Depot, through the Central Market area to Ho Polytechnic junction, and he/she will be surprised by the number of shop owners (informal sector workers) who listen to the show.

The host is simply a gem when it comes to blending English with Ewe (and other local languages) on a show that demands of you a good sense of humour and a gift for selecting good music. His background as a comedian, (oh yes, a comedian) also helps in keeping his faithful listeners glued to the show and with popular punch lines like ‘dze wontoe gbe’, the popularity of the show is set to soar to unimaginable heights. Judged by the number of adverts and Live Presenter Mentions which run on the show currently, the Afrikiko Mix fever also seems to be catching on well with businesses and media buyers. This ultimately translates into a fatter bank account for the Post Office square-based broadcasters and a bigger pay cheque for the bubbly host, l hope.

The only problem l have with the show is its duration. A show which is supposed to run for two hours has been running effectively for only an hour because a Pastor, yes a man of God (Rev. Kakra Baiden) has to deliver a sermon mid way through the programme. This, l consider to be an ‘unnecessary’ disruption to an otherwise perfect show. Perhaps, the top brass at the station should consider extending the duration of the show to cover the slot after the mid day news from Joy FM which is currently reserved for playing cool or sentimental music.

In any case, cool or sentimental songs do not always have to be foreign love and country songs. We have our own Kojo Antwis, Beccas, Afias, etc who also have songs suitable for lunch time radio. Who is going to play their songs if we do not play them? Great show with a great host!!!!!

#Ho_Radio_Review: The Bustling Airwaves Of Ho – Part 1

By Jonathan Atsu Tachie

For a very long period of time the people of the Volta Region in general, and Ho in particular did not have the luxury of choice as far as radio was concerned. In fact, for more than a decade after the advent of private radio in Ghana, the people of Ho were left with no choice but to move their FM radio dials between GBC’S Volta Star Radio and Volta Premier FM (popularly known as VP FM ) owned by the SRC of Ho Polytechnic. For the records, VP FM is a few months older than Volta Star Radio and has always given Volta Star Radio a good run for their money, especially in Ho and its environs.

It is worth mentioning here that the youthfulness of the presenters of VP FM at the time naturally made the station the darling dial of most young minds in Ho. Indeed, radio in those days was fun with budding talents like Emmanuel Reagan Tetteh, Joseph Kwame Amevor (Aseco, arguably, the best borborbor DJ ever known in this region), Princella Eyram Adu, Hitman Freezer, Patrick Selassie Kudiabor, D.D. Atobli, Divine Norvieto (the Hon. Minister for Love and Romantic Affairs), etc made radio worth listening to and made VP FM a very popular FM dial in Ho and its environs.

For Volta Star Radio, its strengths in those days and l dare say even now, lie in their ability to attract ‘the oldies’ in Ho with rich cultural content on their network. Suffice, to say though, they also had a few youthful hands on the turntables who won them some listeners among the budding youth in the region, mostly outside the catchment area of VP FM. Names like Derrick Johnson Kamassah, Kafui Kumagah, GQ, etc easily come to mind when talking about the folks who held the fort for Volta Star Radio in the youth segment of the radio market in the region.

In recent years, however, the radio industry in the Volta Region has changed tremendously with the establishment of many radio stations across the region. Ho, the regional capital, is now home to five additional radio stations namely Hope FM, US FM, Kekeli FM, Tosh FM, Kuul FM and if the information available to me is anything to go by, more stations are on their way to the H.O. City, as Ho has been branded of late. The end of the VP FM-Volta Star Radio duopoly in Ho due to the arrival of these new stations has brought in its way many talented presenters who gladden the hearts of many radio lovers, including yours truly, with their unique presentation skills.

To make this series meaningful I intend to express my honest opinions (not binding on anybody, though) on various segments of radio broadcasting vis-a-vis the Ho market. In that case, the morning shows, the mid- morning shows, the late afternoon shows (or what most uninitiated radio fanatics refer to as drive time shows), the sports shows and entertainment review shows will be looked at in parts. If I live long enough after finishing this series l may look at the late night shows and probably, do a piece on the very ‘noisy’ dawn broadcasts from the so-called prophets and men of God.