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Jah Signal

Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
GWERU’s first commercial radio station, 98.4FM Midlands, is celebrating its first anniversary next Saturday with a bash at the Cathedral Hall in the city.

The celebrations, which kick off at 10AM with a programme for children, will culminate with a concert that will feature performances by musicians, Jah Signal, Sanii Makhalima, Judgement Yard and Gweru’s own Legion, Skiddo and Joanna whose careers the station has been promoting.

98.4FM, ZiFM Stereo’s sister radio station that went live on June 1 last year and reaches Kwekwe and Shurugwi, has been a game-changer in the Midlands province. With presenters who include Kimmy K (Kim Sibanda), Dynamite (Victoria Nyanhete), Mukudzei Mlambo (MK), Vimbai Chingwaramusee, DJ Mupsy, DJ Blake (Emanuel Dube), DJ Blesh (Blessing Nyanhete), Farai Kanengoni (Daddy K), Careless MC (Wilton Dobba) and DJ Masty, the station has been instrumental in the carving of careers of artistes from the Midlands as they have given them a platform to showcase their music.

The station’s manager, Tony Friday, said their first year had been challenging.

“It’s been a challenging year, but I’m glad to say we’ve managed to stay afloat. The station, which literally took over the Midlands region, plans to introduce more programmes in the near future to empower people in the Midlands province,” Tony said.

Also, Tony said, the station will do a lot more events in order to interact more with its listeners. Besides supporting artistes, the station held a Miss 98.4FM pageant in Kwekwe in February this year. In December last year, they fed 150 homeless and poor people on the streets as part of their corporate social responsibility drive.

Speaking on the station’s first anniversary, Kimmy K, who presents The Wake Up Call breakfast show, said: “My experience at 98.4FM has been a journey of learning, fun and hard work. We’ve come a long way and I believe the best is yet to come as I’m still growing as a person and personality.

“We have a great cocktail of personalities that bring out the ‘Midlands’ in a unique way.”

Dynamite who hosts the mid-morning show, Dandaro that is proving popular said: “Working for 98.4FM Midlands has been amazing with of course, a lot of ups and downs. I’ve learnt a lot in the past year and it has helped me grow.

“Being my very first radio experience, it wasn’t easy and took a lot of hard work, something that made me appreciate the people around me. Connecting with people from the Midlands has also been awesome and gives me the drive to get up each day as I look forward to entertaining the thousands of listeners who tune in everyday.”