Sunny FM’s Jennifer Jessica Danquah in this interview with enewsgh.com, talks about the transition from hosting The Positive Soul Food ( PSF ) to the Morning Drive.
How has the transition from hosting the Positive Soul Food (PSF) to the Morning Drive been like for you?
A.It’s been a challenging transition from hosting a two and half hour show to a four hour one. I am generally not a morning person so hosting the morning show was certainly nowhere in my plans. I realized my life would have to change drastically. The morning show was going to require more from me than what I put into PSF; not just in terms of time but in terms of content and general preparations. I needed to find a way to interact with my listeners more and that is by no means an easy task. In a nutshell it’s been challenging but eye opening transition.
Did you at any point try to resist the change?
Yes, everybody likes their comfort. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a morning person so waking up daily before 6 is not a part of my plan for life. * Laughs * so yes, I resisted it. I did not think I could fill in the shoes of my boss Kojo (Oppong Adjei). I hosted the show with Kojo when I started my internship here and he’s great at what he does. The thought of me being on the show alone was scary. To attempt to do what he’s been doing for years…… I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t believe in myself enough so yeah I resisted it.
Any differences between hosting the Positive Soul Food and the Morning Drive?
Yes, a lot. The morning show requires a lot of energy and there are a lot more segments. You need a lot more research to stay sharp. There are interviews coming up; the morning show is more work than PSF I would say. PSF is more relaxed, give the people music, less talk.
How would you rate your performance on the Morning Drive so far?
I’d give myself a 7. My direct boss says I’ve brought a breath of fresh air to the morning show. To me that means a lot because I don’t think I’ve filled his shoes yet but he acknowledges that I’m making progress so I guess that’s it; I’m a work in progress.
You’ve been doing radio for 8 years; how do you keep your work exciting so you don’t get bored?
I realize I do not get bored when I do something exciting. There’s constant research to be done; finding something new to talk about or finding some nice tunes to play on air, finding something refreshing to share or bringing to my listeners some compelling stories from real people. Anytime I do stuff like that, I can never be bored. Boredom comes when I’m not prepared.
I watched an interview of You on YouTube and you mentioned that you joined Sunny FM just after secondary school. Based on your experience what would you say should be the motivating factor for wanting to do radio: passion or monetary consideration?
I studied Geology in University of Ghana; I have a degree in geology. My mates are earning about seven times what I earn here. Clearly, if I go do geology I should be richer than I’m right now but I chose this because of the passion. It’s something I can wake up to any day and something I love to do.
I like that I can share the word of God with people. I like that I can play a song and somebody can tell me that it encourages them. I always wanted to be with a Christian radio station. When I found one, it suddenly became about how I could I also contribute my quota to make sure we get the gospel across. It’s more of a passion.
The trend over the period has been that after a few years on radio, some personalities move on to present a TV show. Is there any possibility that you might do TV someday?
I think so. I’ve always wanted to have a talk show; a talk show that discusses social issues not necessarily exclusive to Christians. I’m looking forward to one especially for women. I’m very passionate about that.
Your thoughts on Ghanaian gospel music?
I think it’s improved greatly. Case in point; we just had the Christian Community Music Awards which was powered by Sunny FM. Majority of the nominated songs happened to be Ghanaian music. Over time, it’s been easy to select because people are putting out quality music. There was one time I wanted to play only local tracks on my show (PSF). After the show, I wish I had more time because there was a lot more to play. I would say it’s been great. Our people are doing a good job. Of course there is always more room for improvement but we’ve come a long way.
Last words?
I’ll share a quote by the late American author, salesman and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar that says “You were born to win, but to be a winner; you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win”. That’s some good inspiration for 2015 and beyond.
By: Gameli Hamelo/enewsgh.com/Ghana