{"id":380097,"date":"2017-12-05T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-12-05T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=380097"},"modified":"2017-12-05T07:15:34","modified_gmt":"2017-12-05T07:15:34","slug":"fentuo-writes-how-christopher-opoku-brought-out-the-commentator-in-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/fentuo-writes-how-christopher-opoku-brought-out-the-commentator-in-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Fentuo writes: How Christopher Opoku brought out the commentator in me"},"content":{"rendered":"
The late Christopher \u201cColumbus\u201d Opoku represented many things to many people: a religious man, a\u00a0 hardworking professional, an incorruptible journalist and an impeccable broadcaster. But for me, he will always remain the man that first gave me the confidence to become a commentator.<\/p>\n
I looked up to two people as a young journalist \u2013 Christopher Opoku and Yaw Ampofo Ankrah. My love for the two was cemented during their perceptive coverage of Ghana\u2019s first ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2006.<\/p>\n
I was a first-year student at the University of Ghana and had the privilege of listening to Chris on Asempa FM every morning when he took charge of their sports morning show. I could barely speak a word of Twi back then but still tuned in every morning because of Chris. It was almost as if he knew I was listening and for my sake, would sneak in more than a few lines of his impeccably carved English.<\/p>\n
I could go on and on about how many more times I\u2019d gone on to watch Chris on TV or listen to him on the radio. But that would take months to finish.<\/p>\n
After I graduated from school and moved to Kumasi for my year of national service, I was also racking up internship hours at Kapital Radio\u2019s sports department; working and learning from Listowell Yesu Bukarson, Nathaniel Abankwah (Natty Bongo) and Benjamin Yamoah.<\/p>\n
While I got better at sports news writing and broadcasting, I never quite learned how to commentate. I consistently turned down opportunities to do commentary with flimsy excuses. I was afraid of performing so abysmally, I\u2019d disappoint my bosses. I could speak fluent English; I just couldn\u2019t figure out how to string words together to spontaneously describe the ongoing action.<\/p>\n
It was a painfully harrowing experience. It was a fear I could never overcome up until I quit Kapital to focus on the teaching job I was offered after my national service.<\/p>\n
Between 2011 and late 2013, I was out of the media. And in November 2013, I got an offer from Ultimate FM for a part-time job as a sports broadcaster. Most mornings, I would listen via TuneIn radio to Chris and his Power FM crew as they doled out some of the best sports discussions Ghana has ever seen.<\/p>\n
Ultimate FM only ran short bulletins. There was no commentary show which meant my commentary weakness would not be exposed. I was partly relieved because my bosses were under the assumption that I was by default, a fantastic commentator. But deep down, I was insecure.<\/p>\n