WE will hold the name of a female radio presenter on the Copperbelt who churned out a New Year song last Wednesday night.
Much as we know that some songs can be played at any time, this particular one had lyrics that; ‘Twafikako Kuchaka lelo’ to mean that we have crossed into the New Year TODAY.
How misleading! There is no way a song with such lyrics can be played at this time of the year on radio, no way!
Playing a song like that at such a time only confirms that some of our men and women on the airwaves do not understand even the basic tenets of broadcasting.
It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that some young listeners upon hearing that song could have asked their parents as to whether it was festive period.
Not even popular festive songs like ‘Happy New-Year, Happy Christmas, tell your mother, tell your father, Happy New Year, Happy Christmas, Happpppy!, plays at any time to this day, we hear at that time of the year.
In case our lady presenter did not know what lyrics were contained in her choice song she was going to play,  let other presenters and deejays understand both the tempo and lyrics of the songs before play.
Taking time to study the songs before playing them on air would even help the deejays with what comments they ought to make.
INTERPRETER
There are a good number of preachers appearing on most radio stations delivering life -changing sermons, which is a good thing.
We also hear some preachers speak along interpreters, a practice which may not be necessary.
What such presenters need to know is that listeners tune in to a language they are comfortable with.
Those who understand English choose to understand presentations in that language, therefore, they do not need, a second speaker, an interpreter.
It is a listener’s choice, like in an event where listeners want to hear vernacular broadcasting, and will definitely tune in to a radio station broadcasting in those languages.
It is a fact that an interpreter either on a live or recorded broadcast does not only disturb the flow of presentation, but also takes up airing time.
In fact, vernacular translations may even disadvantage or disturb listeners whose language is totally different from their mother tongue.
The professional way of treating any presentation on radio is to run in one language. Let vernacular be exclusively that and English be such.
MONIKER
A moniker is a nickname, or stage name by which Radio Deejays are known and called; such as DJ Dazzle, Luchi, Roxy, Lady MC, Blaze and others.
Such names are used for easy identification and reference by fans and listeners just like the case is among artistes.
A moniker should be a simple name, one-word and easy-to-remember that should tell listeners who that particular Deejay is.
Take for then Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation’s Francis Ndovi who was known as ‘Beat Master’ but was simply ‘Francis Ndovi’ when he read news.
Francis was truly, ‘The Beat Master’ when he churned out song after song on radio, yet became his true self as an interviewer on sensitive topics.
We hear radio Deejays call themselves by such easy –to- know names as they play music on air, however, they must use real names when, say, reading news or when referred to as producers.
There has been a continuous use of monikers by most radio deejays even when they are carrying out serious presentations like news casting.
We heard a lady newscaster on one radio station rightly say out her real name, but said a moniker for her producer.
Why do some deejays use stage names?
Lynn Arave, a renowned Radio Editor once said there are fewer stage names being used at news stations and at stations where music, not personalities is the focus. It also seems to be a marketing, identification tool or can be privacy issue.
He observed that some names do not lend themselves to the radio and that most deejays want to have a distinctive name, one that’s memorable.
Arave said radio is the same as any facet of show business, a name that needs to be marketable and easily remembered.
It is also noted that some women who married after beginning a career in radio continued to use their maiden names on the air for consistency’s sake. Some female deejays choose to use only their first names.
Below is an observation made by one follower of this column
“Dear Jack
As I was perusing through a copy of the Sunday Times dated July 26, 2015, I came across your write-up on radio presentations.
I agree with you in totality that almost all radio stations have taken the same routine and boring way of following the traditional way of what to present, either they present repeated music and same styled phone-in programmings.
The innovation part is truly lacking in many stations and this is suffocating the listener who expects new and dynamic content.
My appeal is that they should conduct a random survey to find out what their esteemed listeners would like to listen to as opposed to imposing what they (stations) think the listeners are interested in.
They could probably take time to listen to foreign stations just in the SADC region and pluck a leaf from their way of doing things.
For instance, we who are in the border towns  like Livingstone tend to tune to foreign stations, say, ZFM, STAR FM both of Zimbabwe who have very educative programmings on relevant topical issues around economy, youth entrepreneurship, social, family matters, technology, use of ICT and benefits for the modern companies and very little on politics.
I agree with you that some few stations are following this progressive path.
Radio Christian Voice with programmes like Saturday`s 9-11 which is called Community Forum presented by Brother Steven Mdoma and others by Brother Lorenzo, Chipo Chama and many others from the same station.
Radio Christian Voice is actually doing much better than other stations. It even, without biasness, beat the national station in quality and variety of content.”
Yours,
Bernard Mwase
Stay tuned, don’t touch that dial! – jackmwewa@gmail.com   0955115777