AS we come to the close of the year, let’s take time to reflect on some topics that kept this column running.

RADIO 1:

It was noted that some vernacular radio presenters like Charles Mucholo, Ormond Musonda and Loveday Haciyunda sounded at ease and in control of their shows each time they were on air.

ZNBC through its Kabusha Takolelye Bowa has for many years been a platform on which listeners seek answers and solutions to questions, issues affecting them, the programme has also connected many to solutions they would otherwise not access if not broadcast.

RADIO DRAMA:

A Kitwe ardent radio listener Pascal Tembo was not amused with ZNBC Radio Drama actors who he said sound like school children citing Grade 5 reader book.

He felt that they should emulate the Patrick Magolo theatre group’s presentation of Sewelo on radio 1.

SUPPORT; Apart from its informative, educative and entertainment roles, radio ought to be a channel through which listeners could seek and receive assistance on a number of needs.

ZNBC RADIO 3

:There being Radio 1, 2 and 4 on ZNBC, a good number of radio fans had written to ask for the ‘missing’ Radio 3, here is one such inquiry;

“Hi MJ, congratulations for your research and updates about the happenings on radio stations heard in Zambia.

Through your column, help me understand what Radio 3 is, since we have Radio 1, 2 and 4.

RADIO 3

was a foreign service reserved studio that was meant to broadcast to the outside world, this was during liberation struggle for political emancipation of southern African countries.

COSAFA

; When Zambia hosted the Council of Southern Africa (COSAFA) Castle Senior Challenge Cup tournament earlier in the year, Radio was part of the fun running vernacular commentaries, it took seven quick-minded broadcasters who took turns giving minute-to-minute running commentaries of each game in local dialects.

Collins Kasalamuna for Bemba, Chabwera Zulu, Nyanja, Charles Mucholo, Tonga, Luckson Kapulanya, Kaonde, Munalula Sikuleka, Lozi, Simeon Kaleji, Luvale and Brian Ching’I in Lunda.

We saluted these men for their ability to find appropriate words in their mother tongues describing split second actualities of what was happening on the pitch.

I must hasten to say that Leonard Chibasa Mwila was also equal to the task with the English version of the commentaries, I heard a matured soccer commentator because he concentrated on the pitch action than sharing unrelated outside information.

MOST LISTENED TO RADIO

: Radio fans have a choice to tune in to a radio station of their choice at the touch of the knob, going by the messages and mails sent to this column, it is evident that there are three most listened to radio stations in Zambia; ZNBC, Phoenix and Radio Christian Voice (RCV).

A good number of listeners tune in to ZNBC for news updates, mostly political news, while vernacular programmes attract their ethnic groupings, except for the Bemba’s Kabusha Takolwele bowa which is listened across all tribes.

Radio Phonenix is most preferred by listeners mostly because of the live talk-show programme of Let the People Talk, for comparative current affairs and for the presenters’ maturity as compared to other private radio stations.

STATION OF THE NATION

; Having noticed that most radio stations referred to themselves as ‘Station of the Nation,’ we asked the question, Which radio is ‘Station of the Nation’? We thought it ought to be one that truly reaches all corners of Zambia.

MORNING SHOWS

; We observed that it is bad timing for radio to broadcast funeral sermons early in the morning. Listeners want to be uplifted with messages of hope, encouragement and of brighter day ahead.

SUN FM:

Ndola witnessed the birth of a new radio station called SUN FM owned by Davies Kabuswe who has since created jobs for the local youth.

True to the radio’s signal, ‘everyone’ listens to SUN FM. We, however, pointed out some areas of concern we thought SUN Deejays needed to improve on, like talking as and when it is necessary and being professional; they are truly trekking that path.

PHOENIX

: Among other presentations Radio Phoenix broadcast was Scarlet, a musician with a good voice who plays musical instruments, her band is called Black Note comprising Mwila, Eston, James and Lazzy, she appeared on Radio Phoenix’s Soul Heaven programme on a Tuesday night when Luchi featured them. This column’s interest was about the excellent sound output quality considering that the band played live instruments right on the show.

Synchronising guitars and a piano on radio to produce sound like an already done Compact Disc is no easy task.

RCV;

Amazing stories on Radio Christian Voice (RCV)! A 50- year- old housewife whose husband got perturbed by her habit of tuning in to RCV as early as 06:00 hours, was forced to buy another radio set which she listened to from the Kitchen. (A woman’s place is in the kitchen)

Help Line is a charity-like programme run to assist the under-privilege, through the programme which is broadcast on Sunday morning, listeners are given a platform where they air their requests, the radio station also receives materials from donors which are passed over to the needy.

By providing platform for assistance, radio this way becomes more than just an entertainment gadget but an essential tool for communication and support.

Much as listeners tune to radio for news updates and catch their favorite programmes, broadcasts that touch lives make them keep the dial in the same position.

QFM;

On one Wednesday morning, I sauntered into QFM radio. It was a great achievement for my Sharp Simba II, 4 Band radio set to have seized it on FM88.0 in Ndola.

I, however, was not impressed with the two guys hosting what they called Power Breakfast; firstly, there is another radio station with Power Breakfast, who is imitating who?

NEWS SINGERS

; We noted with sadness, the growing trend by newsreaders in the habit of singing the news bulletin, instead of reading it.

ICENGELO:

FACE to Face with the Community programme presented on Radio Icengelo on Saturday August, 17 at 08:00 hours was best be described as opportune, proximal, proficient and professional.

It was presented by Dennis Chanda with Ackim Mugala to discuss the closure of Copperbelt University. Discussants were Kwacha Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Boniface Mutale and Riverside Ward councillor Christopher Kang’ombe.

Copperbelt University being in Kitwe, I feel Radio Icengelo was just the right station to handle that topic, therefore, it was PROXIMAL.

The programme was being discussed at a time the matter was hot. Politicians, parents, students and the general public issued statements from their own perspective, therefore it was OPPURTUNE for that radio slot.

Copperbelt University sits in Kwacha Constituency, Mr Mutale as areaMP was the right person to talk about that institution and so was Mr Kang’ombe who apart from being area councillor, he is a former CBUstudent.

The two gentlemen’s appearance on the programme was, therefore, PROFICIENT.

I must point out at this stage that Mr Kang’ombe’s contributions were so logical and accurate by giving the background of the university growth to the current 6500 enrolments against 2300 bed space.

PROFFESSIONALISM was exhibited by the presenters Dennis and Ackim who stopped callers from attacking personalities who were not present to defend themselves.

Without even going further in their submissions, callers whose motive was to drag personalities in that discussion were advised to simply stick to the topic.

PHOENIX CHATS

I listened to Radio Phoenix’s chats among Paddy Mukando, Luchi, Alkah and Len during their morning shows, I can confirm that the quartet’s debates are always mature because the discussants themselves are.

MOURNING

National mourning on radio lacks detailed information about the deceased; all we are treated to are songs, some of them not in tune of sorrow.

AKALE KESU

! If you are above the age of 45, I suggest you find time to tune in to Radio Phoenix’s ‘Akale kesu’ programme presented by Blaze and Panji every Saturday 08:00 hours.

Not that there is an age restriction for this programme, but that the presenters concentrate on events that concern teens of the 1980s.

Music played on this slot is as nostalgic as the discussions. You will be reminded that you went to domestic school, not nursery, that you wore khaki, grey safari shots for boys, blue and green dresses for girls as primary school uniforms and at least have a story about your headmaster.

That you attended forms and not grades for secondary school, that you went for teen time disco shows not Hip pop, that you watched black and white television sets.

I wonder what memory power Panji has for him to vividly remember episodes that happened over three decades ago.

RCV

is considered as the church in the listeners’ home. The most tune-in hours are mornings for devotions, a bit of afternoons and a lot more in the evenings as people retire to sleep.

A wide range of private and community radio stations are most sampled randomly as and when convenient to listeners within the locality in which they are found.

SIG TUNE

; This column observed that Nicholas Sibanda’s ‘ African Beats ZNBC Radio 2 programme needed to consider a song done by a Zambian artiste, the programme being all about African.