For more than a decade, her shrill, confident voice pierced the ears of millions like a red hot knife cutting through butter. The solidity of her questions made her a foe and so too did her steel irk and irritate those she demanded answers from.
Dzifa Bampoh represented the best of radio news broadcast and attained an iconic status on account of her work.
Chief Executive of The Multimedia Group, the parent company of Joy FM, Mr. Kwasi Twum spoke with precision when he described Dzifa as ‘a strong character in a small body.’
He was speaking at a painful send-off gathering for the radio goddess in Accra.
After 12 years at JOY News and 20 years in radio, the fearless, lone female voice on English Language radio bowed out last week, proverbially at a time when the applause is loudest.
Even those working with Dzifa had no inkling this was going to happen. With Dzifa’s level of passion and love for radio, it was almost easy to believe that you cannot have a life without radio.
But she had other ideas and the news broke, the natural response was one of denial. But her mind was made and moving on she was.
In appreciation of loyalty and dedication, the company held an emotional send-off party for her at the week. In fact I expected her to shed a tear, but she hugged and laughed with bravely-withheld emotion.
She may have done all the crying at home and even in the car on her way to Imperial Perkin where the send-off was held and she had husband, father, and sister, Fafa on hand to give her emotional stability as bid obviously the bitterest farewell to her first love, radio, and ‘first’ family, colleagues at Joy FM.
All who matter at the Multimedia Group were present – CEO, Kwasi Twum, COO Ekyi Quarm, MD, Television, Santokh Singh, CFO, Prince Acheampong, Credit Control Officer Daniel Boyefio, Managing News Editor Elvis Kwashie (whom Israel Laryea teased took ill after Dzifa announced her exit), editors Evans Mensah, Araba Koomson, Fiifi Coomson, and the list goes on.
Every single person had an opportunity to write their fondest memories of Dzifa on a board provided at the entrance and express same to the pretty-faced, perfectionist, brave journalist bowing out after dedicating 20 long years of her not-very-long existence on earth to radio.
In her parting words, Dzifa admonished young journalists to bid their time and put in the hard work. She advised many otherwise illustrious careers have stunted because the motivation has not been rooted in principled steely determination but shifting sands of quick pecuniary benefits and fame.
She praised managers of the company for evolving that gives everyone a fair chance and a good shot at building a sterling career. Her own stellar iconoclastic performance is ample testimony. The resilience of The Multimedia Group, she said, was not a mistake but the result of a carefully nurtured culture that prioritises collective achievement of greatness rather than the celebration of individuals.
"I will miss a lot. I will all of you," she echoed the banner hanging delicately on the wall just above her reading, "We will miss you! Dzifa Bampoh."
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