By Marshall Shonhai
I was raised on Radio and ZBC’s Radio 3 in my youthful years, especially my high school years, she became the love of my life.
I remember in High School literally running home so that I could go spend time with her by catching some of my favorite DJs on Radio. Man oh Man! Those were the days.
Broadcasting from Pockets Hill in Harare and from Montrose Studios in Bulawayo on 99.6FM, Radio 3 was simply epic!
Nothing, I mean nothing to this day beats rushing home to catch Otis Fraser The Flow on Radio!
What can beat catching the daily Hitsville Top 20 with Peter Johns The Radio Driver? Ohhhhhh I’m feeling all nostalgic already!
You are telling me anything can beat that amazing voice? The voice of Bridget Gee Bubbling B Gavanga? Or Waking up early in the morning to the noise of Simon Parkinson and Marc Pozzo?
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Or that lazy Saturday morning with Joe Hussein Muzukuru paRadio? How about those Wednesday evenings? Chirongwa cheGood Living Afro Pop Sounds with Mr Cool Kudzi Marudza? How about the Jacking Zone with The Hitman Hosea Singende?
Okay I’m getting carried away. Let’s start right from the beginning.
Radio 3 was set up at Zimbabwe’s independence, first broadcasting for 19 hours a day before it became a 24 hour radio station in the 90s. It was set up to target the urban youth and i was its prime target. I was a kid then and did not know much about Radio.
As I grew older, music became part of my upbringing, I was raised in a household where both my parents loved music and they were my greatest influence. We were raised on Radio 2 but we later discovered radio 3 and I fell in love
I joined the Radio 3 craze at a time it was transitioning, but I am part of those privileged to have caught some of the great voices of the 80s who crossed over into the 90s.
The first generation of DJs on Radio 3 was made up of amazingly talented DJs some who had worked on the station before independence these include the legend
John “The Boss” Matinde, Josh Makawa (who i hear was a larger than life character very popular and very talented.) Wally Mbofana, Comfort Mbofana, Fungai “The Voice” Marange, Peter Johns The Radio Driver, Musi Khumalo, Kudzi “Mr Cool” Marudza, Hilton “Dr Bob” Mambo, Mike Mhundwa, Busi Mhlanga-Chindove, Eunice “Miss DJ” Goto, Caleb Tondhlana, Fred Zinnia, Elvis Chimene, Sophie Chamboko, Norah Chipaumire, Simon Parkinson, Jerry Jackson, Patrick Bajila, Alison Chavunduka, Busi Chindove, Eunice Goto, Musi Khumalo, Admire Taderera, Tich Mataz The Midas Touch, Kelvin Sifelani, Joe “Muzukuru” Hussein, George Munetsi, Dennis Wilson. Hosea “The Hitman” Singende.
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Those were some of the voices that shaped our imagination as young people. I belong to the class that experienced the second generation of Radio 3. The 90s! The most happening years, when radio was still radio. Oh man!
We were spoilt for choice. Nothing was more calming than the voice of The Queen of the airwaves Tsitsi Mawarire after the madness of the Simon Parkinson and Mark Pozzo breakfast show!
The list was endless, we had Kelvin kaNcube The Prince of the Airwaves, Bridgette Gavanga, Innocent Manase, Innocent Tshuma, James Maridadi, Daves Mugadza Cool Mo Dee, Felix Nganjo The Happy Smiler, Otis Fraser The Flow, Munya Mlimo DJ Munya, Rumbi Katedza, Witness Matema Chu Man, Tendayi Chakanyuka The SweetThang (one of my all time favorites, oh I love me some TC) Felix The Cat, Mark Pozzo.
These were of course anchored by some of the 1st generation DJs The likes of Peter Johns, Kudzi Marudza, Kelvin Sifelani Hosea Singende, Tich Mataz Joe Hussein and others.
It was magic!
The Jacking Zone, Monday Mellow Madness, Afro Pop, Hit Pick, Hitsville Top 20, Thursday and Saturday night Reggae Sessions with Denis Wilson with The signature introductory tune to his shows was Push Comes To Shove by Freddie McGregor!
I was so into radio that I could not miss the daily top 20 chart show Hitsville Top 20. It all led to the ultimate chart show of the year The Hot 100.
We would try and predict the top 5 and I remember one year I was so into it that when the top 100 can on the 1st of January in 1997/8, was so sure i had the top 5 right.
Boy oh boy was I wrong! I was so mad that I picked up the phone and I phone the station. Peter Johns was on, I told him my problem with his show, he asked for my name and I told him and his “Ok Marshall, would like to hold on as I introduce the next song and come back and explain to you?”
I held on and sure enough, he came back and explained to an 17 year old how radio charts worked. It made sense.
As the 90s came to a close and the millennium turned, New voices started emerging and Radio 3 rebranded and became 3FM and in came voices like Hazvinei Sakarombe DJ Chilli, Tafadzwa Sikwila, Tinashe Chikuse, Tony Friday, Fiona Itayi Takaendesa otherwise known as IYATI, DJ Scott, Lee Kay among others.
Then radio died! Then they killed my lover!
With the changes that started happening politically in the nation in the year 2000, in came an information Minister who started making changes at the station, these changes forced out the most popular and senior DJs.
The voices of the likes of Peter Johns, Kudzi Marudza, Kelvin S and many others went off air. Most moved to the UK, some were to retain years later but radio has never been the same.
In 2004 the station along with all its sister stations rebranded and it became known as Power FM, its current name today and at some point relocated to Zimbabwe’s third largest City Gweru.
With that died my love for local radio. Yes, there has been some real gems on Radio and most of them are inspired by these yesteryear greats.
The death of radio was confirmed for me when in what was a historical moment where 3 of Harare’s urban stations Power FM, Star FM and ZiFM Stereo stage a multicast in tribute of arguably the best Radio DJ out of Zimbabwe in PJ your DJ Peter Johns, they played a clip from 1989 by legendary John Matinde and passes it off as PJ.
I was both shocked and appalled. Yes the two sounded so much alike but if radio DJs from 3 stations are not going to know the difference then why should one listen to such DJs?
Some have argued that the dismantling of Radio 3 was way overdue as it served no purpose in promoting local music.
I agree to some extent, I might not like what Jonathan Moyo did with his 75% local content policy because it meant most of my favorite music was now off Radio, but we can not ignore or argue with the fact that it paved a path for local music.
The Nutty Os, Feli Nandis, Vuyo Browns, Tamy Moyos and the Soul Jah Loves of the day are fruits of that seemingly disastrous move to disband a Radio station that was world class.
With time, I have picked on a few favorites and the Coming in of Star FM and ZiFM brought back some of those voices from back then together with some cool new ones.
I heard Classic263 now sounds like the old Radio 3 but truth is, I cannot stomach local radio anymore, some of these guys cannot even talk properly, that aside, for they are not curating music, most of them are just playing song after song with no particular purpose.
I don’t know, maybe it’s me, maybe I’m still hungover the death of the lover of my life.
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