25 years ago, everything came to a Holt, courtesy of one Lynda Holt.
Capital in the Morning hosts Fareed Khimani and Davina Elle Leonard this week hosted Capital FM founder Lynda Holt.
A media maven and prolific name in Kenyan media industry, Holt made noble moves at a time when the media realm in the country, especially radio, was still in its infancy.
Deeming it ‘one of the highlights of my career and life,’ Holt hailed Capital one of her proudest achievements. What first started as a loan from a bank to get funding would later turn out to be Kenya’s most prolific radio station.
From Holt’s interview, here are 7 key takeaways as your best mix of music turns 25.
Capital FM’s Inception
Capital FM was launched on September 16, 1996 at Carnivore Grounds. “Kenyans came in droves, 20, 000 people to be exact. We were on to a good start, ” Holt proudly says.
Holt Winged it When Starting Capital
Armed with passion and seeing a niche that existed in Kenya, Holt knew she wanted to start a radio station that would be one of a kind. However, she had no prior information running a radio station. She admits she actually winged it. Good winging, that!
98.4 Capital FM the Heart of Nairobi
Holt chose the 98.4 frequency as she wanted it to be the proverbial ‘heart’ of Nairobi. At the same time, cognizant of the fact that the standard body temperature is 98.4, she knew she could not settle for any other frequency!
Rock, Foreign Music Sounds
Holt says she sought to introduce rock music to the airwaves, as only Lingala mostly played on the only other existent radio station before Capital was established. Having worked in the U.K and been part of a very dynamic music culture, she wanted to leverage her experience. “Typically, Kenyans are very receptive of new things. Soon as rock touched down, Kenyans warmly embraced it. Our rock nights at Carnivore were uber popular!”
Mega Media Careers
If you did not know this already, many renowned media practitioners in Kenya and the world over started out their careers at Capital FM. The station is hugely revered for being a mega career launching pad for media personalities, all of whom credit it for the same. Fareed Khimani, Eve D’ Souza, Caroline Mutoko, Jimmy Gathu, Zain Verjee, Jeff Koinange, Pinky Ghelani…the list is endless.
NIC Bank Comes to the Rescue!
While Holt wanted to birth a radio station so badly, she direly needed the money to bring that to fruition. “I had several partners but none of them wanted to invest money in the dream. As such, I had to make the rounds around banks in my quest to land a loan. I was turned down numerously, until NIC Bank came into the picture. The interest was ultra high, at 24%,” she reveals.
Capital FM’s Family Dynamic
The company has a long-lasting tradition-a family dynamic that has stood the test of time. “I wanted everybody to feel like they belonged to the company, because they did, “ says Holt.
A tad too modest about having been the brainchild of what turned out to be a media giant, Holt calls it ”one of the proudest achievements of my career and life” as she concludes.
Listen to the full Lynda Holt interview on Capital FM’s breakfast show HERE
