I had the occasion to be a stand-in radio co-presenter for a week and the topics which I was forced (as a stand-in I had no much say on content) to address were frivolous to say the least. However I was informed that this what the audience craved for and going by the feedback received on social media what they wanted to listen to.
This made me question whether blondeness is underrated and if it actually has a big place in the media space. In other words, do the masses want bubblegum content and not serious intellectual content?
It appears to me that comedy and incessant laughter have replaced sensible talk on radio and Kenyans seemingly love it.
Mid-morning radio in most stations is amazingly shallow. It is mostly hosted by young ladies who are loud and flighty. Not that the other shows are any better content-wise. Morning and afternoon drive shows were once fountains of knowledge. Not anymore. Yesterday I heard a female presenter in an afternoon drive show talk of a state of the art mattress and I cringed!
Most of Kenyan radio content is steadily getting dumbed down. Almost two decades of FM stations in Kenya has brought an increase in quantity of FM radio stations and a correspondent decrease in the quality of the content aired.
I remember a time when radio stimulated intelligent debate and conversation in Kenya. When a day felt incomplete when it went by without one listening to their favourite radio presenter. When people like Zain Virjee, Patrcia Amira, Julie Butt, Jimmi Gathu etc graced the airwaves. These men and women went on to achieve great feats and inspire many.
Are these days completely behind us?
Is blondeness the new cool?
You tell me!
GOD BLESS KENYA!
Moderate Kenyan 