Candy Man started work at Atinka FM on February 9, 2015, dedicating himself to entertaining his audience. However, the joy of connecting with his listeners was abruptly disrupted one day when, after activating the phone lines, he received the news from a listener that he [Candy Man] had been dismissed from his position, the media personality has said.
The renowned disc jockey never expected someone outside the organization to be aware of his supposed dismissal, especially when it hadn't been officially communicated to him, nor were there any hints in that regard.
“I activated the phone lines during my show when a caller informed me that I had been sacked. Confused, I asked, 'What offense did I commit to be fired?' After the show, I was handed my termination letter. I hadn't engaged in any misconduct.
"Later, I learned that I was let go because the CEO wanted to give my program to his friend. This happened on May 15th, and to make matters worse, they didn't even pay my salary for that month,” he claimed.
DJ Candy Man, who was the drivetime host of Atinka FM, recalled this incident during an interview on Kumasi-based Pure FM, highlighting it as one of the many challenging experiences he faced as a radio presenter.
His time at Hello FM was not without obstacles. He lost his job because the management of the radio station had to downsize the staff.
“With Hello FM, the workers were many so they terminated contracts,” he recalled. “I wasn’t the only person affected."
The former worker of Rainbow Radio also said he left the Adabraka-based radio station because he wasn’t being paid.
Although he regarded his time at Kumasi-based Fox FM as his best experience, it was not without controversy. In the interview monitored by GhanaWeb, he recalled a conflict with his boss, which ultimately led to his decision to quit the job.
“I quit Fox FM because I fought Afro [owner of the company]. I had closed from Fox Trap [a night club] and decided to go to the radio station and keep my CD bag there instead of taking it home because I had always kept it at the studio.
"Unknowingly, a man followed me because he wanted me to record something for him. I never noticed he was following me because I was tired and sleepy. While I was at the studio, he entered. I was shocked. I asked why he entered the studio and he said he spoke with Abu,” Candy Man recounted.
He continued: “In the morning, Fred Kyei called me on the phone and said he had received a phone call from Afro who was then outside Ghana that I am training people at the radio station. I told him it was untrue. When Afro returned, he was behaving in a way…”
Despite the numerous challenges in his radio career, Candy Man has no regrets. As he puts it, “I don’t regret being a radio presenter though things didn’t go the way I wanted. Radio is my passion but I will never do radio again. As for being a DJ, I’ve not quit. I still play at events. I won’t do radio again for anyone to look down on me.”
BB