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This Months Issue
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Mixing it up
A reincarnation, Mai Mix hits the airwaves The radio station’s name may have changed, but its hosts are familiar voices that have now come back on air. Mai Mix, a reincarnation of the once popular but now defunct Z-FM Classic, went on air in December from Lautoka. The radio station is a marketing link-up between COMS Limited of Lautoka and the Mai brand, registered to Skylite Productions and ALSA Ltd the publishers of Mai Life magazine, and soon-to-be operators of Mai TV. Mai Mix is on the dial at 94FM in Lautoka, Nadi and Suva and 88.6FM in Ba and Tavua. Leading the reincarnated crew is Gwen McGoon, already a familiar voice to listeners and now station manager. She believes fans of Z-FM Classic will follow them to Mai Mix because much of the character the former station was loved for has simply been transplanted. Z-FM had a huge Western fan base, taking on the role of “Radio West”. “We’re synonymous with the people of the West,” says McGoon. “We don’t segregate the people of Suva but people in the West identify with us. “We want to retain the character (of the old station) but refine it as we go along.” COMS managing director Richard Lucas says keeping the crew is essential to keeping the character. “Our crew is already known to the radio audience in the country. They’ve been hard at work with our service providers to ensure we don’t lose the special way we presented ourselves to our followers,” says Lucas. “We also have some surprises in store early in the new year with the growth of Mai Life and Mai TV.” McGoon, who’s been in the radio industry for six years, says they try to encourage community participation in their shows as much as possible. “We kind of co-create as we go along - listeners tell us what they like and we do it.” Unlike any of the other major stations, Mai Mix is not based in the capital – giving Western listeners a connection with the station. Its studio and offices are in a converted house; announcers can look out the window and see the next door neighbours or people strolling by on the street outside. “I like being West-based. We’ve got that live-in-the-community feel. And we’re just normal people – we still walk to work and bring our roti and curry.” McGoon is complimented by well known radio personalities like Irshad Hussein who will host the Drive show, Luisa Turaga, Harry Hatch and Michael Faga. Tune in to Mai Mix at 94FM in Lautoka, Nadi and Suva, and 88.6FM in Ba and Tavua. Call 6668 900, fax ????? or text ???? for dedications. 
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