Catherine Ndonye: Being on radio is a big responsibility

Fred Obachi Machoka. Elizabeth Omolo. Leonard Mambo Mbotela. Wanjiru Kanyago. John Obong’o Jnr. Jeff Mwangemi. Topisa Nabsoba. MDJ Eddie Fondo. James Onyango Joel. Larry Wambua.

These men and women of radio all have two things in common. The first is that they shaped an entire generation not just with their words — and voices to die for — but also with their music selection. When young people had no one to turn in days gone by, they could always rely on the radio presenter’s words of advice and encouragement and the news they brought to the world of their listeners when few families had television sets and fewer still could afford to buy a newspaper every day. The second is that they control one of the most powerful medium in the world.

“Radio is so powerful because it is trusted,” said Catherine Ndonye, the popular presenter of the Sundowner show on KBC radio.

Catherine (right), who has been a presenter and producer for close to 20 years now, says the power of radio derives from the fact that even the old and illiterate find their information and entertainment from the otherwise ubiquitous object that is not only found in practically every home in Kenya but also in nearly every mobile phone too. For many people without access to any other source of information, what the radio broadcasts is the truth. And when asked why they believe this to be so, they simply say “we heard it on the radio.”

As the world celebrated the men and women behind the voice on radio this week, Catherine told the Saturday Nation that she was one of those who were “literally brought up by the radio”. She developed a love for the radio as a small child because she found everyone in her family — from her parents to her elder brother — loving it.

Growing up in Machakos at a time when parents could not just discuss any subject with their children, Catherine learnt many of her life lessons, including on sexuality, health and careers, through “The Youth Variety Show” which aired every Saturday.

“I owe my youth and early 20 to that show,” she says with fond memories but with a lament that such enriching content is no longer served by the many radio stations that have sprang since FM radio technology was introduced in Kenya back in 1995.

Growing up, Catherine came to appreciate just how valued the radio was. Children were not allowed to play around with it. Her father kept it by his bedside. And when her brother, Mwalimu Ndonye, moved into his own home, he did the same.

Back in the day, radios were made of largely of a wood casing with metal knobs for tuning. Some had plastic parts. But what mattered most was neither the size nor the colour. It was the voice in the radio because it was the first thing one heard after waking up to the rhythm of a patriotic song at the crack of dawn. It was also the last thing one listened to when the national anthem signalled the closing of the station late at night.

“Radio is the voice of the people to the people,” says Catherine, whose Sundowner Facebook page has 90, 000 fans and which is one of the most beloved radio programmes by Kenyans in the Diaspora because it gives them fond memories of the home they left behind.

Because of her experiences, first as a listener and later as a presenter and producer, Catherine strongly believes that there is a closer bond between young people and their radio. Much more than they have with their parents.

“Radio moulds young people. The voice can make or break the youth,” she says. In her view, being a presenter is a responsibility. Young people are already attracted to the allure of the voice of the presenter, male or female. As a result, they are more likely to believe what that presenter says.

As a student at Mbooni Girls, Catherine used to cut out pieces of news items from newspapers after which she would read them to her friends, pretending to be a presenter. And on Sunday, she enjoyed doing the readings in church, taking care to get every word right because the nuns who ran the school were strict on enforcing the rules of language. Though they would punish others for getting a word wrong, they encouraged her and this grew her confidence.

One day in 1995, Catherine’s father died. On the day he was buried, she felt weak and decided to rest indoors. The radio, surprisingly was on. It was then she heard a call for interested presenters to apply. KBC was introducing FM radio and was looking for new talent after the airwaves were liberalised.

Of the 14,000 people who applied, only 13 were hired. Catherine was one of them. The only other person she remembers seeing in the queue was Eunia Amunga.

Over the years, she has notched many milestones but hosting  The Youth Variety Show with John Karani in 2000 was the highlight of her career. Today, however, she is better known for Sundowner, a music programme that is probably as old as KBC itself. And among the people she counts as her predecessors in the programme popular for its ballads are Nabsoba, Tabitha Mutemi, Elizabeth Omolo and Nzau Kalulu.

Her only lament is that modern music is of much lower quality compared to the golden oldies. Every time she hears the songs young people are listening to, she just wants to run back to the studio and play another Sundowner number.