Kwasi Aboagye: The Man, the Mic, the Legacy

IN a little over three years, Peace FM will turn 30. Three decades of Akan radio dominance, cultural shaping, and a newsroom and entertainment ecosystem that has defined a generation. As that milestone approaches, one of the station’s longest-serving voices and perhaps its last founding on-air pillar has announced that he is stepping away.

Kwasi Aboagye says it is time to drop the microphone, literally. And the headphones. 

In a short but emotionally charged video from his Entertainment Review show, shared on his personal Facebook page, Aboagye wrote: “My work as a radio presenter has come to an end. I am officially retiring from radio on December 13, 2025. I am grateful to the entire management of Despite Media. I also extend my gratitude to everyone who supported me throughout this journey.” He added that at the appropriate time, he would thank some individuals personally.

For someone who has not been flamboyant on social media lately, the message carried weight. This was a man signing off, closing a chapter he had lived publicly for over a quarter of a century.

 A Pioneer from Day One

Kwasi Aboagye’s radio journey did not begin at Peace FM. Like many media greats of his generation, he cut his teeth at Radio Univers, the University of Ghana campus station that has served as the grooming ground for countless broadcasters. 

It was there, in the mid-1990s, that Aboagye sharpened his instincts among contemporaries such as Sometimer Otuo-Acheampong, Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, Kwasi Anim-Agyei and DJ Abio, who would go on to pioneer the entertainment review format on Channel R, a concept that Aboagye would later elevate and popularise on Peace FM.

When Peace FM was launched in 1999, Aboagye was among its first on-air personalities who worked with the founding General Manager, Kwesi Brenya of blessed memory. The initial team included Afia Konadu, also of blessed memory, Edward Faakye, Sekyere Poporo Boateng, George Yaw Okyere, Kofi Asare Brako, Charles Osei Asibey, Adwoa Yeboah Agyei, Abu Issah Monnie and others. It was an ensemble that defined what Akan-language commercial radio would become.

Two and a half decades later, most of those voices have moved on – some retired, some departed this life, some now in other media institutions and even in government. It appears that until his announcement, Aboagye may well have been the last surviving founding on-air presenter still actively hosting a show at Peace FM. If that is not longevity, nothing is. 

 A man of many microphones

While many listeners associate Kwasi Aboagye with entertainment punditry, his career is far more versatile. He has hosted almost every category of programme across the media platforms – Peace FM, Neat FM, Okay FM, and others.

He ran the station’s Drive Time show, Ekwanso Brebre, before Fiifi Banson arrived and took over. He has occasionally sat in for the morning show and, for a time, was the regular host on Neat FM, the late afternoon belt, and has been the go-to relief host for countless segments. At a time when versatility is rare and presenters are boxed into formats, Aboagye proved that radio presenting is a craft, not a slot.

Yet, his biggest claim to fame remains Entertainment Review – the show that transformed him from a versatile broadcaster into a cultural referee.

 The referee, fighter and provocateur

When the Entertainment Review show began, Kwasi Aboagye shared microphone space with early guests such as yours truly, Mark Okraku-Mantey, Fred Kyei Mensah, the late Mufti Dabre and the late Isaac Yeboah. The show was informative, sometimes scholarly, sometimes relaxed.

But as the industry evolved, so did Kwasi’s panel – Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo, Socrates Safo, Halifax Ansah-Addo, Ola Michael, Bulldog, and others. These were not passive panellists; they were industry combatants. And steering them was Aboagye – the (most times not so) calm voice that often turned fiery, the composed host who occasionally allowed himself to be dragged into the fray.

What made Aboagye’s tenure unique was not just the show’s popularity but the role it played in Ghana’s entertainment industry. For over two decades, Entertainment Review became the unofficial court of public opinion. Artistes feared it, publicists monitored it, and listeners relied on it to make sense of the scandals, the new releases, the controversies and the policy debates shaping Ghanaian arts, entertainment and tourism.

Kwasi Aboagye challenged everything that needed challenging. And the man was fearless:

• He fought (verbally) with industry players.

• He dissected careers with forensic detail.

• He was criticised, sometimes attacked.

• He was told to keep certain names off the show.

But he kept talking.

His no-holds-barred approach contributed to an industry that became more transparent and more accountable. Love him or dislike him, few can deny that Kwasi contributed immensely to shaping the arts conversation more than any other Akan-language broadcaster of his time. You can quote me on this. 

 A love–hate relationship

If the arts and entertainment industry were a classroom, Kwasi Aboagye was the teacher whose strictness you complained about but whose lessons you remembered forever.

Many creatives felt he was too harsh. Some believed he was biased. Others thought he held onto certain opinions too long. Yet, paradoxically, those same industry players tuned in, responded to his critiques, and sometimes strategically aligned their releases around the show’s influence.

That is the thing about figures who shape industries – they rarely enjoy unanimous affection. Their credibility is built not on popularity but on consistency. And Kwesi Aboagye was consistent.

The entertainment media space will miss that relationship. The arguments. The corrections. The call-outs. The uncomfortable truths. The laughter. The tension. The catharsis. Without Kwasi, the space will feel quieter, perhaps too quiet.

 Who comes after Kwasi?

This is the question many are now asking. The Entertainment Review brand will continue – radio stations do not retire with presenters, but who can truly replace Kwasi Aboagye?

A few names float around within the Despite Media circles: 

Yaa Yeboah – The confident broadcaster with growing industry respect. Smart, articulate, but can she demonstrate that long-distance stamina Kwasi displayed for over 20 years?

Halifax Ansah-Addo – Sharp, informed, and an excellent communicator. Yet, Halifax, I consider more useful as a pundit than a steady hand at the centre of a storm.

Nana Romeo – Possesses passion and radio charisma, but carries his own brand of unpredictability that could either revitalise or destabilise the show.

Ola Michael – Experienced, expressive, fiery and no stranger to controversy. His style tends to be more emotive, making him a different kind of host entirely, but one with great potential.

In truth, while all these names bring something, it would take a lot of sacrifice to bring the Kwasi Aboagye effect. And that effect is rooted not just in talent but in time – two and a half decades of knowing the terrain, the players, the culture and the media’s evolution.

Great broadcasters can be hired. But institutional memory? That is earned. 

 A legacy secure

As Kwasi Aboagye prepares to hang up his headphones, he exits as one of the most influential entertainment broadcasters Ghana has produced in the era of private broadcasting. His contribution to Peace FM and Despite Media is immeasurable. His impact on radio broadcasting is undeniable. And his imprint on Ghana’s arts and entertainment discourse is irrefutably permanent.

For over 26 years, he gave his voice, his opinions, his battles and his belief in an industry that sometimes frustrated him. Now the mic goes silent. But the legacy echoes.

Kwasi Aboagye will be missed not only for what he said, but for how he made the industry respond. 

The entertainment media will miss the love-hate relationship.

And Ghanaian radio will miss one of its last giants. 

I wish you well in whatever is taking you away from your first love, Kwasi Aboagye!