The STARR DRIVE With Bola Ray | A Refreshing Change of Pace to the City’s Drive Time

The buzz has been crazy ever since Starr FM announced its dawn with a crack line up of presenters representing the crème de la crème of Ghanaian radio personalities.

And the commencement of operation of the station on Monday was a big social event, marking the most anticipated radio station debut in our rich and illustrious media history.

Of all the big stars lining up for Starr FM, none was more eagerly anticipated than Bola Ray, with his Starr Drive show. Having built an impressive resume that rivals that of any radio host you can think of, there was a higher than normal interest in how Bola would kick off his show, and how he could make it unique to his new station, considering how long he had spent making Joy Fm’s drive show his own.

And so far the show has not disappointed, bringing carefully tailored content to ease the city’s drive time. With Bola Ray himself behind the wheel with his iconic voice, the three hour show simply blows you away. The combination of superb music, listener interaction, and those tiny little facts nonchalantly thrown your way by the host adds up to a deeply satisfying experience.

I know it didn’t feel like a three hour show to me, so fast did it pass by.

There are so many things about the Starr drive which makes me feel it would become the premiere Drive Time show within Accra. The strengths lie in the presentation (and the presenter), diversity of content, interactivity, and the music.

Oh God, the music. There was something in there for everyone, crossing genres and placed at great times too. The show kicks off with several cool numbers, designed as a soothing balm to get the listener into the mood for the incoming tornado that is the Starr Drive.

These great numbers were interspersed throughout the show at crucial junctures, sometimes punctuating the ongoing action in a way set to provide a balance between the talking and the music.

You cannot deny Bola Ray’s experience in setting the mood for his shows, and it was on full display during the Starr Drive we listened to on Monday and yesterday. The final hour sees local and continental tracks to see out the show.

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The meat of the show itself, the content, is tailor made for the drive time crowd. Considering the abundance of shows within the same time slot with the same purpose, the Starr Drive really must be unique to stand out. And they attempt to do that with segments such as the traffic report which from the response looked like a huge hit with the listeners.

Bola Ray kept on dropping these little known amazing facts throughout the show which really gave it an educational feel. I don’t know about you but I really enjoy hearing such trivia and enriching my sparse general knowledge library.

Also interspersed are the entertainment and sports segment, both presented by some of Starr Fm’s litany of stars. The big man showed off his versatility, engaging the hosts of both segments in challenging conversation, designed to make the segments much more interesting than just the delivery of news. Nothing new, but Bola Ray’s strong opinions livened up the segments and at times gave a different spin on the issues raised.

Listener interaction was off the charts too, ranging from callers in, the traffic report, the free taxi drive segment, and other messages through social media and I struggle to recall any show on television or radio having such a huge constant instant feedback from its audience.

The audience are the lifeblood of any media activity, and the Starr drive makes them the priority. And it seems to be working, as the show is inundated with countless messages, mostly expressing well wishes and good luck as the station embarks on this new journey. That’s certainly a kick off on the right note.

Despite everything else though, the biggest strength of the Starr drive, and in my opinion of Starr Fm itself, is the presence of Bola Ray. There can be no substitute for experience, and Bola Ray conclusively proves that on the Starr Drive.

His presentation is top notch, as always, making the Starr drive impossible to miss. Anyone who has listened to him on Radio, or in any other capacity really, can attest to Bola’s awesomeness as a presenter. The Starr drive is three hours of that.

Whether he is churning out hit tracks, interacting with listeners, guests, and fellow presenters, or just dropping little trivia to educate his listeners, Bola Ray delivers with a flawless delivery and in those ringing baritones we’ve all come to know and love.

If for nothing else, you have got to tune into the Starr Drive for Bola Ray. He brings his A-Game, he knows how to keep the listener hooked, and he has the star power to bring onto his show any celebrity he wants to within the confines of this continent and beyond.

And already after a couple of shows he has had on his show a who’s who of celebrities, including but not limited to Jon Germain, Basketmouth, Ice Prince, and Dr Sid.

That kind of drawing power is not just something you pick up off the streets, and in this climate it is a priceless quality.

More than anything else though the biggest endorsements of the Starr drive has come from the public itself. Inasmuch as it is made to boost public interaction, there are countless more out there that do not participate directly in the show, but enjoy it all the same.

The buzz on social media has been insane, and whilst a lot is related to the huge star power of the presenters at Starr Fm, Bola has a crazy following on his own and that has translated favourably onto the Starr Drive.

Drawing such a huge following and having received rave reviews throughout the industry, you cannot deny the huge future ahead for the Starr Drive, and by extension Starr FM itself. When you have such a great show, airing at prime time with such a user friendly outlook, and being hosted by the indefatigable Bola Ray; I can tell you it would not take long to bring its competitors within that time slot straight onto their knees.

You might think the Starr Drive is just another drive show, and undeserving of any special attention from you, you would be wrong. If you are looking for a drive show to take you home after a tough day, to give you the perfect combination of great music, interesting content, and top notch presentation; with the options you have on the local scene you cannot do any better than the Starr Drive, with the king of drive time himself, Bola Ray.

If you think we are playing with the facts, just tune in to STARR FM 103.5 at 3pm today or just listen via; http://starrfmonline.com