Jamester quits Luv FM

One of the most ideal radio presenters in Kumasi, James Kwasi Oberko a.k.a. The Jamester has quit his job at Luv FM to take up a more challenging position as a Programmes Manager at the new KFM in Kumasi.
K-FM, was hitherto known as Solid FM but the station has just been rebranded and revamped. The owners of the station officially announced the changes on Monday.
The multi-talented and innovative Jamester hosted the most listened to Private Party programme on Luv FM on Saturdays which saw a lot of “wind-ups” on radio. Other programmes he hosted were Oseikrom Top Ten (Chart show) and Gift of Songs (Request show).
He occasionally hosted the Drive Time programme and it was after hosting last Thursday’s Drive Time that he presented his resignation letter to his employers.
The Jamester has been trumpeted as the saviour of Luv FM’s weekends as such his departure had left a big vacuum at the station sending the manager’s on a hunt for a replacement.
Confirming his departure, he told Graphic Showbiz that he left to take up a more challenging duty at the new radio station.
“I feel I have paid my dues to Luv FM and it is time for me to move on. It is absolutely not about money. I would be finishing my masters’ programme in the next three months and I cannot continue to corner myself only as a radio presenter”, he said.
He explained that he may not want to be doing the same thing for God knows when.
“Five years four months of working experience at Luv FM is enough for me and I believe I should move ahead of that”.
He said he had been confronted with a lot of offers as he tried to search for what to do to move forward until he settled on KFM, where he felt he had the opportunity to create a role and to say that the radio station was doing something different from what everybody else was doing.
He said the owner of KFM Mr James Kwasi Oppong a.k.a. Jakwapo had been on him for several years offering him the position of General Manager but he turned down the offer because he felt that position came with too much responsibility where he lacked experience.
“I decided to come on board now after the owner agreed for me to work with a team player whom I believe has enough experience as a manager. So as he handles the managerial aspect, I would also handle the programmes aspect”, he told Showbiz.
He said he was pleased to be spending time with the new KFM in his new position.
He would also present the programme, Highway Drive from 4-7pm each weekday.
James Kwasi Oberko was able carve a niche for himself in radio circles especially with his private party programme on Saturday’s from 6pm to 10pm.
The programme, an all in one entertainment show with segments such as the “Wind-up”, where he calls unsuspecting individuals and wind them up based on information received really caught on well with listeners. The segment also helped to create education and fun. In that same programme listeners join the show to “holla” their colleagues.
Another segment of the show which also really caught on well with listeners was the introduction of the two kids, Mumee and Kwaku Boga, two youngsters of ages five who occasionally joined the host to wind up listeners and to display their knowledge of issues as youngsters on air.
The show was quite invigorating and showed Jamester’s dexterity and innovation as a presenter. He played according to pace and era, and injected some satirical humour which went down well with both the young and middle aged audience it attracted.
Other programmes he hosted were Gift of Songs which offered listeners the opportunity to reach out to friends and loved ones by requesting a choice of song for them via phone on air. The programme aired on Saturdays between 2-4pm with a midweek edition which also run on Wednesdays between 4-5pm.
He also hosted the Slam Jam which was a one and a half hour of slam jamming where he displayed his mixing dexterity on Saturdays.
The Oseikrom Top Ten Show which he also hosted was a Chart Show which counts down the best 10 Ghanaian songs in the Ashanti Region on Sunday from 12-3pm. He played the unreleased and brand new songs as well as conduct interviews.
James Kwasi Oberko was born on January 7, 1979 in Accra. He attended St. Mary’s Seminary Secondary School in Lolobi, Hohoe in the Volta Region of Ghana.
In 2000, he enrolled at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he read Bsc. Agriculture. Having specialised in Animal Science he was awarded with a Second Class (Upper Division) in 2004.
Thankful to education and believing that, it is the root of his success, he went back to KNUST to read MSc Development Policy and Planning (DEPP) and would be finishing school in three months time.
Jamester’s radio career began at the now defunct Continental 96.1fm at the Unity Hall of the KNUST in October 2000. He began by reading news and later rose to be the presenter of Conti-City Show, Multi-Track Show and the News Analysis Show. His diligence and performance were enough reasons for the Hall authorities to recognise him in several ways.
In 2001, he was appointed as one of the youngest Programme Managers of the station. This brought about a total revolution of programming on the station. Having worked diligently as a presenter and a Programmes Manager he became the obvious choice for the position of the Studio Manager in late 2002.
Being a person who embraces challenges, he opted to run for the position of KNUST SRC’s Public Relations Officer with just with the aim to establish the now FOCUS 94.3FM, which he was able to establish after winning the elections.
Following his zeal to become a presenter of his kind, he applied and was appointed as a presenter at Luv FM in October, 2003. As a multi-talented and innovative presenter he hosted top of the market programmes like The Private Party (entertainment), Oseikrom Top Ten (Chart show) and Gift of Songs(Request show).