By Osagie Alonge
Dan Foster has spent the last 14 years of his life speaking to Nigerians through the radio, creating not just a cult following but a strong bond.
The American radio personality who has long become a household name has also had his fair share of ups and downs but seems to still be standing.
In this tell-all interview with NET, Dan details his journey into broadcasting and media, understanding and working with Nigerians, how he met his wife, why he left radio stations Cool FM and Inspiration FM and what he plans to achieve with City FM.
You recently left Inspiration FM. That got you some kind of buzz with fans asking why…
Well it was time to move on because I was setting up some stuff, so I decided to resign. I turned in my resignation on June 1 and because of my contract I wanted to be out so I could start something I had wanted to set up for sometime now and to do one or two businesses elsewhere.
I felt stagnant and I had other business opportunities that were knocking on my door. Inspiration FM is a station I love, of course. I set that station up. With the Inspiration family format they pulled me from Cool FM, and as much as Cool FM treated me so well, it was the idea of setting up a family radio station that got me thrilled. I really heard God telling me it was time to move.
Then again for me, it’s all about the Sunday praise jam. The Sunday praise jam show is a show that I really launched and created when I was at Cool FM, and with the Inspiration family it became bigger. In 2003, I did the praise jam concert.
You were being paid about N1,000,000 a month at Inspiration. Is that true?
Yeah, N1.6 million altogether; and it was ok because I was doing some other duties, it wasn’t just being an On Air Personality. There was [also] programming. You know in radio that’s what you have to do, you have to do more than one job or the radio station will just go broke and crazy. You have to have more than one duty, even as an OAP, I was doing some marketing, business development and I was also in charge of events, and all that brings in money to the station.
So it was a good relationship, and it was a good concept development. I helped develop some great programs that we created to make it seem like it’s close to people and make the station become more relevant, that was my goal at Inspiration FM.
At a point in your career, you had a split personality. At Cool FM, during the weekdays you were the ‘Top dawg’ but on Sundays, you’d morph into a more religious person. How did you handle it?
I was a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I was a good communicator and I worked at companies where I could communicate. I did customer service at AT&T, there was ACI, where you’d reach out to people to solve problems over the phone. For me it was training me to get ready for radio. Radio has always been my passion anyways, it’s just something I’m geeky and crazy about.
What made you study broadcasting and media?
It was just something I wanted to do. As soon as I got out of the Marine Corps, I went for it. It was easy to go to school because the Marine Corps would pay your tuition.
How was the Marine Corps?
It was crazy; the karate there was excellent.
Why did you choose to enrol?
Basically, I got my girlfriend pregnant and told my dad I wanted to marry her but my father was like ‘you ain’t got a job’, and I said, ‘well, you were in the Air Force and you got married when you were 14 years old’ and my father said, ‘but that was 30 years ago’, and I was like; ‘I’m going to the service’ and I went and joined the Marine Corps.
Where did you serve?
North Carolina, California, Florida, Japan. I was part of a float; it’s when Marines are on a boat and we go where anything might happen in the world, you’ll be the first to go in a combat, you want to float for seven months, that means you’re on a stand by for any disaster in the world.
So you got out of the Marine Corp and just thought to yourself ‘ broadcasting and media’?
When I was in the Marine Corp they had some radio equipment, we could play around with it. I was hanging out at a couple of clubs in the Philippines and as young Marines, we would get around the microphones and hype the place.
I bought so much stereo equipment when I was in the Marine Corps that I even got into trouble during locker inspection; they saw radio stations in my locker and they are like ‘What! Where did you get all this equipment from?’. Everybody at night would be dancing to the music from my wall locker; we’d be having a party.
During my service, I started doing mock commercials; I would read adverts on magazines and put some music behind it. I did it so well that guys wouldn’t believe that was my voice. They’d be like ‘stop lying that’s not you’ and I’d say ‘yeah that’s me’. They would say ‘you sound like a white guy that’s not really you Dan’, and that’s when I knew something was special. That’s how I realized that if I got out, I would have to attend an institute of broadcasting.
So I attended the University for my degree and they had a radio station. This is where I met Cathy Hill, who has overseen 200 hundred radio stations including Radio One in the US. What she did at our university was turn WHUR [the university station] into a major radio station. She’s one of the top 50 rich famous black women in America, so I have a lot of respect for her, she turned a college radio station into a radio station that began competing with other radio stations. She was tough but I really enjoyed working with her in the studio, doing talk shows. Then, she gave me a couple of hours before her show so in the morning; I was hitting people with inspiration and unique songs and 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.’
So how many stations did you work at?
About eight different stations, I remember coming to Inspiration and the chairman asking me ‘why are there so many radio stations here, it’s that bad?’. (Laughs) You need to have that on your résumé as a radio presenter. You want to have a variety of radio stations on your C.V to show you have experience. It’s not good just to have one radio station on there because it doesn’t show you have the required experience.
In 2000 you came to Nigeria. How did you get the job at Cool FM?
There was a website where you could post three minutes of your best radio stuff. It was called radiochecktape.com. Radio stations could go there to listen to you. It cost about $20. This was way back in 1999. I got hits from all over the world, then they would comment ‘great vibes, great voice, come with us, we’ll offer you $25000 a year, $20,000 a year.’ Some would even give me their number and I’d think ‘I’m already making $30,000 a year right now at the customer service agency where I’m working at, so who’s going to make me a better offer’? I finally got a job in the Virgin Islands.
How much were you getting paid around then?
When I was in the Virgin Islands, it was free accommodations, free car, free everything and when I got paid it was almost $2000 a month plus some extra benefits. So one day, someone from V.I called me and offered me a job after listening to my air-check. I was excited, thinking it was the Virgin Islands, only to find out it was Victoria Island in Nigeria!
What was your perception about Nigeria before you moved here?
It was negative; I wasn’t going to come because there was an advisory saying Americans shouldn’t travel to Nigeria.
What was the advisory about?
They said there were some negative things going on in Nigeria. I don’t know what was negative about it, but [they said] it was not safe for Americans. I had already talked to Chris Ubosi, who was my contact guy and he was like ‘yeah if you come to the V.I we’re going to hook you up with a beautiful flat, swimming pool upstairs, there’s tennis, there’s Chocolate Royale’. They did have all these things and they actually did make it confortable for me to get creative at Cool FM, it was a first class act. Working at Cool FM, there was a variety of things for me to get creative with; some people get creative when they look at a blank page and they plot in their stuff in, me I need a lot of things around me so I could actually get creative, that’s why when I got there I took the chance to step out on faith for real.
How was the experience touching Nigeria for the first time?
First at the airport it was a trip, getting our luggage. It was so hot. This was late 1999. I was hot and sweaty. I saw a dead body at Oshodi. I remember at Oshodi, I had never seen so many black people in my life! I kept saying I hope the radio station is not over here, with all the traffic jams and the dead body on the road. People were just walking by like it was normal. When I got to the Island, pulled into Cool FM, things started to look a lot more civilized. Looking at the city coming from third mainland, I’ll never forget it was just a beautiful view.
You immediately grew a huge follower base when you started work at Cool FM. What was the strategy behind it?
They sent me tapes of what the show was like and the people that were on the air, Before me there was Mark Sylva; he was the cool white guy who called himself the 007. I heard some of his check tapes and [I thought he had] got good pipes but he was talking about things that he was missing at home, back in Alabama. It was emotional and really cute. but [he wasn’t] relating to Nigerians, and me being a brother, I couldn’t wait to strive to relate with them. My strategy was good radio is local radio; this was one of the many things I thought about Wazobia FM. I told Yaw back then ‘you’re going to be number one pretty soon, people are going to catch up because you are speaking their language in this local radio, so do your thing in pidgin you’re going to win them over’. As an American, I don’t want to come here and ‘Americanize’ people. I am in Naija, I’ve got to relate with them ‘hey what does ikebe means, hey na wa o’. I became a lesson for Nigerians to help with what I wanted to learn.
You spent nine years in Cool FM, would you consider that the best nine years of your life?
Yeah! 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.
Did you have to renew your contract every year?
I was renewing every three years, and we’d negotiate. Cool FM only renewed once and I just stayed there.
You set off the Cool FM praise jam every Sunday; we got to see another side of Dan Foster. How were you able to have that split personality?
Well, by being real. It’s God and there was a message. The program needed to change on Sunday. It all started when I went to Church. The visiting Pastor recognized me. I met him back in the US. He was like ‘you’re the one that did those talk shows in the morning? Those songs you used to play you’re not doing that anymore? You’re not blessing people, what are you? You mean you’re just the ‘big dawg’ from Monday to Friday? Haba God forbid, you can reach more people than I actually can. Don’t you hear God’s voice speaking? Man, you better do that Sunday show’, and I was like ‘Yes, sir.’
And some pastor used to tell me, ‘you want to impress God? Reach out to people who don’t know Christ and people love you there because you’re already ministering to the people’.
Where did you meet your wife, Lovina?
In the theatre, at the Silverbird Galleria, about six years ago (2008), at about 11.00am. We were the only ones who came early on a Saturday morning to watch a movie. She was taking some kids to the theatre then she went to see her own movie and I was at the movies too. I was single at the time.
You were formerly married and you have a son called Joshua…
Yes, back in the States, but I came first to Nigeria and then they came and they didn’t like it and she took my son back. That’s the only thing that hurts me; I wish my son could see what I’ve done, cause she took a little boy back home instead of letting the boy see what his father does and all the inspiration that I’ve been giving. It’s painful, but I was glad that she found another man because I had choices of her being here and I told her ‘honey I know we’re going to break up but I have to do this, it’s a job thing’.
Do you still communicate with your son?
Oh definitely, he’s coming.
How old is he now?
He’s 14.
And back to how you got hitched with your current wife…
I loved her stature and how she spoke when she was dealing with the kids. She was so beautiful, that when she entered the theatre she looked at me but didn’t recognise me. She didn’t know who I was and to me that was great. She was sitting at the back and I was in front. I remember I said ‘I can’t believe we are the only ones in this theatre, and then she said ‘Who are you?’ And then I said my name is Dan. We ended up sitting next to each other watching the movie together.
And you got married…
And we got married a year later. You don’t know how many times I was close to getting married, I really wanted to, but it was time and I found the right one and [with] Lovina, it was special. 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.
You have three kids now, how does it feel being a dad, living in Nigeria, married to a Nigerian woman. How do you relate with her family?
It’s beautiful, her father gives me so much respect, he’s such a cool guy, relating with them is great. I’m a family guy now, there are things you need to do to make sure they are ok, it’s about leaving a legacy behind, and now I have three legacies. I didn’t see the school fees coming though (Laughs). Now I’m so attached to them, I feel bad when I’m not with them. I’ve taught them how to swim, [because] back in the Marine Corps, I gave swimming classes so they are really good swimmers.
A year after getting married, you joined Inspiration FM. You were with them for over four and a half years. What was the difference between Cool FM and inspiration FM?
The first experience was a growing procedure; the praise jam thing was like God working through me. I began to touch lives. God uses us all as a tool to bless lives, to be able to lift up one another, and now that I’ve got a family; I have to leave them a legacy. The key is when you live by serving and taking care of others; God will take care of you, and that is so true. I can remember my pastor telling me that I can reach more people than anyone in his Church; I got a lot of encouragement.
As of February last year, there was a mass exodus at Inspiration FM, and a number of OAP’s left; a lot of people complained about the management and the operation of the company. Did you have any issues with them while you were there?
I’m part of the management so I was well aware of operations. There were some management issues. How do you do the job without so much interference from everyone? And sometimes we all react to information that might not be true and it just freaks the whole organization out. How solid can your organization be? Every organization has its own problems so it’s a matter of how you solve the problems creatively. Yes, they had some growing issues.
There was also an issue that you had with Kemistry back then.
As a young presenter, Kemistry had some issues, so we had to iron that out. I liked her; she was good, she was spunky. But when someone who’s good can’t make his or her job the number one thing on his or her priority list, it shows you don’t have commitment.
Your first judging show was the first West African Idol in 2007 with Dele and Abrewa Nana…
Yeah! That was the best reality TV show ever, a lot of people came out, there was Timi Dakolo, J’odie, Omawumi and all of them were good.
You are also one of the judges at Nigeria’s Got Talent, what was the experience like?
You get to see a variety of talent and you never know what you might see. It’s just a beautiful show for the whole family with a variety of talents.
Have you signed up for season three?
Oh, we are in the mix, Kate Henshaw, my boy Yibo Koko and me. We are going to have fun.
How does it feel working with Kate Henshaw?
She is fine, she is hilarious, I love her energy, and she is such an actress.
What else have you been up to lately?
There’s a little show that’s coming soon called ‘Let’s go Naija’. It’s a radio show I am producing that’s going to go out to like seven to eight radio stations through Nigeria. It’s a one-hour radio show that’ll blow people away.
Would you ever relocate back to the US?
Relocate, yes, but my business would be here. The US is a great place, of course, especially for the schools.
When last did you travel?
About three years ago. I want to set up these radio programs because I am making a transition, I am going to travel back again, my kids went back there two years ago to see my family and my family have been here, too, visiting us.
You are at City FM now. It’s a big move for the company, so what are your ideas?
I love the word City, it’s a branding and I love to be able to brand something new all over again, even to help them re-develop their brand solidly. There are so many things you could do with the city, ‘the city of Surulere, the city of Mushin, AJ city what’s up? We’re going national because of you in the city, we want to know what city you are repping because we are from City FM and we coming to take over your city, we want to be your official city radio station’. We want to do a family thing, bring in new presenters, introduce more shows, the city praise jam; praise in the city is going to happen because that’s that magic I’m trying to introduce, and we’ll lift up the city through the praise and watch the blessings come down.
Are you still going to work on your independent Internet radio?
Definitely, I’m working on a family radio; it’s still under construction, my dream is to have a family radio network on the internet so you have to look at the media as being able to spread what we are doing. It’s not all about other radio stations, right now it’s about the media and that is hitting them through the Internet.
But for now, it’s putting City FM on the map, where the name CITY is as big as the city.
