Reintroducing broadcast guru, Christine Mawadri…

CHRISTINE MAWADRI is a pioneer broadcaster and in many ways shaped the way FM radio in Uganda works. She worked at Sanyu FM, Capital Radio, Dembe FM and Zuku TV, among others, and is currently the head of Business Management at the popular NRG Radio.

Quick Talk met with Christine at the radio station’s swanky offices on Clement Hill road in Kampala.

Good morning, Madam Christine…

Good morning! You can call me Christine.

Thank you. Who exactly is Christine?

Ah…. my name is Christine Mawadri. I would like to call myself an innovator and a creative. My space has really been with the media for some time; I have had 29 years’ experience in the media industry [Christine is one of the pioneers of FM radio in Uganda and her voice was a darling to anyone who loved Capital Radio back in the day when she and Alex Ndawula ruled the airwaves.]

You have been off the scene for years now.

Where have you been? Ummm…I didn’t disappear from the media scene at all. I disappeared from active broadcasting. Because I was a broadcaster for about 20 years and then I went into other spaces, which is setting up radio stations, coaching, mentoring, designing radio stations apps and software development; so, that’s where I have been.

Your latest project, NRG radio is stirring up quite the storm! What do you do there?

So, at NRG [pronounced ‘energy’] radio, I am the head of Business Management, but I have been very pivotal in setting up this brand right from recruitment and all the processes to date.

Are you happy with the progress so far?

[NRG started just a couple of months ago] Absolutely! It’s very satisfying to know that the vision we had for such a brand in Uganda is very rapidly catching a lot of attention, especially from the target audience – that is the youth, especially between 18 and 25. So, we are really pleased.

Interestingly, even those who are older really love this brand. I think it’s because it’s a lifestyle brand and it also talks to people on different levels because our content output is about reality: what is really happening with the youth, how do they expressthemselves… 

What kind of programming sets NRG apart?

Originally, we started with only two shows, “You Can’t Believe It” that was on January 13 this year; basically, we have just been around eight months. So, we started with the NRG transit show, which is manned by Sheila Salta, DJ Vanz and then there is a whole time behind it that does the content. All these are young people that we trained. And then we went on to start the NRG circle show, by Etania, “The Life Of The Party”…

So, we started with the two shows and those really got us far, then we onboarded Sheila Gashumba, who does one show a week – “Total Access” on Friday with DJ Faisal; so, those are the first three shows we started with.

We run a campaign called the MVP search, which is the Most Valuable Person, because that’s how we like to look at our talent. So, basically, what we are looking for is on-air talent, content producers, and content creators and managers to fill in the other two slots; that is, the morning show and the midmorning show now run by Prim and two others.

We also have the AM show with Alicia, Crysto Panda and Aziza.

You seem to be targeting influencers…is that the strategy?

I don’t want to talk about our strategy so much. But it’s working and it’s making progress.

There are over 300 radio stations in Uganda. Isn’t this a flooded market you’re venturing into?

The difference about us is we are not what you call the traditional radio station. We have moved away from there and gone to see what the youth want and we have built this radio station around what they want, and that makes it different.

Interestingly, we showed up at a recent national research or survey without even knowing and we were already ahead of some renowned brands that I won’t mention, which have been around for 20 years. That says that we are doing something right!

Now Christine, please tell Quick Talk more about yourself….

Woah! What can I tell you? I have so much to tell you. You can ask me where you want me to start.

Are you married…?

No, I’m not married.

Do you have any children?

Yes, I have one son; he’s about 23 years now.

Nice! Would you say you’re a good mum?

Absolutely! My son is the best thing that has happened in this world. Hahahaa.

Which schools did you go to?

I went to Lake Victoria primary school, then on to Buganda Road primary school; I did the rest of my primary education there and that was a good school those days. Then I went to Mt St Mary’s College Namagunga for all the six years of secondary school. And then I joined Makerere University where I studied Industrial and Fine Art and I have an honors degree in it.

In an ideal world, if you were not a broadcaster, what would you be?

I can’t even call myself a broadcaster, because I am so many things and I don’t like to put myself in one box. So, in an ideal world, I would still be me which is a broadcaster, an artist, a software business developer. I love technology so much.

I love metaphysics. I probably would be an architect; that’s one thing I have really loved to be and I think there is a part of me that loves science.

Tell Quick Talk about your roots and parents.

I was born many years ago… I was born to the late Lt Col Chris Mawadri and Mrs Beatrice Kabahenda Mawadri. My mum is from Fort Portal [you don’t say!]

alinaitwejoanita@gmail.com