2012: The Year Enugu Radio was reborn!

2012 should mean something in the historical antecedents of the media in Enugu State; remarkably, the year may mostly be noteworthy—either personally or collectively—to the very practitioners whose emergence into the broadcasting industry in Enugu was most affected, aside from the starry-eyed radio listeners of the day. You see, the year 2012 was a rollercoaster of events and happenings across the country under the administration of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration.

It is noteworthy that the year started on a very shaky note as the most populous black nation on earth fervently battled with insurgency in the North East with the emergence and spread of the Islamist Militant Group (Boko Haram). As the year progressed, a series of attacks, bomb explosions, and coordinated attacks would leave tales of woe in their wake. In July of that year, massive floods hit the nation, with 30 out of the 36 states of the federation affected—recorded as the worst in 40 years.

In Port Harcourt, a barbaric incident happened in Aluu near the University of Port Harcourt campus, where four boys were seized, stripped naked, beaten, and lynched by an angry mob. The tragic event would later be christened “The Aluu 4." However, in Enugu, the capital city of Enugu State, the first quarter of the year saw a beehive of activities within the broadcast media space, a not-so-common knowledge among members of the small radio community at the time.

Just 6 years earlier, the state’s premier and most beloved (to date) private radio station, COSMO 105.5FM, was embroiled in a case of proceeds of fraud as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had sealed in a whirlwind capture and seizure of assets of the former governor of the state, and now former Senator (Dr.) Chimaroke Nnamani was accused and indicted of stealing state resources to set up his business empire, of which the radio station was named.

COSMO had come into the market with a sauce that had already saturated the Lagos and Abuja radio listenership, which was a welcome departure from the existing antediluvian broadcast style offered by Radio Nigeria and the state-owned Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS). COSMO launched to a yearning youth demographic with a new sound, swag, breezy, music-centric style, heavy on Western radio influences. COSMO mirrored the rave-of-the-moment stations in Lagos, CoolFM and RhythmFM, with RaypowerFM serving as progenitors for the entire private radio broadcast sector in Nigeria.??

That was the station that ruled the airwaves in over 10 states in Nigeria under the able and firm steering of a well-experienced industry symbol—the late Jika Attoh—manning the affairs of the new media powerhouse. The sudden departure of COSMO105.5 FM broke more than a few hearts, and they still recall with nostalgia the names who brought them the new flavor and style they had never known. But in all fairness, COSMO105.5FM enjoyed such an exclusive fan base owing to the timeliness of their entrance into the market and being the only radio station then with the true FM experience. That was the experience that was robbed from the station’s teeming fans when the anti-graft agency swooped in and snuffed out its life.

The departure of COSMO105.5FM in 2009 left a huge lacuna for its Enugu and its wider listenership—a deep gaping hole as well as a pained, shocked, and bewildered followership who held on to hope for the return of the station responsible for introducing them to a different radio experience. Unfortunately, with the gradual winding up of the station, mostly caused by the EFCC’s dismal and ineffective operational management, all the talents of the station had to find new opportunities elsewhere and saw no obvious interest in investment in a new license soon after by any Enugu or South-East investor; all the staff found jobs outside Enugu and mostly outside the South-East. The listeners of COSMO would have to wait three to four years for any new player to fill the vacuum and do better or worse than the beloved COSMO did.

From February 2012, the rumor mill had been churning with news that finally, some new radio licenses were about to end the long wait for a successor to COSMOFM, when in fact, two radio stations were already doing the groundwork to roll out in Enugu, giving Enugu and the former COSMO FM listener base not just one new channel but two frequencies. The news of the (then unnamed) two radio stations was met with feverish excitement and expectations, with many curious about how good they would be and if they would replace COSMO. Not many expected them to do better, even though many to date still score the two stations as incomparable to the hey days of 105.5! Well, COSMO wasn’t coming back (and will never be for sensible reasons), and the two new frequencies will have to make do.

Between May and August/September/October 2012, Enugu would be introduced to its new private radio stations following the demise of COSMO: Dream92.5FM and, a mere weeks later, Solid100.9FM, both located in the GRA axis of Enugu city. One similarity between the two new competing stations is the career leanings of their owners, as all three are (and were) owned by leading politicians from the South East.?

While COSMO was tied to former Enugu Governor-Senator (Dr.) Chimaroke Nnamani, Dream92.5FM was connected to former Deputy Senate President Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, and SolidFM was linked to anti-fake drug crusader and national icon, the famed former Director General of NAFDAC and subsequent Minister for Information and National Orientation, the late Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili.

With the approval for full commercial transmission granted to both stations, the competitive race began in earnest between both broadcast firms, both seeking to take up the market share left behind by COSMO and utilizing different strategies necessary to widen their net with their unique brand and programming. It is important to state here that both Dream and SolidFM’s entrance into the market gave the Enugu and South East listeners the only thing COSMO couldn't: competition and choice. Nothing else

The year 2012/2013 was a truly momentous time for radio in Enugu and the South East owing to the split in listener preferences between DreamFM, SolidFM, and Radio Nigeria’s CoalCity FM. The composition of on-air talents and programs created by the two new players (a small percent of which was copied or hired from COSMO) was the fuel that resurrected the near-moribund broadcast space in Enugu and its environs, such as Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia, Delta, Edo, Cross Rivers, Benue, Kogi, parts of Imo, Ondo, and as far as Nasarawa and the fringes of Rivers States.??

While DreamFM (self-styled Enugu’s Dream FM) boasted of famed names like Tobe Nneji (Tobe Da Diva) and Jude Thomas Dawam (Uncle Jude!) both from KissFM Abuja on the Wake Up Show, Kingsley Egbuna (Didi Nna-Men) in the afternoons, and Vanessa in the evenings, the station also boasted of highly experienced and former COSMO staff like Gloria Orji Emordi (Fabulous Gloria), who was drafted then from RaypowerFM, Lyrics Moe Onyeka with Ayo Orowale on News & Society, the legendary DJ FX2 (also a COSMO alum), and Osondu Ngwude leading the sportscast squad.?

Frontline content producer, turned head of production, and COSMO alumni Okey Odogwu, who later took over from Cruise, and today is the current MD of DreamFM and its new sister station, PrimeSports 104.9FM.?

Dream’s format and station identity could be said to be the spitting archetype of COSMOFM, which was roundly cosmopolitan, sports-centric, music-centric, lifestyle-driven, and entertainment-driven, with a mild preference for politics. The station drove into the market with heavy branding, clear and crisp signals, and a strong and well-defined program identity, which was quickly accepted and bought into by a strong majority of the Enugu market. Dream FM quickly rallied the audience left behind by COSMO owing to their prompt kick-off, strategic positioning, and on-air talents, which COSMO fans could quickly and easily identify with. The Dream FM brand was ably led by a seasoned industry veteran—the iconic radio maestro and music impresario—Antonio Cruise of Blessed Memory.

However, if there was one thing that greatly assisted the smooth entrance of 92.5DreamFM into the market, it must have been the strategy and intentionality behind its brand positioning. It was the first station to advertise on strategically positioned billboards, utilize social media (which was in its growing years), and purposefully promote its brand assets, especially its logo, in the public consciousness, especially on its operational vehicles. Enugu residents saw for the first time a radio station that used a Toyota Camry (Spider) and a BMW sedan as its official vehicles, which were spotted conspicuously around the city.

Dream92.5FM came into 2012 with a big splash, and a noticeable one at that. In the same year, between September and October, DreamFM’s only competitor, Solid100.9FM, with the tagline The Station That Rocks!, made landfall in the same space, also eager to take its chunk of the available market share. Unlike DreamFM, Solid didn’t (couldn’t or refused to?) make a loud, grand, or well-publicized entrance like its famous counterpart, but they did give the Enugu audience the option of tasting something different.

Within a short time, Solid100.9FM quietly sold its own brand identity and station character, which were akin to COSMO and Dream FM but layered and leaning heavily towards family. If both Dream and Solid were siblings, the former would be deemed sanguine in temperament with some strains of choleric, while SolidFM would be the more phlegmatic sibling.?

SolidFM’s top and first talent picks in 2012 were comprised of yours truly: Sammy “Supersam” Ajufo from Treasure 98.5 FM Port Harcourt, Clare Ezeakacha from LionFM Nsukka and I are both tag-teaming on the Morning Crow. Elo-Oghene ”Viva the Diva” Oletu (now Elo Ayanka) on Drive Time and the energetic Sylvia “MamaT” Briggs (now Sylvia Briggs Mba). Osarogie “Radio’s Big Brother” Ogbonwan manned the night belt, Orji “GSON EMAEFA” Nwachukwu held on to the drive-time, and Christy “Ijele” Ejiofor came on board a little later on the Igbo belt. Francis “MC Franchez” Ozoakpata was the resident comic. The station head at the time was Boniface “The Big Bonnie” Onogwu, while COSMO alumni DJ Grandfingaz joined the mix and remains perhaps the oldest from the starting team at SolidFM to remain.

It was the year 2012, and both stations battled it out for the Enugu audience via varying popular programs at different times of the day. It was an incredibly exciting time to be alive. The competition between hosts of similar belts was more than anything; it was a true battle of content, which, to be very honest (and without bias), tilted strongly towards SolidFM and was the most disadvantaged of the two in terms of branding (and packaging!).

All the same, I strongly believe the Enugu audience in the formative years of both channels in the years 2012 and 2013, in my opinion, was the most eventful time in the broadcast industry in Enugu! There was real attention paid to programming, and for a short period (unfortunately not for the SolidFM side), real progress was being recorded. The former listeners of COSMO, who now had choice options between both stations, had the luxury of switching between both channels to listen to program content of their choice, and both players understood that and fought to keep their listeners using creative means and ear-tingling methods.?

Those days, listeners could pick which element of the Wake Up show on DreamFM to listen to before jumping to SolidFM’s Morning Crow. While a particular audience demography leaned towards Didi on the “Nna-Mhen” show between 3-5 pm on some days of the week to enjoy his breezy, comic, light-hearted, street-style delivery of vernacular, they could also skip to Mama T’s Otigba Junction war-themed pidgin show, while MC Franchez’s E Get As E Be, a light-hearted comic-relief show on common societal issues, was a great option as an alternate to Mama T’s show.

When I say dispassionately that the biggest advantage SolidFM had over DreamFM in the early days was the power of engaging program content, I boldly assert this with the willingness to engage in public debate. It was true. What DreamFM had in quantum was an absolute stunner crew of presenters, all widely experienced and drawn from leading stations in Nigeria. Whether deliberate or by oversight, the station’s thematic areas at its inception were targeted at reaching a particular demography—the young and upwardly mobile generation and the students on the numerous campuses dotted across the state—and guess what? They got it!

Solid, on the other hand, had a variety of hugely followed family and gender shows, such as Adam’s Bar on Monday nights and SoulSistaz on Sunday afternoons. In those days, it wasn’t too hard to pick out flagship shows across both stations, and neither was it hard to identify the top talents among them. Both stations clearly understood the attention, spotlight, and curiosity they were facing from a skeptical and untrusting audience. They knew they had to get it right with the blast of the whistle.?

Within both organizations, we knew who was great at what. We knew who had the best news reading capability; we knew who had the most fluid male voice, the most engaging show, and the most followed show (Didi Nnamen, of course!). Sure! We had our early "beef" and competitive tactics, but with time, we grew to understand and respect each other. We actually listened to each other and made notes. Does that still happen today, or are on-air presenters more interested in listening to their own voices?

2012 was and remains, in my opinion, the most pivotal year in radio in Enugu and the South East. For it was from the outcomes of the entrance and success of both media houses that other private radio broadcast licenses started flocking in, the invasion, the players, their objectives, and the consequences of which will be the subject of a future conversation. I doff my hat to all my colleagues who took a chance on the Enugu radio broadcast industry, who left various parts of Nigeria to revitalize a near-moribund media space and give it the footing it has—which its progenies have wasted.

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Dr. Sammy Adrian Ajufo

National Secretary, Guild of Radio Managers (Private)

& Dean, School of Communications & Media LLBS UK

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