KREM Radio
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KREM FM is a Belize City radio station operating on signals 96.5, 91.1 and 101.1 FM since November 17, 1989. Its headquarters are located at 3304 Partridge Street in Belize City, also the home of the Amandala newspaper and Krem Television. It brands itself the "first private radio station in Belize" and is the oldest such station not counting the British Forces installation in Ladyville.
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[edit] History: Background
KREM Radio chairman and shareholder Evan X Hyde had briefly dabbled in radio broadcasting in the late 1970's at the country's only radio station at the time, Radio Belize. He hosted various sports programs such as local football and basketball games. After the 1977 City Council elections in which he ran dead last as a People's United Party candidate, Hyde complained in the Amandala that he had not wanted to enter the race anyway and believed he was being chiseled by the party's officials, elements in the party led by Minister C.L.B. Rogers, according to Hyde, conspired to take him off the air in 1978 at a football game in Orange Walk. Michael Hulse, a government employee whose responsibility it was to inform Hyde of his termination scornfully asked him, "You come to announce in Spanish or what?" referring to the fact that the game's announcers were going to be himself and the legendary Manfred Atkins.
[edit] Establishment
Hyde left, vowing never to return to the air without a radio license in hand. His attempts to get this license lasted through 10 years and two governments, but eventually KREM made it to the air. Its DJ's made use of dancehall and Belizean punta medleys in short two to three hour blocks, a sharp contrast to the educational half-hour programming then being favored by Radio Belize. Among the most popular DJ's playing on KREM in those days were J.C. Arzu and Dion Gentle aka "Presi-D" or the "President", Kenny Morgan, Evan "Mose" Hyde and partner Marshall Nunez, dubbed the "M&M Attack". In early 1991, KREM sponsored an entertainment awards show featuring the best performers of that day, dubbed "KREMEXCEL".
KREM also won acclaim for its primetime programming, most notably "Women's Roundtable" (lster "Women at Work"), "The Kremandala Show" (hosted by Evan X), attorney Dickie Bradley's call-in talk show on Wednesday nights, "Belize Musicians Past and Present" hosted by musician Tony Wright, "The M&M Attack on Saturday mornings, and sports telecasts featuring KREM-sponsored teams such as the Kremandala Raiders in basketball and Kremandala Lakers in football. While not all the hosts have survived to date, nearly all the shows have.
Balanced against KREM's successes was the privatization of Radio Belize in 1991, a move that forced the fledgling station to compete with a deep-pocketed former government entity. Soon Radio Belize branch Friends FM adopted the same format as KREM, emphasizing music over education, and KREM was facing financial ruin. A KREM broadcast tower was attacked in 1992 at Baldy Beacon in the Cayo District.
[edit] Trouble in Trenchtown:1995-2000
With the accession of the UDP to power in 1993, a conscious effort was made by UDP officials to stifle the expanding Kremandala empire, a signal of the enduring feud between the party and Hyde. UDP organs attacked KREM ad nauseam, and the ruling UDP handed out radio licenses left and right, including one that led to the formation of WAVE Radio in 1998 after the UDP left office. The floundering radio station was actually forced to shut down for a week in 1995 and was continually unable to pay its bills. But it never lost its sense of pioneerism.
Dickie Bradley was the mainstay of the KREM lineup. His call-in talk show afforded listeners the opportunity to voice their thoughts on important Belizean issues and was an irritant to the authorities. Bradley launched his political career from the program in 1998 but lost to incumbent representative Dean Barrow narrowly, then again by a larger margin in 2003.
1998 was a particularly troublesome year for Krem: first, their on-site tower on Partridge Street was vandalized and nearly torn down, then sitting Minister Hubert Elrington denied the station a license for a few months after their current one expired. KREM was seen as being too friendly with the then Opposition PUP, and Hyde scion Cordel was due to run against Elrington in a City division (he would win). Plus, sponsorship for semi-pro basketball had dried up because of the UDP's anti-Krem campaign and the dominance of the Raiders (four championships and one runner-up in six years), and the UDP-orchestrated 1998 Caricom Men's Basketball Tournament, which Belize won, as a slap to the face of semi-pro.
The PUP won elections in 1998, and things quickly settled down. But it did not take long for them to flare up again, when in 2000 KREM sought a television license which was objected to by broadcast leader Channel 5 on grounds of monopoly. KREM TV would set up shop in 2004.
[edit] KREM today
The radio pioneer continues to operate on a take-no-prisoners basis, quite willing to go to war with anyone to maintain its independence. It has one of the most consistent lineups in Belize broadcast history, led by one of the most dynamic staffs ever. The emphasis remains on entertainment and listener choice.
The station's nickname, the "Mighty Mandingo", comes from the tribe of the same name in West Africa, well known for their fierceness. It signifies KREM's tenacity in overcoming adversity.
[edit] Programs
[edit] Daytime (Mondays to Fridays)
- 6:30 AM-9:00 AM: Wake Up Belize Morning Vibes (featuring morning news); hosts: Evan "Mose" Hyde, Kalilah Enriquez.
- 9:00 AM-11:00 AM: (Mon-Weds., Fri.) Music by Request (host Desiree Cain), (Thurs.) Belizean Beat (host Tony Wright)
- 11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Punta Jam Session (host Lisa Kerr) (featuring afternoon news)
- 1:00 PM-3:00 PM: Love Jam Session (host E. Jay Hill)
- 3:00 PM-6:00 PM: Super Prime Time/Local Vocal (host DJ Orson Picart; evolves into Studiocam presented by BTL on Fridays)
- 6:30 PM: Evening News
[edit] Primetime and Overnight (M-F)
- Mondays: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM Women at Work (hosts Virginia Echols, Nzinga Barkley Waite, Ann Marie Williams); 9:00 PM-12:00 AM J.C. Arzu (overnight program is a repeat of Women at Work)
- Tuesdays: 7:30 PM-9:30 PM The Kremandala Show (host Evan X Hyde); 9:30-12:00 Anthony Grant (overnight program is a repeat of The Kremandala Show)
- Wednesdays: 7:30 PM-10:00 PM The Smokey Joe Show (featuring the Amandala columnist); 10:00-12:00 guest DJ (overnight program is a repeat of the Smokey Joe Show)
- Thursdays: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Belize Musicians Past and Present (hosts J.C. Arzu and Tony Wright); 10:00-12:00 guest DJ (overnight program is a repeat of Belize Musicians)
- Fridays: DJ's from 7:00 PM to 12 midnight and beyond (or basketball if it's in season)
[edit] Saturdays
- 6:00 AM-10:00 AM:The Saturday Morning Special with Tony Wright
- 10:00 AM-1:00 PM:The M&M Attack (host Mose Hyde)
- 1:00 PM-3:00 PM:Punta Jam Session weekend edition (guest DJ)
- 3:00 PM-7:00 PM:various DJ's (6:00 PM: "People Profiles" hosted by Kalilah Enriquez)
- 7:00 PM-12:00 AM and beyond: DJ's (or semi-pro football if in season)
- Newscasts as necessary
[edit] Sundays
- 6:30 AM-8:00 AM: Moments of Inspiration (gospel)
- 8:00 AM-10:30 AM: Jazz on a Sunday Morning (jazz and classical music program hosted by Frankie Rhys)
- 10:30 AM-12:00 PM:The Belizean Sports Show (sports program hosted by Nellie Trench)
- 1:00 PM-6:00 PM: DJ's (or semi-pro football if in season)
- 7:00 PM-12:00 AM: various DJ's
[edit] Personalities of KREM Radio
[edit] Hyde family
- Evan X Hyde- Creator and chief shareholder of KREM Radio
- Michael Hyde- station manager
- Evan "Mose" Hyde- former manager, DJ, morning show host
[edit] Daytime personalities
- Kalilah Enriquez- morning show co-host, "People Profiles" host
- Lisa Kerr- daytime and weekend host
- Desiree Cain- news anchor, daytime and weekend host
- Tony Wright- musician and activist, "Belizean Beat" and "Saturday Morning Special" host
- E. Jay Hill- sportscaster, afternoon host
- Orson Picart- DJ, early evening host
- J.C. Arzu- announcer and technician
- Anthony Grant- announcer and technician
- Steve Anthony- announcer and technician
