Radio Africa Group is a media entity based in Nairobi Kenya focusing on print media, digital communication and broadcasting. The company operates six national radio stations, a blog, one daily newspaper and one TV Channel. Most people have always wondered who the man behind the success of this media company is.
Worry no more because in this article, WoK brings you all you need to know about Patrick Quarcoo – the founder and owner of Radio Africa Group.
Patrick Quarcoo Background
Patrick Quarcoo famously known as PQ was born into a humble family in Cape Coast, Ghana. He attended the University of Ghana where he graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in Administration, Marketing/Marketing Management. He later proceeded to Manchester Business School in the United Kingdom where he pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in International Marketing, Corporate strategy and Corporate Finance in 1986. In 2017, he attended a 10 months Senior Executive Program at the prestigious Harvard University.
Career Journey
Although he didn’t study anything related to media, PQ had a great zeal and passion for journalism. After completing his Masters education back in 1986, he began hustling in the media space as a young journalist. He managed to create six radio segments where he would report on what was happening and trending in Ghana. He later submitted the segments to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and luckily, three of the segments were taken by the London-based media house. The other three segments were taken by Voice of America (VOA) hence his breakthrough while still a young man. He worked for the international media companies for a while before relocating to Uganda as Reuters media correspondent.
Also Read: Maria Mbeneka Profile: The Laikipia First Lady Who Owns Ghetto Radio
Establishing Radio Africa Group
He worked in Uganda for quite some time before quitting the employment sector since he felt that needed to take another step and do something more exciting. He relocated from Uganda to Kenya in the late 90s and together with his British friend William Pike, who was an editor at Reuters, established Radio Africa Group in 2000. William Pike took up the position of Convergence Director of Radio Africa Group and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Star Newspaper which was launched in 2007. On the other hand, Patrick Quarcoo took up the position of the Chief Executive Officer of Radio Africa Group and steered the company into one of the best media entities in the country.
Radio Africa Group Subsidiaries.
Today, Radio Africa Group has grown to have a dominant media market share in Kenya and significant presence across the East African region. Some of the Radio stations owned by the company include KISS FM, Classic 105, Radio Jambo, East FM, Smooth FM, X FM, Relax FM, Jambo Turkana Gukena FM and Homeboyz radio. It operates two TV Stations – KISS TV and Bamba TV and runs a website entertainment blog under the brand name ‘Mpasho.’ The company also owns Capital FM and Beat FM in Uganda as well as media presence in Ghana. It is estimated that the company makes turnover profits of around Ksh 800 million thus valuing it in the billion category. Some Radio Africa Group stations like Classic 105 and Kiss FM have in the past been rated as the most popular radio stations in Nairobi.
