Nigerian-based American radio presenter, Dan Foster died earlier today from COVID-19 complications. He was one of the voices that helped to build Nigeria radio the way we now know it.
In celebration of his life and works in the Nigerian broadcasting industry, we have outlined 20 things about him you probably didn’t know.
1. Daniel Foster popularly known as ‘Top Dawg’ or ‘The Big Dawg’ was born in Washington D.C.
2. He joined the Marines while he was in his teens after getting his girlfriend pregnant.
3. While he was in the Marines, he served in North Carolina, California, Florida, Philippines and Japan.
4. He grew his passion for the radio and broadcasting while he was serving in the Marines by setting up his own mini-station. He also started creating voice-overs with recording equipment he bought.
5. After he left the Marines, he attended Morgan State University where he studied broadcasting and drama. The Marines helped pay for his university education.
6. He had his first radio job when he was in university hosting a morning show on his University’s radio.
7. He told Netng in a 2014 interview that Cathy Hill had given him his first shot. He said he met her at the university radio and she ‘gave me a couple of hours before her show… she’d always come in and say ‘you have a talent for picking these unique songs and developing a good mood, hang in there Dan, you’re going to go places someday, I like what you do.’
8. Before moving to Nigeria, Dan Foster worked at a few radio stations in the United States including Virgin Island-based WTBN FM.
9. When Dan Foster received the offer for his job on Cool FM, he thought it was in the Virgin Islands and almost turned it down after he found out it was in Nigeria.
10. After Chris Ubosi, who was with Cool FM at the time, offered him a mouth-watering package, he decided to take the leap of faith and moved to Nigeria.
11. He says his show at Cool FM was a huge success because, ‘As an American, I don’t want to come here and ‘Americanize’ people. I am in Naija, I’ve got to relate with them’.
12.. He left Cool FM after nine years. He told Netng, ‘Nine years at Cool FM was a good run for me, and it was just the right time to leave because I didn’t want to overdo it’.
13. Dan Foster created different versions of the Praise Jam in three of the radio stations he worked at in Nigeria. He created the first-ever Cool FM Praise Jam in 2004. He also repeated it in Inspiration FM and as ‘Praise in the City’ on City FM.
14. He met his wife, Lovina Foster (nee Okpara) in 2008 at Silverbird Galleria and they got married one year after. ‘For me, talking to her on the phone was like talking on the radio. And while we talked, I kept saying this could be the mother of my kids, she’s intelligent’, he said in an interview with Netng.
15. He has two children with Lovina Foster, a boy and a girl.
16. Before he met Lovina, he was married to someone else and had a son – Joshua with her. His move to Nigeria put a strain on their relationship until they broke up.
17. He was a judge on two talent shows – ‘West African Idol’ in 2007 and ‘Nigeria’s Got Talent’ from 2013 to 2015.
18. He had a brief stint in Nollywood appearing in ‘Face of a Liar’ in 2001.
19. He won the City People Awards for Media Person of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
20. Before his death, Dan Foster had dreams of setting up his own radio station.
Rest in peace Dan Foster, you will never be forgotten!
