I nodded my head rhythmically to the beat as the matatu sped off the dirt road, leaving some pedestrians writhing and coughing to the trail of dust behind. Apart from using dingy “panya” routes in residential areas to escape traffic these “nganyas” (as the matatus were commonly known) were famous for playing latest dj mixes at an exhilarating volume and bass. This time they were playing some old school hits. I smiled as I rapped to every word, my head nodding to the galvanizing beats. Then it hit me. I was supposed to listen to the governor being interviewed on radio! How was I to do that, I wondered. Asking the driver to tune to the station would be suicide- half of the passengers were already nodding to the beat, some surreptitiously dancing in their chairs while others comparing to see who knew most words of the song. I had to dare. I thought. I stretched my arm to beckon the tout but the driver increased the bass.
“Weuwee! Hapo dere!” one of the passengers shouted at the top of his lungs. This was followed by cheers from several others. I withdrew my arm. It was pointless. No one was interested in listening to the interview.
As the matatu negotiated the highway I couldn’t help but wonder what lay ahead for the radio industry, especially with the digital epoch. No one seemed to listen to the radio anymore. Unlike the 80s and early 90s where one had to wait behind the speaker for news and their favourite song these days news is readily available online. The audience doesn’t have to suffer under the producer’s playlist anymore as they can download their choice music freely from online music sites. One can also listen to their favourite genre of music anytime without staying up late at night for the show that brings that kind of music. Audio mixes, which are readily available in our city streets at a fee as low as 50 Shillings, also pose a great threat. They challenge the formal radio playlist by comprising of latest hits laced with euphonious sound effects that make their audience shout remarks such as “rewind selekta” and “faya babe”. Radio music is therefore being considered by some as boring. Audio-visual music and mixes that can be found in city streets at 50 shillings or for free on TV during the fringe hour has lunged an audience from the radio’s speakers. The audience consider such a better bargain as they can now listen to music as well as see their regaling music videos.
A man who stood about 50 metres ahead of us waved at the driver to stop. The matatu, which must have been racing at over 120km/hr miraculously slowed down and slickly stopped in front of him. The man got in, a broad smile filling the better half of his face, probably happy that he had found a matatu at rush hour. He proceeded to sit next to me. A set of ear phones stretched from his earlobes to his phone which was grappled in his right arm. He smiled some more. He must be listening to some funky music, I thought. Or maybe to radio, I debated.
One feature that has really protracted the radio in this digital age is its mode of convergence. This has seen radios being integrated in phones, pens, torches and televisions making it the most disseminated media in Kenya thus giving it a wider audience than any other media. Its convergence to online radio has given it a global platform whereby anyone from any part of the world can listen to a live or recorded radio program online whenever they want to. Unlike television sets radios are very cheap and can be afforded by majority people in Kenya thus a wider audience. The fact that radio deals with sound also makes it the preferred media to persons who are visually impaired. According to statistics carried out by Synovate under the Kenya Audience Research Foundation (KARF) on a sample of 8504 individuals radio leads in overall media consumption. 93% of the sample had listened to a radio in the last seven days. Also, the average time spent listening to a radio is 6 hours in a day.
“This guy is not serious!” The man snarled and looked at me. I gazed at him vacuously. He pulled out one ear piece and stretched it to me. I took it and placed it in my ears. He was listening to the governor’s interview. I smiled. Radio is indeed alive! I thought to myself.
“Very fake man! Useless kabisa,” I retorted. The man nodded in agreement. I lay my head back on the seat, and smiled some more.
