Former Choice FM DJ George Kay called in to Dotun Adebayo’s BBC London radio talk show last night to discuss the demise of Choice FM (as from today now known as Capital XTRA) and had some interesting things to say…
CLICK HERE to listen from [mark 1:19:34]
DJ Daddy Ernie also spoke to Dotun about his dismissal and the station’s decision to remove all of its Reggae programming.
Listen from [mark 38.52]
Categories: UK News
Interesting point from George about Choice FM’s licence condition which meant they had an obligation to play a 21 hours of Reggae + Soca a week and how that applies to Capital Xtra. But you can best believe that Global have already loop-holed all around that. They are probably broadcasting under the main Capital Radio licence condition which means they can play “urban dance” till the cows go blue in the face.
It’s not about just reggae, it’s about the community having a voice, being represented, seen and heard. Not to the whole of UK but to its community members. A place where they can represent themselves with pride and comfort.
The music executives do not listen to any of the music played on their stations, nor do they own it in their homes. All they know and want is that there is competition out there and have to up their game for the wider good and not the common good. All that chit chat about white people knowing our culture and being able to represent it therefore it doesn’t matter who plays the music is a bit off. If you get the right black, they know what the community needs and know how what they do is going to benefit the community as a whole. White people might just know the culture but it doesn’t mean that they have the community at heart and its needs. White people have all the media platform they need to do whatever they like.
They are firing all black DJs and hiring white DJs. But the station was sold off. So I don’t know what good 21hours of reggae will do. It is like putting a drop of pepsi in a swimming pool, it could have saved a job or two, but overall, the whole aim and vision of the station initially, gradually disappeared. It’s about identity and the community in question.
Well well well