Captain Smart has docked

As I said on GhOne’s Pundits last Tuesday, the organisers led by Prince Mackay cannot go further down than they already are and therefore need to do proper review and introspection and try as much as they can to reorganise the structure of the awards.

It is important that they do that to regain the confidence of the industry, advertisers and the public that the next awards will be better organised than it was done this year. 

It is for their benefit and I think they will take this and many other pieces of advice and run with them. I wish them all the best in subsequent RTP Awards.

Also, let me say before I move on to the main topic of the day that Citi FM’s MOGO was impressive again this year. All the performances I saw at MOGO were awesome. Kwaisey Pee was grand, Tagoe Sisters were nostalgic, Okyeame Kwame was super and Kwabena Kwabena was amazing. I missed their performances but I was told Samuel Owusu, Ewurama Badu and Sherifa Gunu did well too.

The award to George Darko by Citi FM for Highlife Achievement was deserving and about time. Darko is a great guy, big performer and best guitarist we have. Above all, the fact that Citi FM chose to reward its loyal listeners with return tickets to South Africa and Turkey ought to be commended.

My main issue first for today is to talk about how Captain Smart has been faring since arriving at Adom FM as the morning show host some five months or so ago.

Sometime in July, I wrote “during the days leading to the Adom Praiz taking place, a very important and resounding change took place at Adom FM, but it kind of got swallowed up in the whole noise about the show that many did not take much notice about.

“The presenter of Dwaso Nsem, the morning show on the station over the last couple of years or so was moved off the show and replaced with a new one who had been brought down from Kumasi. 

Sources at the station said Captain Smart was brought in to host the show so Adakabre Frimpong Manso would take up the hosting of a show on sister television station, Multi TV.

“As host of the morning show on Fox FM for a while now, Captain Smart had been the star boy of morning show in Kumasi. He had done a lot for himself to the extent that he was even rated by some to be ahead of his predecessor and Kumasi’s darling boy, Kwame Adinkra.

“For Adom FM to have courted and brought him over from Kumasi to Accra meant they needed him and wanted him to drive their morning show and to pursue the ultimate goal of trumping Kwami Sefa Kayi and his Kokorokoo off the top of the log.

“But does Captain Smart have the ability to do that? Can he do what many have tried in many years, weeks, months and a decade to do without fail? These are the questions we shall be asking of Captain Smart in the days to come as he continues this journey on Accra radio.”

As you may know, hosting the morning show on Adom FM could pass as one of the riskiest jobs one can have. If you ask all the three previous hosts of the show viz. Adakabre, Ekourba Gyasi and Fiifi Boafo they are likely to corroborate this position.

The host of that show has two main tasks, in my reckoning, how high he takes the show on the monthly tracker and how close his show is to that of Kwami Sefa Kayi of Peace FM. 

Anything less than these two and you are on your way out as has happened to the three gentlemen mentioned above.

Let me say that I am impressed by how well and fast the man known as Blessed Godsbrain Smart has adapted to the terrain in Accra. He has taken total control of the morning show Dwaso Nsem and running it like a boss!

I had thought that he would have some initial jittery considering that he had moved from Kumasi to a more competitive market with bigger budgets from advertisers on the show that he would be hosting.

I also thought that the initial challenges with the production team which led to Kojo Preko leaving and then coming back would affect him and the show, but thus far, it doesn’t look like that. On the contrary he has developed a good relationship with them and the show has been flowing like aqua.

He has also developed a good chemistry between himself and the two co-presenters Akosua Safoa Kantimpo and Kofi Adomah Owanwani in a very short time which is making his show run as good as he would want it to be.

I think Captain Smart has three main strengths: strong voice, control over his subjects and guests as well as a huge sense of humour. He doesn’t dilly-dally when asking questions and he makes sure that the interviewee would not avoid or ‘swerve’ his question, he will nail you!

To me, I am of the view that Adom FM have found a strong morning show host and regardless of how the tracker says he is performing, they need to keep him for the long haul unless other extraneous factors prevent him from performing his duties well. But based on his on air personality and performance, he is in my view the right man for the job.

R2BEES ARE THE NEW ‘STAR’ IN TOWN

Last week Thursday, one of the leading music duo in the country, R2Bees was shown to the world as the new brand ambassador for Star Beer for the product’s new promotional campaign. 

The amount the two gentlemen and their camp would be paid by the owners of the brand would come as a big payday for Paedae and Mugeez.

Known in real life as Faisal Hakeem and Rashid Mugeez, the two have formed a hip hop/hiplife group with the moniker R2Bees. 

The name R2Bees comes from their mantra “Refuse to be broke” and though as a group they have been on the music scene for a relatively short time, they have made a strong impact. It is worth noting that Mugeez was formerly known as Gogome and has featured on tracks for the likes of Samini.

Over the period that they have been aroun,  the duo has come out with some hit songs including Odo, Life(Walahi), Up Inna De Club, Yawa Girl and Kiss Your Hand and in 2009, R2Bees was nominated for Discovery of the Year, Hip Life/Hip Hop Artiste(s) of the Year and Afro Pop Song of the Year.

In 2013, their hit songs Odo and Life brought them several nominations at the Ghana Music Awards and they were voted as the Artiste of the Year to climax a year of hard work and resilience in the career they have chosen.

The new Star Beer promotional campaign is known as ‘It’s who we are’ and according to Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) “it establishes and celebrates our respect for Ghanaian tradition while we embrace the insatiable desires of the future.”

One of the requirements for a brand to choose an ambassador is a fit with the brand so why would GGBL choose R2Bees for their leading Beer Brand? According to them, R2Bees fits the brand and the campaign that they are embarking on hence the choice.

In a release they said “one of Ghana’s leading hip-life groups represent how real-life Ghanaians take charge of their lives to become who they want to be. R2Bees’ respect and infusion of Ghanaian style into their lyrics and music bridges the past and present and communicates to Ghanaians to bring their past into the future by taking their Ghanaian values along with them.”

Star Beer’s new campaign with R2Bees will be promoted on Television, Radio, Outdoor and Press as well as on the digital platform and the duo says they “are extremely proud to be associated with a brand like Star Beer - a beer that embodies our Ghanaian heritage. The decision to work on this campaign with Star Beer is in line with what we believe in and stand for – incorporating our Ghanaian tradition and culture into the future.”

I hope the brand will find a good fit with the duo and would meet the objectives for which the campaign will be embarked upon.

@TheGHMediaGuy