Music of Sunday, 29 February 2004

Source: ghanamusic.com

Papa Garbi Of Zuria FM

Papa Garbi of Zuria FM in Kumasi, one of the recent entrants has been in the radio industry for a while now and has endeared himself to fans of the station because of his great music sense and selection.

He did not get into radio by accident as it happens to others, he had long interested in being a presenter and this had led to him devising numerous means through which he could learn.

He visited countless night clubs, bars and other places which he thought could be beneficial to him. Then he met DJ Tony, a presenter of OTEC FM and his dreams of becoming a presenter started to take on more realistic form.

According to Papa Garbi ?DJ Tony taught me everything I know about the art of presenting, and he encourage me so much in my quest. I am very grateful to him, he made my dream possible?.

After tutelage under DJ Tony, he decided to submit applications for a job as a presenter, because by then he felt very prepared. His first application to Radio BAR in the Brong Ahafo Region met a favourable response and was taken on doing the night and mid-morning programme.

He?s come a long way since then, going from Life FM in Nkawkaw through to Invincible FM in Kumasi and finally to his present base Zuria FM. On Zuria FM, he handles the Power Mix from 7 to 10pm every evening and plays reggae on Sundays from 2 to 4pm.

Papa Garbi has had no formal training in radio or presenting. In fact he offered science in school at the tertiary level yet he handles himself so much like a professional, it?s easy to assume that he is, because of his love for the job which is evident when he is on air.

For him, radio is too strenuous a job to be combined with something else, it needs all the concentration one has. ?For anybody to fare very well, he has to give his all to it because of how demanding it is, so people who combined other things like say school are not able to give off all their capabilities?

The soft-spoken almost shy young man, thinks that Zuria reaches the masses because of the number of languages they broadcast in apart from English and Twi which are Hausa, French and Dagomba.

He plans to stay in radio for a long time especially Zuria Fm if the working conditions to continue to be good. His last word to young people interested in being presenters?

?Take your time, be patient and be willing to learn like I did and you will go places you never even dreamed of?. That?s Papa Garbi.