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Though my last day on the radio was December 24, 2021, it has taken me a while to post this because I don’t think I have the words.
Isn’t that funny? After 16 years talking on the radio & 2 degrees in communication – I. Don’t. Have. The. Words!
How do you say goodbye to something you have done for almost two decades? Something you have done your entire adult life? Where do you go? And the most asked question of all – WHY?
Before I say why I’ll briefly tell you how it all started.
I was conned into visiting Nigeria and serving (NYSC ) by my dad. The year was 2005.
I was posted to NTA in VI, and I started to cover stories as a junior reporter. So junior, I was given all sorts of weird stories to cover. My most memorable one was about a family of mentally ill people who had turned Ahmadu Bello street into their residence.
While serving at NTA, I wrote to the MD of 96.9 CoolFM applying for an internship in the news department. I got the gig! I was to resume at 6 am every weekday & close at 12noon. From there, I would resume at NTA to cover whatever story I was assigned.
About two weeks into this new job, I walked into the CoolFM studio & started a conversation with Dan Foster. He thought I was funny & interesting and within minutes, I joined him on air. It was fun, and I thought that was it.
The next day, he came looking for me and said, “you’re going to be my sidekick/co-host”. Who was I to say “No”?
Dan was a great teacher. He taught me all about radio. He gave me books and articles to read. He pushed me to be a world-class On-Air Personality. He was cool and never wasted time telling me I had messed up if I did or if my aircheck was on point. He was my teacher & my friend. And we quarrelled! One time, we didn’t speak for months, but we were co-hosting the most popular radio show in Nigeria! 
. We would banter on-air, and once the mics went off, we would ignore each other till it was time to go on again .
I was the only youth corp member allowed on-air at CoolFM. The same thing at NTA, I was the only one allowed to cover stories. I ended up covering multiple stories for nationwide news & Newsline. After my NYSC year, I knew radio was the best option for me. I was soon given a weekend show – Saturdays & Sundays 12 pm to 6 pm.
My first radio interview was with D’banj. This was when “Tongolo” was really hot! I was so nervous, and it showed. I had a massive headache once we were done. I got to interview so many people there, from Frank Nweke Junior to Mode 9, Cobhams, Dakore Egbuson, Brick & Lace, Sisqo, Brian McKnight, Djimon Hounsou etc. My senior colleagues were Freeze, Olisa Adibua, Lakeside & others! It was a dream come true! I was a fan of this station who used to call in to request songs & win prizes & then I got to work there? Mind-Blowing!!! 
I decided to get my masters in Media & Communication in 2008. Actually, that’s a lie! My father (again) found a way to convince (command) me to get this degree. The classes were in the afternoon & clashed with my new schedule. I spoke with management about it & they let me leave work early to attend classes. Dotun was working in the production studio then & he would take over the remaining 2 hours of my show – ensuring that it ran smoothly.
By the end of the degree programme, I was unsure if I wanted to go the corporate route. I was still pondering it when I heard that a new hot radio station would be opening soon. I decided that I would give it a shot. Guess what? I was hired as Program Director! I was ecstatic! 
I gave CoolFM three months notice & they accepted my resignation.
By August 2009, I resumed at The Beat and was surprised to see Olisa there. I knew that the PD job was gone, but I didn’t care. I was excited about this new station coming to shake things up. I met Deji Awokoya, the GM, and he enthusiastically explained how it would be different. The sound, the OAP’s, the use of social media etc. It was so exciting and disruptive. I loved it.
On my first day on the air there, I met Toolz and Oreka. They quickly let me know that they were not happy I was joining. Here’s why – their friend Jason was on The Drive Time Show. I was coming to take his spot. Apparently, he and management had their differences.
One of them (I’m pretty sure it was Toolz) said, “Everyone is saying you’re the bitch that took Jason’s show.” This was said to me just as I was about to put on the mic for the first time to introduce myself. I was rattled. But I didn’t show it. I gave them a big smile and said something like, “That’s too bad. If he was meant to be here still, he would be here.” I put on the mic and did my aircheck without missing a beat! (Pun intended) 
Though there were many tense moments over the years, we got to know each other better & now they love me. The Beat99.9FM came with the heat! It was such a force! A new radio station with a new sound (that UK sound ), young & attractive OAP’s who were out and about! Twitter and Facebook were hot then, and we used Social Media to really seal our spot.
We had events; bar crawls etc. We were encouraged to go to every hot event & pose for pics on the red carpet. I dodged this at first, but the GM had a word with me, encouraging me to get out there.
That red carpet part sha – I hated it. I wasn’t a fashionista, and the bloggers and their vicious commenters pounced on me every time. I was just a simple babe who wanted to do her job and go home. All this socialite /laba laba work was new to me.
While I wasn’t killing it on the red carpet, I killed it on air every time. I lost count of all the awards I won, the articles written about my show, my work ethic etc.
Dan would call me from time to time. He still listened to me and would praise or critique me. By this time, he had moved to inspiration FM. It was an exciting time! The entertainment industry was starting to flourish. More & more artistes were releasing music, making money, getting international recognition and endorsements. Even I was getting endorsement deals – a first for an OAP!
In 2011, I walked into the office ready to start my show & the MD informed me that I was now the Program Director of Naija Fm & Deputy for The Beat. Naija Fm is a pidgin speaking sister station to Beatfm located in the same building. I was 27 and the youngest PD in the country – also one of few female PD’s. I was heading a team of roughly 20 people who were mostly in their 30’s, 40’s & 50’s.
It was tough. They were not used to any form of leadership & pretty much did their own thing. It was like building a skyscraper from nothing with a team that spoke different languages. The station went from one with no direction to a force in the pidgin format. Giving already established brands a run for their money. Winning awards, having successful events, increasing ratings and expanding listenership.
In 2017, after six years – I decided to step down from the PD position. I needed to free up my time for other ventures. The technology was changing; the music was changing, the role of the OAP was changing as well. We were becoming more visible, thanks to social media. We were no longer just the faceless voices on the radio.
We were now influencers. Not just influencing what songs become hits, but the audience started to pay attention to us. As the audience paid attention – the brands did as well!
I got to work with so many brands – network providers, alcohol brands, beauty brands, airlines, tech brands – all sorts. It was a learning experience. I got into experiential marketing through Speakerboxx Productions. I curated some much talked about events for American Honey, Skyy Vodka, HP, Intel, The Naked Convos (now TNC Africa) & so on. I facilitated endorsement deals for celebrities. A & R, music plugging – name it! I did it! If I wasn’t getting the bag, I advised who should get it.
This is not bragging. It shows how this “little radio job” gave me the platform to do so much more. In 2015, after years of research & selling everything from rechargeable fans to women’s shoes – I launched my own women’s shoe brand “Gbemisoke Shoes”. The support was massive! From press coverage to industry friends buying multiple cartons of shoes at once!
In 2016, one of my best friends, Wale Adetula, convinced me to get into acting. He wrote this web series loosely based on our group of friends, and he wanted to play one of the major roles. I was excited and scared. Season 1 of Our Best Friend’s Wedding (OBFW) was a success! We were on billboards, got lots of press, millions of views on YouTube.
Fear is something that has been part of my journey. The idea/opportunity comes my way – I get excited. Then scared, and most times, I’ll do it anyway. I started radio scared. I started Speakerboxx scared. I Mc’ed events & weddings scared. Launched Gbemisoke Shoes scared. I started acting – I was scared as well. Do. It. Afraid. If it works, yay! If it doesn’t? – we move!
I always had something going on. Apart from radio, I was either in school, starting a business, curating events, acting – always working! Radio gave me the opportunity to do so much, to try my hand at different things. I tried to start my own talk show. We shot a few episodes, but we stopped. It was too expensive for me. Was it discouraging? Yes! But I kept moving.
I got to meet and interview so many interesting people – from Goodluck Jonathan (live on national TV) to Kim Kardashian, Cardi B, Angela Simmons, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, ASAP Rocky etc. – the list is endless!
I have attended the World Cup in Brazil, The BET Awards in Los Angeles, The MAMA’s in South Africa etc. – I didn’t just cover these events. I made sure to make contacts with other media professionals across the globe. Networking is important!
With all this attention, there’s definitely a downside. People who don’t like you for whatever reason best known to them + blogs /tabloids who pounce on whatever you post or tweet and make it news – many times mischievously without context exposing you to harsh criticism.
One of the things I know I will forever be remembered for is my interviews. I was able to ask the big celebrities questions that others were too scared to ask. They answered these questions and would often reveal more! And they always came back! 
One of them said, “I know you’re doing your job, but I also trust you. You’re about your work and not trying to use me /my story to blow or clout chase. It’s like gisting with a friend. I don’t know you do it .”
I never got into this industry to be popular or be an “IT girl” 
. So being friends with celebs was never my goal. Many celebrities tried to get close to me, but I would always dodge. I never wanted to be so close that I could not do my job anymore. Everyone was treated fairly. If there’s a great story about you, I’ll talk about it. If there’s a negative story, I’ll also talk about it.
The thing about this industry is, if your goal is to be popular, it will show. Are people more knowledgeable about your work or you?
When your name is brought up by those who matter – will it be followed by the gist of everything BUT your work? The impact you’ve made?
In 2019, I started the year with the goal of resigning in December of that same year. So many unexpected things happened: a surprise pregnancy (and a difficult one too), a painful miscarriage and major fibroid surgery months after. It was a LOT! I wasn’t prepared. So I said maybe next year.
2020 smacked us all in the face with Covid 19. Such a scary year. I had no idea if I would even survive the year. And just like that, another surprise pregnancy! I was scared (as usual ) and determined to have this baby. So my focus was on survival & having a healthy baby & dodging the blogs! I did not want any blog in my business.
I am fiercely protective of my family and my private life. Many people didn’t even know I was getting married in 2018 until a certain blog thought it was fair to post my entire invitation card with address online for their millions of followers to see, thereby creating a security risk.
Please note that bloggers are not journalists. You can report the news/gossip but be responsible. They could have blurred out the venue – but did they care? No. All they wanted was eyes on their page. Do keep this in mind when you consume stories from their outlets.
Back to my story – Why did I want to leave this wonderful job full of opportunities & fame? An industry I had dominated and excelled at for so long. It’s simple – I have nothing to conquer here. I am probably one of the most influential OAPs in Nigeria. I have won practically every award possible; I’m on a first-name basis with influential people in government, entertainment, tech etc. and a phone call away from these people.
It’s time to do other things. And give attention to my businesses and other hustles.
I have had a great time, partied with rockstars, learned a whole lot & made some money. I have hosted radio shows, events, tv shows, organized events, created brands, worked on campaigns, acted, gotten a masters degree, signed endorsement deals, and travelled the world!
I want to see what else I can do! What other dragon can I slay?
The post How this ‘little radio job’ gave me platform to do so much more – By Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
