Veteran Ghanaian Broadcaster, Tommy Annan-Forson
Veteran Ghanaian Broadcaster Tommy Annan-Forson, also known as The King of Country and The God Father of Radio has asserted that he was the first presenter to go on air at Joy Fm.
May 1, 1995, was the first time JOY FM, the foremost brand in The Multimedia Group went on air.
According to the godfather of radio on that faithful day at 6 am he was the first person to go on air.
“I was the first person on the air, 1st May 1995 at 6am”.
In an interview on Legends show hosted by Agyemang Prempeh on TV XYZ, Mr. Forson said, he met the owner of Joy fm Kwasi Twum at Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
“He came to GBC, I think there was some agreement considering the frequency” The 99.7 belonged to GBC as at the time. I don’t know whether it was sold or rented but there was some agreement between Kwasi Twum and GBC that was when he was trying to set up Joy FM so we met at GBC”, he elaborated.
Speaking on how he was poached by the owner of Joy FM he said;
“We met at GBC and he said he wanted to meet one on one so we should meet at a coffee shop which we did, then he showed me Captain Dan Twums’ house which was close to where we lived so we met and he told me he wanted to set up a private radio station and is Joy FM the frequency is 99.7 so they will be staring the test transmission can’t remember when”.
Moreover, he was asked to choose two or three people to come on onboard with.
“He said he wanted me to come on board so I should choose somebody to start with maybe two or three people so I chose the late Dusty Wayne and then Hocks Tamakloe, Kofi Chaponu”, he added.
Mr Forson revealed he was very sceptical about the deal because he didn’t know the kind of person he was dealing with.
“I was sceptical. Sceptical in the sense that everyone talks about private radio but I don’t know Kwasi Twum from anywhere I don’t know Joy FM. I didn’t know he was a businessman I didn’t know his ambitions and stuff like that I wasn’t too sure but my security at GBC is guaranteed but private radio, but I used to tell myself that look life is a risk you either take it or you don’t”.