FM 101 power founder Oscar Thomson lined up for UMP Lifetime award

Privately owned FM 101 Power radio station founder and managing director Oscar Thomson will be receiving the UMP Lifetime Achievement Award this year, organizers have confirmed.

‘’The Lifetime Achievement Award comes as a part of the annual UMP Awards and is presented to individuals who have enormously contributed to the growth of Malawi urban music and youth talent development.’’

‘’ For 18 years, Thomson and his FM 101 have been instrumental in the promotion of Malawian music, one of the components the UMP Festival celebrates, and it has pleased the UMP Executive to recognize such immense impact.’’ a press statement that Malawi24 has in possession from organizers Nde’feyo Entertainment reads in part.

According to Ndefeyo, has not been passionate about music but has also made strides towards the development of urban music in Malawi.

Last year, the same award to Mafunyeta and Criminal A.

SWIFT BACKGROUND OF THOMSON

While in the UK, Thomson applied for a radio licence but it was not successful. While he was waiting on the UK radio license, he heard that Malawi had opened for radio licences and he decided to come back to apply for a radio license in the country where he started running FM 101 in 1998. Power 101 proceeded to have a program dedicated to the youthful artists. Then eventually the radio station had three radio programmes dedicated to the youth.

Thomson says the youth and music really inspire him and this is what really pushed him to open the radio station, Power 101. He felt that the youth of Malawi had nothing in terms of radio entertainment. He also felt that there was need to give the youthful artists in Malawi a radio platform for their music and since then FM 101 has dedicated most of its programming to Malawian music.

UMP Festival which was found in 2009, sees its fifth edition from next month.

Various events will be held from 4 to 6 November 2016 in Blantyre at various venues but the award ceremony will be conducted during the main event on Sunday afternoon 6 November 2016.