Once upon a time, in 2006, Solid Fm announced its presence on the Kumasi radio market. With the intent of making its mark in the Twi market, a lot was done.
However, having operated till 2009, the owner realised there was the need for change. In the latter part of 2008, change came in the form of two young and radio-passionate guys – James Kwasi Oberko and Sidney Justin Tehoda, then of Luv fm and Barclays Bank, and a rebranding process began.
Apart from having to compete with over 20 existing stations, there existed another hurdle of having to switch from a Twi to a pro English brand.
So, vigorous work began and out of the re-branding process, K Fm 103.7 was born on February 23, 2009. The objective was to deliver the kind of radio station that workers, listeners and advertisers will be passionate about.
As usual, listener’s kept their fingers crossed to see what would come out of the new K Fm, especially as it promised listener’s the ultimate difference in radio.
‘The Altar’, ‘Morning Mix’, ‘Midmorning Mix’, ‘Midday Tunes’, ‘Listener’s Choice’ and ‘Highway Drive’ rolled out as weekday programmes and were hosted by Rev Kwarteng, IBS, Naa, Mahony, The Jamestar and Linda respectively.
The weekends had a strong dose of entertainment-related programmes like ‘Conscious Vibrations’, ‘Music Mix’, ‘Entertainment Edge’, ‘The World Chart Show,’ among others. The change in K Fm was so dramatic that many thought ownership had even changed hands. This was evident in the change in name, on air staff, programming and marketing style.
After just a year in operation, K Fm’s impact could not be overlooked. On the monthly Synovate audience share report, K Fm was rated amongst the best 2 pro-English radio stations in Kumasi and best 8 out of the 27 radio stations in Kumasi.
According to management, they were not surprised at the turn of events. According to the general manager, James Kwasi Oberko, the outcome of K Fm’s partnership with Citi 97.3 for the ‘Breakfast’, ‘Prime’ and ‘Eyewitness’ news has been tremendous. ‘Springboard’ by motivational speaker Albert Ocran and the ‘Airtel World Chart Show’ have been hugely successful as well, he added.
Mr. Oberko said the station was successful because of its highly dedicated staff, passionate listeners and committed advertisers.
At 12.30pm today, all K Fm presenters will be in the studio to tell the K Fm story. They’ll interview stakeholders in the industry and interact with the listeners. On this rare occasion, the modified slogan of the station will officially be out-doored, accompanied by the new high-end audio branding materials. The station’s website kfmghana.com will also be launched.
The general manager noted that patrons would get to see their favourite presenters and guests live at work in the studio when they log on to the website.
Some selected listeners will take turns to host their favourite K Fm programmes live on air from 2:00pm and the winner, dubbed K Fm’s anniversary presenter, will be rewarded. This comes after a 2-week promotion for listeners to choose their favourite show to host.
A party has also been scheduled for Easter Sunday April 8, 2012, as K Fm collaborates with Home Proud and Duncwills Entertainment to host the ‘Rapperholic’ album launch with Sarkodie at the plush Royal Lamerta Hotel, Ahodwo.
The show has on board the Azonto king Sarkodie, Guru, D Cryme, Efya, Tiffany, Raquel, Stay J and Awal. In an interview, the owner, James Kwasi Oppong gave thanks to the Almighty God and all stakeholders in the industry for the success of the station.