The Sunday Mail
SINCE its birth in 2012, Star FM has been on a path to become the best radio station in the country and recent developments show that the goal has been achieved.
The radio station has bagged several awards with the recent one being the Zim Achievers Award for Best Media Organisation thereby cementing its credentials internationally.
Having been endorsed by the recent ZAMPS survey as the number one radio station on the land, the new goal is to conquer the continent. This month the radio station will be celebrating four years on air which has seen it asserting its dominance as a media powerhouse.
Thriving on innovation and creativity, the station did not only give young personalities the opportunity to showcase their talent on air but these past four years have resulted in the moulding of a new breed of radio presenters.
While in the celebratory mood of growth, the station is set to break new ground today when the 326 Express duo of Phathisani Sibanda and KVG, real name Kudzai Violet Gwara, broadcast live from Dunstable in the UK.
They will also broadcast from three other cities which are Luton, London and Reading. The duo is being accompanied by Star FM general manager Comfort Mbofana, programming manager Napoleon Nyanhi and one of their engineers Weddington Mbodzi.
Several partners who include South African Airways, British Council and Rayclash Trading have also been roped in.
These particular broadcasts are being done as part of Star FM’s fourth anniversary celebration and to also thank the Diasporas who voted for the station to be crowned the best media company in Zimbabwe at the Zim Achievers Awards.
Zimpapers public relations and corporate affairs manager Beatrice Tonhodzayi, said the company was very proud of the innovation at Star FM.
“For us as Zimpapers, we are very proud and excited at Star FM’s continued innovation. The group’s chief executive, Mr Pikirai Deketeke has been very clear that Zimpapers as a corporate at the moment is focusing on expansion and growth, which is why we ventured into broadcasting in the first place,” said Tonhodzayi.
“For Star FM, if you look at last year it has been scooping awards left right and centre while at the moment it is the top radio station in the country and now achieving another first by being the first radio station in Zimbabwe to broadcast a full shift live from the UK.”
Between 2012 and 2014, Star FM embarked on a theme of taking radio to the people but this time around they have upped their game and are looking to taking it beyond Zimbabwe.
“We are saying beyond taking radio to the people, as we commemorate the fourth anniversary of the station, we are now taking it to the world.
“This broadcast from the UK is one of the many things that are lined up to celebrate Star FM’s four years in existence. The CEO is immensely proud of Star FM’s amazing feat and the GM of Star FM Comfort Mbofana, when we spoke to him before he left he said he was very excited to be on the forefront of yet again another creative broadcasting initiative.”
She said some of the major highlights for the past four years have been the station’s dominance on outside broadcasts.
“We are the ones who started with taking radio to the people as a concept and now people are following it but what we simply did was to make listeners participate in the whole broadcasting aspect.
“We allowed listeners, corporates and advertisers to also participate in broadcasting, to tell their own stories and have their voices heard on radio. We are proud to say that we have gone beyond taking radio to the people but to the whole world and this UK trip is the first of the many trips that Star FM will be embarking on which I think will further emphasise the whole thing of it being an international radio station.”
Phatisani and KVG are not new to broadcasting outside the studio as they are dubbed the “King and Queen” of outside radio broadcasting and their charming effect has led to their programme becoming one of the most listened to shows on radio.
Their ability to interact with the audience brings vibrancy to their slot and this will certainly win them fans in the UK.
Both presenters have been with Star FM since it started broadcasting and their personalities have blossomed to become a marvel to listeners.
Speaking to this publication KVG said she was thrilled to be part of such an exciting initiative.
“This is definitely going to be an amazing experience because we will get to meet our international audience which is super exciting.
I have been told that temperatures are a bit warm that side this time of the year so I guess I won’t have to worry much about freezing to death,” said KVG.
This will not be the first time for Star FM to do live broadcasts from other countries having previously done so in South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. Besides live broadcasts, they have also done crossovers from Italy, USA, China, Canada and Italy.
Based in Harare, the station broadcasts across the country at various frequencies in English, Shona and Ndebele.
Star FM is an urban culture based radio station whose primary target group of listeners is below the age of 65. Its youthful team works flat out to produce exceptional programming.
The station also streams live via the internet, which has increased its reach across the globe. Star FM’s programming cuts across music, talk, news and sports with a priority of pushing forward issues that are in the public interest and are underpinned by values and an ideological fibre that seeks to promote unity, cohesion, development and shared purpose.
The radio station is a subsidiary of Zimpapers, which recently launched another radio station, Diamond FM, in Mutare last month.
