Skip to main content

Hosting Joy FM Midday News


Presenting any programme on JOY FM, Ghana’s leading English language radio cannot be an easy task for anyone. I’m yet to meet anyone with that view.  When it comes to news – it’s serious business just like all the other programmes on your Super station. From the days of ace anchor Matilda Asante to the tops-turvy edition with former Accra police PRO DSP Freeman Tettey, presenting news on Joy FM is challenging. 
So why is that so? Some say it’s the magnitude of the platform, others say it’s the discerning listeners’ unpardonable desire for quality. Whatever the reason is I can only say it is a privilege and an opportunity to work at JOY fm and of course Multimedia Group.
From my days at JOYfm as an intern to a reporter, I have worked with some world class professionals who have rubbed off me consciously or not. A key learning that has run through almost all of these interactions has been to never stop learning. I have come to understand failure begins when you stop learning. You must learn something every day.
Hosting the Joy Midday News came to me unexpectedly in a conversation I’d rather say little or nothing about. (I’ll leave that for some other time) Almost four months into the job and I can write a whole thesis about the experience. You see, it’s not just about reading the news, but as anchor you’re the voice of your news team which is the voice of the citizenry.
So the question then is how do you fuse all of these into that personality sitting behind the microphone?  This can be daunting when you have to manage that every day with an audience beyond the borders of Ghana. It makes sense why people get shivers when a microphone is pointed at them.
Well for this young journalist it has been and still is Jesus who has kept me going. I’m blessed with a great family which supports me. Plus a world class team of professionals whose contributions to the bulletin daily unleashes in me this wild animal ready to devour. Presenting the Midday news has drawn me closer to my colleague news makers and this rapport can only be a recipe for success.
There have been key learnings in leadership coming alongside.  I’ve learnt to keep growing. I have had some interesting interviews – in no special order- ACP Awuntogbe Awuni (MTTD), Dr Amoako Baah (political science lecturer), Kwesi Amissah Arthur (Vice president) and just recently a member of National Service Board over payroll fraud uncovered. Some of these were tough, perhaps the interviewees were difficult or I may have been aggressive.
What is important is learning lessons for the future. Reflecting on my work is part of my daily ritual. The questions- what if, could it, what/how about, why not, etcetera I’ll continue to mull over them. Oh yes I cannot leave out feedback and comments  from wonderful listeners directly to me or virtually through social media have helped a great deal.
This has been my experience so far hosting Joy Midday News. The learning process can't really ever stop. But like enthusiastic Asamoah Gyan, no matter your previous experience, no matter how bad your day was, you have to get up and get ready to take that penalty again.
Thanks to God, my family, team Joy and you- I will take today's penalty too. Xoxo
Francisca Kakra Forson (francisca.forson@myjoyonline.com)




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FRANCISCA KAKRA FORSON: MY JOURNEY FROM INTERN TO NEWS EDITOR #KAYKASA ...

Post a Comment
Read more

THE POLITICS OF AFRICAN HAIR: Why is African Hair Unpopular?

I finally shared the full story behind my hair on my Tv show Inside Pages on Metro Tv. Today I’m going to give MY TAKE on the Achimota school-Rastafarianism-dreadlocks saga and it will be about MY HAIR EXPERIENCE- as you know and can see I have kept my hair in its natural state for years and there’s a story behind it. First, I’ll talk about My Big Chop and then 2 major experiences after the chop. • The big chop In my second year at the University of Ghana, in 2008 I made a practical decision. I stopped applying perming cream to my hair to straighten and remove the texture. I did this to allow for new growth in anticipation of a big chop. This was contradictory to the wild joy I embraced soon after completing SSS, now SHS. Perming my hair was the long-awaited moment of freedom from the many years of compulsory cutting of hair per the rules of mainstream education. But few years down the line, it was no longer freedom and joy because of the cuts and burns from the perming cream. My hair ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Let’s gives our children the right start! Let’s Be Fair Ghana!

Elizabeth lifts her hand swiftly as soon as her teacher asks for a volunteer to read out a passage to the class. Her teacher calls on her and she marches boldly to the board, reads loudly and clearly and is rewarded with a round of applause. I was proud of her. I got to meet Elizabeth when I had the opportunity to visit Sandema in the Upper East Region during a field visit with UNICEF. Elizabeth is a primary 3 pupils of Alama Basic School. Elizabeth and her classmates impressed me. It was very evident that they understood the passage and each of them took turns going to the board. This scene alone made it all worth it. It may be hard to believe, but 7 children in primary 3 out of every 10 in Ghana are unable to read and write even though they should be able to. This begs the question, are we being fair to our children? If this number of children at that age cannot read or write how do we prepare them to learn others skills?    continued to wat...
Post a Comment
Read more