The third of Starr’s triple threat programming leading their brand introduction is The Morning Starr. Hosted and by presented and MC extraordinaire Kafui Dey, the Morning Starr is to give you the best start you could ever hope for to your day.
Running from 5am through 9am, Kafui Dey takes the hot seat on a tightly knit, perfectly woven morning show blessed with a smidgen of everything a morning show needs. News, intervening programming (business, sports etc), music, lifestyle, and the relevant political and socio-economic segments skewered towards improving the quality of life of the people of Ghana; whilst steering clear of the endless political squabbling you see on countless other morning shows.
And it’s all hosted impeccably by Ghana’s premiere Master of Ceremonies, bringing to Radio hosting the same excellence he has graced every other challenge in his life.
All of which adds up to the ultimate morning show, bringing a fresher dynamic to the radio morning show scene and threatening older more established staples within the time slot.
So what gives The Morning Starr a leg up over its older, more established competitors? It’s not any one thing, but a myriad of little things combining to give it that ‘just right’ feel.
READ ALSO: The STARR DRIVE With Bola Ray | A Refreshing Change of Pace to the City’s Drive Time
But if you insist on being a quantitative junkie; there’s the presence of one of Ghana’s more recognisable hosts, there’s the general feel of the program which runs less political than you’re accustomed to; then there’s that first hour of the show which I call ‘soothing your guilt’ segment.
Unlike several other morning shows, the Starr Drive kicks off at 5am, with Kafui Dey immediately ready to send you on your morning Starr ride. In a very savvy move, the bulk of the first hour is filled with Christian Rock/ Motivational songs. I say savvy because if I know anything about my countrymen it’s that we like to feel that we have paid our dues with our father in the sky.
So starting your day with gospel music is the best way to start a day, especially if you had forgotten to pray the night before, or even just after waking up. Besides if you have really loud speakers it’s the only music you can listen to around that time without offending those extremely conservative neighbours.
To keep up the religious feel, listeners get to name their favourite verses which are then read live on air by Kafui. Motivational tips and the morning news wrap up the hour. With this combined onslaught, you get to 6 am, the unofficial start time of the day, already sufficiently bossed up morally and religiously.
READ ALSO: The Starrs Took Over the Airwaves Yesterday | Redefining Radio in Ghana-STARR FM 103.5
Being at peace with your maker, having felt that you have put in some quality time would leave you more relaxed and feel that you can handle whatever another day in hell-like Accra is going to throw at you.
The main part of most morning shows is when you get to discuss the real stuff, the meat of the issues that are the mainstay of Ghana’s political scene. Unfortunately, partisan politics has been taken to a whole other level in Ghana; and whilst you cannot escape it in anything you do, we’ve taken that obsession to whole other levels. The radio morning show is the nucleus of Ghana’s partisan politics obsession, just flip through any five channels during the morning of any day of the week.
Morning Starr does not get rid of the politics, that’s impossible. What it does is look at issues in a human interest way, attempt to get to the bottom of why things in the society are not working as they should. Find out those who are responsible for keeping said phenomenon in working order, and find out why it’s not working when people are being paid to keep it operational.
It’s an admirable variation of developmental journalism that we need to have more of in this country. Our silly obsession with dividing everything across party lines is one of the biggest flaws with whatever brand of democracy we think we are practicing. In our version of democracy, the opponents can never do anything right. Issues are never addressed dispassionately, but positions are chosen on any issue by whether you subscribe to The Umbrella or The Elephant.
It’s detrimental approach to democracy that is inimical to real development, and morning shows giving priority to that kind of political theatre has made us the kings of empty talk. Countless arguments are held on radio every morning in Ghana on countless issues, but all it accomplishes is showcase which party has the best debaters, or which individuals can survive the most baseless ad hominem attacks.
The Morning Starr deviates from this unfortunate trend, and delves into real issues whilst endeavouring to drive change by confronting those in charge directly. And as an interviewer Kafui holds no punches, balancing the need to fish out the truth with implicit tact.
Like Bola Ray’s Starr drive and Starr Fm in general, one of the Morning Starr’s biggest strengths is the brand of its host. Kafui Dey is easily one of the most recognisable voices on radio, and a strong prior history in hosting events and shows stand him in good stead in this new challenge.
He handles the transition to radio quite well and his recognisable voice keeps the listener grounded. Inevitably, it’s impossible to get out of your head that this is Kafui Dey you’re listening to, the MC extraordinaire, ‘Who Wants to Be Rich’ host; finally on radio.
He keeps things down to earth, and the entirety of the show goes by within a flash. Years of experience in presenting, irrespective of the medium, translate exactly that well onto radio. If you’ve ever gotten the Kafui Dey experience, you would not be disappointed, with the same level of excellence being exhibited on Morning Starr.
READ ALSO: STARR FM’s ‘The Zone’ With Naa Ashorkor: The Full Mid-Morning Office Experience
Like any morning show there must be segments to break the monotony, or nobody would sit through that long ride. There’s the sport and business segments, the morning news, newspaper review, and a little segment known as trending news. That’s pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it?
Trending news gauges the public mood and reveals what we deem most important at any particular time. People spend most of their lives on social media these days, so a segment such as this keeps the most important stakeholders, the audience, involved.
It’s a hectic lifestyle in today’s Ghana, no matter your position on the societal totem pole. A great start to the day is one of the best ways to get through what might otherwise turn out to be a depressing experience. That first hour, and the rest of Morning Starr with Kafui, would not be a bad way to start your ‘Dey’.