I have no desire to insult or disrespect any DJ or presenter who has decided to join or remain at the station formerly known as Choice fm. I have even less desire to simply complain about the fact that the Capital take over of Choice is now fully complete. My intention here is simply to highlight some of the dynamics that I feel are often overlooked when events like these take place, and hopefully provoke some thoughts in the process.
The Capital take over of Choice fm is not a singular event confined to the present moment, but the culmination of a process that spans at the very least, a decade.
Choice fm hit our airways in 1990. Under the leadership of Patrick Berry and Neil Kenlock, its expressed purpose was to provide a legal platform to cater for the Afrikan-Caribbean community. While community ‘pirate’ radio had dutifully served the Black community for some time, Choice becoming legal meant that DJ’s were not in fear of Police kicking down the door at any moment. Instead the door was now open to take full advantage of the economic prospects that come from not being restricted to an under ground operation.
For the first time therefore, Black music enjoyed uninterrupted air-play. At the height of Choice’s success, all prominent forms of Black music in the UK enjoyed prime-time placement, with the station’s Black owners developing a viable business brand.
There are many levels to the significance of this. DJ Abrantee had a prime time show forplaying music from the Afrikan continent long before ‘Afrobeats’ became a trend mashing up dancehalls all over the nation. Soca hasn’t gained widespread notoriety, yet ‘Soca Prince’ – Martin J, presented a successful show for years on the only legal Black music platform.
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