“The Home Run has a youthful, quirky and energetic vibe to it – it was
designed this way and this sets it apart from other drivetime shows in the city” – @theawazi and @satoedk

The major reason why radio seems to have lost it juice over time is because
most radio stations fail to find the right balance defining what each of
their program content should be all about and getting the right OAPs
knowledgeable to present it in such a way that it allows listeners to feel
witty, thoughtful and entertained all together.

To be candid, most stations fail to understand the significant difference
between a morning belt designed for social analysis, midday/afternoon belt
for more of music commentary and the drive time, which is a merger of both.
The lack of these principles of programing in broadcasting is the reasons why
most radio shows are filled with empty rhetoric and sameness. But, whoever
designed the ‘Home Run’ daily show on Soundcity 98.5 FM presented by Awazi
and EDK from 6pm to 10pm; that person needs to be presented with an Emmy
Awards. The content and the presentation tick all the boxes of a
well-scripted program.  Awazi and EDK are holding audiences spellbound. I
dug up some information about the show. Here’s my conversation with both
presenters.

WHAT MAKES THE ‘HOME RUN’ SHOW STANDOUT?

The Home Run has a youthful, quirky and energetic vibe to it – it was
designed this way and this sets it apart from other drivetime shows in the
city.  Before we are radio show hosts, we are listeners first and as
listeners we recognized that many radio shows, especially drivetime shows
tend to be a drag. It’s either a problem with the music selection or it’s
too much talk or just not enough energy or just poorly curated content that
can make an already bad day seem worse and the goal of the Home Run was to
change that experience for listeners. We know that drivetime in this our
crazy amazing city Lagos can be exceptionally stressful for the average
Lagosian, so we try to make the Home Run a bit more than just a radio show;
we try to be friends with our listeners and just be their Home Run
companions that help them de-stress for the day by playing loads of
tastefully selected music while sharing with them all they need to know
that is going on in the world of entertainment, in the immediate society
and sometimes even politics in the most relatable, yet witty and quirky way
possible, so they forget the day’s struggles and just enjoy the company. We
really just like to help people have a good time.

WHAT GOES ON IN THE MIND OF BOTH PRESENTERS BEFORE EACH SHOW?

For the kind of show that we have and the audience we cater to; being
mostly millennials, we have to always be informed about what is happening
in the moment. Basically, work starts a long time before we get on the
radio. We do a lot of reading, and listening to happenings around the world
and select some of the songs to go on the air for the day. We have to
research and understand the kind of things the target audience would like
to listen to and the kind of conversations they would be interested in
having. Then we share what we individually gathered for the day with each
other and agree on the best time to talk about what topic, which song to
play in relation to what story and in what order and that’s how we put
together a good show. A lot of work goes into those few minutes of
conversation we have on the radio.

AWAZI

I’m Awazi Angbalaga, a radio host on Soundcity Radio 98.5fm in Lagos. On
the radio I’m simply known as “The Awazi” or just “Awazi”. I’m a young lady
from Nasarawa state Nigeria who is currently in the process of evolving
into who I’ve always wanted to be – a phenomenal broadcaster. My love for
broadcasting started when I was a little girl. Watching the news and then
playing pretend news anchor reading the newspaper stories to my dad like I
was on TV was our thing so it was no surprise that I grew up to be a young
lady who went on to study Mass communication in the University of Lagos.

I started to discover the radio host side of me at Uni when one of my
lecturers got me to co-host a show on the campus radio station Unilag 103.1
FM. I eventually went on to work on many film and TV projects after school
and even briefly worked at a tech start-up until radio pulled me right back
into it in 2016 when I became part of a team working on a brand new radio
station which is now one of the most listened to radio stations in Lagos,
Soundcity 98.5 FM.
Find me on all social media platforms; @THEAWAZI.

SATO

I’m Osato Edokpayi, a radio host on Soundcity Radio 98.5, Lagos. I’m better
known as EDK on the radio. After years of watching the pros do it on TV and
listening to veteran radio presenters in and around Benin City, I knew I
was in love with broadcasting. I started out in media as a campus
correspondent for The Nation Newspaper while in university before pivoting
to broadcasting and snagging an internship at Silverbird’s Rhythm 93.7 in
Benin in 2012 and subsequently a proper radio gig at Vibes 97.3 FM in the
same market in 2013.

I worked on all radio day parts, eventually hosting the station’s breakfast
show for just over 18 months. In mid-2017, I switched markets when I was
offered an exciting opportunity to join the Soundcity Radio network where I
currently co-host the drivetime show; The Home Run and Weekend Breakfast;
What’s Up Lagos. I’m immensely passionate about delivering a fantastic
radio experience to listeners every time, so it has been very delightful
working in a fast-paced and competitive new market.
Connect with me on social; @satoEDK.

– words by Sesan Adeniji for Mystreetz magazine( @maleekberry edition )