Kigali's radio maharishi on how to balance listener's interests and revenue

My female friends say I sound ‘sweet’ on phone, but KFM’s Jesse Maxella Kiyingi , popularly known as Da’ African Son, simply sounds great on radio. Most people who have listened to his shows agree with me that he is arguably, Kigali’s radio maharishi. Jesse who currently presents the Wind-down-Zone on KFM says he loves class and works hard for it but to many of his childhood friends, a career in radio seemed very unlikely early on as he looked destined to be an economist or one of those other traditional careers. “Well, that’s because I was a true student of economics at Makerere University, but then before that I had done an advanced certificate in mass communication majoring in radio and television production during my high school vacation that paved my radio path,” reminisces the man who has worked with at least three different radio stations in Kigali. During the interview for this story, Kiyingi’s fingers twitched from apparent boredom; understandably so because his are multi-talented hands; something that could explain his success in a radio career that began in 1999 and spans more than a decade now. When Kiyingi’s hands are not balancing the cues on the studio sound mixer, they are right or left-clicking a computer mouse to produce the latest corporate radio commercial or typing a marketing proposal to a potential advertiser. “Man, its 2014, how do you survive without putting hands here and there? It’s my competitive advantage and any employer who takes me on benefits from my broad knowledge of running a successful radio,” he quips. Kiyingi says running a successful radio station requires having a good balance of ears and revenues. Indeed, when KFM launched in Rwanda in 2012, the Nation Media Group—owned station enticed Kiyingi to leave Radio Flash where he was Programs’ director with an irresistible offer to become the station’s business development manager as well as senior presenter. However, joining KFM was like a reunion for Jesse who had cut his teeth with Nation Media houses in Uganda before crossing to Rwanda. And oh boy! That’s another story out of Kiyingi’s diary all courtesy of ‘crazy in love’ female fan of his. “Once upon a time,” the story of how Kiyingi came to Rwanda begins. There was this ‘crazy’ listener back in Kampala…one day she was leaving the country for the UK and decided to take my personal number from the office reception,” he narrates. “We kept talking for many hours while she was in the UK, it later became a great friendship, I met her sisters in Kampala and we became family. “It’s actually through this connection that I visited her elder sister who worked with the UN here in Rwanda, that we made contact with a one Angelique whose face I don’t even remember but worked for Contact FM in 2004/05. I later got a call from Louis Kamanzi of Flash FM on the possibility of joining the then Centenary House-based radio and the rest as they say, is history,” he summarized an otherwise long story. But that would be part one of Kiyingi’s Kigali-coming. When he signed for Flash, he started doing the Sun-Up show and the Hot7@7 music count down. “I din’t make so many friends then, so I left for Kampala to join NTV and Power FM but before that, I had been to Contact FM as the producer for cross fire with Charles Haba and Arthur Asiimwe, a memory I cherish,” said the radio journeyman. But Kiyingi had managed to leave a mark on his employers in Rwanda and in 2009, Kamanzi would reach out to his former employee to talk him into returning. He succeeded. I first listened to Kiyingi on air in 2010 while in the remote and hilly district of Nyaruguru in Southern Province near the border with Burundi. I was on a Rwanda Education Board assignment there and I was bored in the evening when I decided to find some quality radio shows to listen to. There, on 89.2 FM, I found a clear signal and the man behind the mike was Kiyingi whose sleek accent, deep voice, good music selection and gentle humour stood out. “Those years, I remember being the only programme host in the English language in Rwanda,” he says. After my sojourn in Nyaruguru, I would go on to meet Kiyingi and even feature regularly as a guest on his show, Breakfast in the City, every Saturday morning with Gonza Mugi, another senior journalist. Today, there might be more radio presenters in English but Kiyingi remains arguably the most comfortable with the language—exuding confidence as he delivers his radio script every evening. In fact, he produces and voices most major corporate radio commercials from those of commercial banks to telecoms which are replayed on several radio stations, making his voice omnipresent on the airwaves. And he has managed to build a legacy of sorts; at Contact Fm, he helped cultivate Kigali’s first real talk-show, Cross-Fire that featured some of the most outspoken names in. While at Radio Flash, he introduced Good Morning Rwanda and interactive morning show and live premier league soccer broadcasts every weekend which helped Flash FM become a house hold station. Although Good Morning Rwanda is no longer on air, Radio Flash is still very popular for its live Premier League commentaries. “I am currently with Nation Media Group, they believed in my abilities, my connection to this market and expertise in business development to scout me off Flash FM a year ago and I’m enjoying the experience of turning around KFM from just a music and entertainment radio to fulfilling the promise of real talk which is both current and relevant.” Endless learning Even great people have those they admire and in the radio industry Kiyingi says he has people whose talent he admires and learns from to continually improve his own game. “Every day I learn new ways of doing radio, new ways of connecting with a listener and ways of revenue generation for today’s radio business. I read a good book I find in the stores about radio and sales,” he says. Asked who he looks up to, Kiyingi’s list was short but one with some prominent Ugandan radio personalities that he grew up listening to; people like Allan the Cantankerous (RIP), Bangi, who used to present the Wind Down Zone and Alex Ndawula of Capital FM whom he says was the man that ‘spoke to me more through radio.’ “I,” he continues, “also like the simplicity of Rick Dees on the Top 40 countdown…radio can be very provocative and interesting, in Rwanda we are still mentoring talent but Arthur (former Big Brother representative) has had a way of getting to people through his comical act.” While largely successful already, Kiyingi still has unrealized dreams that he says he wants to actualize-his vision 2020. “My vision is so simple; what I have done for others I should be able to do for myself and live the good life. I should be able to create my own media empire and benefit the world,” says the man who also reveals that he has placed his worries in Jesus Christ. Rising competition When K-FM came to Rwanda, Nation Media Group scouted Kiyingi from his former station, Radio Flash but a few months after joining, Kiss Fm, another Kenyan station landed in Kigali. K-FM was raided and a couple of its presenters were enticed to leave and join Kiss Fm. One of them was Uncle Austin who used to present the KFM’s evening show; he now does a similar show on the new station. Asked whether he thought the radio airwaves were clogged, Kiyingi says that there is money for a radio that will craft a product that balances the language of the advertiser and the interests of dynamic listener. “There is still room for a number one and number two radio stations in Rwanda. The gap is still big. To those I lead I always say, step up to the stage of excellence. Radio is not for those who talk, radio today is for those that communicate and engage listener touch points,” he says.

Lifestyle

Kigali's radio maharishi on how to balance listener's interests and revenue