Over 25 years in the game, over half of that in Nigeria, several interviews and impactful radio shows, Dan Foster is undoubtedly a radio legend in Nigeria. You just don’t have such longevity in the radio game anymore. But over the past few years, we’ve heard less and less of Dan Foster’s booming voice on radio. Where is he?
Born in Washington D.C, USA, Dan Foster’s Nigeria story began in 2000 when he moved to Nigeria to join Cool FM, following stints as US-based radio stations such as Mix 106.5. Over the nine years he spent at Cool FM Lagos, he grew to become one of the most popular voices on air winning the Nigeria Media Merit Awards for ‘Best Radio Personality’ three years in a row (2003, 2004, 2005).
“I had already talked to Chris Ubosi, who was my contact guy and he was like ‘yeah if you come to the V.I we’re going to hook you up with a beautiful flat, swimming pool upstairs, there’s tennis, there’s Chocolate Royale’. They did have all these things and they actually did make it comfortable for me to get creative at Cool FM, it was a first class act. Working at Cool FM, there were a variety of things for me to get creative with; some people get creative when they look at a blank page and they plot in their stuff in,” he told Osagie Alonge in a July 2014 interview.
In 2007, Foster was a judge on the one-off Idols West Africa series, alongside Dede Mabiaku and Ghana’s Abrewa Nana. He was also a judge on two seasons of “Nigeria’s Got Talent” alongside actor Kate Henshaw and comedian Yibo Koko, who now heads the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA).
In September 2009, Foster left Cool FM Lagos and joined the newly established Inspiration FM in Lagos owned by former Intercontinental Bank Chairman and RCCG pastor, Erastus Akingbola. Akingbola is currently on trial for fraud but Foster spent five years at the station as Head of Programmes (he also had a morning show) before he was reportedly forced to resign. This is where Foster’s story starts to get a little funky.
According to multiple media reports, Foster had been truant during his time at Inspiration FM, showing up late for his show and committing many other infractions. In one Encomium report, Dan Foster allegedly missed advert slots frequently and would be unapologetic when confronted about it. He was also earning 1.6 million Naira per month while at the station. All of this are reportedly the things that contributed to his exit from Inspiration FM in 2014.
After leaving Inspiration FM, Foster joined City 105.1 FM but only lasted two years before leaving again to join Classic FM 97.3 in 2016. By this time, the stardom Dan Foster enjoyed between 2003 and 2007 has pretty much withered away and he was no longer seen often in public. According to his LinkedIN Profile, he currently still works at Classic FM 97.3 and Lagos Talks 91.3, although he recently put out a tweet saying he is planning to launch his own radio station.
Dan Foster is married to Lovina Foster, a former banker, and they have two kids together. Foster also has another child from a previous relationship. Sometimes referred to as the “radio big brother,” Fosters contributions to Nigerian radio cannot be overlooked including the impact he has had on OAPs like Bella Rose and Yaw. We wish him all the best.
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by 208headlines