Ask Aux Cayes-born radio host Ed Lozama to describe himself in a sentence and his response is this: “I am a long time broadcaster who had the privilege to practice my craft in the United States and Haiti.” A rather short sentence for someone who has had such a long and distinguished career in the radio broadcasting field, but it’s certainly an accurate statement. The popular media personality career initially launched his career while he was still a teenager at Radio Lumière, a radio station in Haiti. He later worked for Voice of America, MBC and is now the host of “Ed Loz Live” on Radio One.
Humorist Jesler Mezidor begun following Lozama’s career in the late 1990s and for some time, they were even collaborators. “For many years,” Mezidor recalls, “Ed Lozama was the catalyst of radio communication in the Haitian community. The community loved his show, and listened to it religiously.”
Mezidor counted himself among the radio personality’s biggest fans. “The two-hour show was a cocktail of devotion, news, political debate, fun game, and music. He took the breath of the community away. There was absolutely no competition at the time. All businesses brought their ads to him, and those who could not whished they could. It wasn’t only the businesses. Any promoter who desired a great turn out for their cultural event, or gala were wise enough to have brought their audio spot to Ed’s show.”
M.I.A. Media Group founder Mia Lopez witnessed first-hand Lozama’s power on his listeners. “As a broadcaster,” she attests, “Ed brings wisdom, experience and the lost art of broadcasting to the airways. Many up-and-coming broadcasters talk behind a microphone to hear themselves speak, but Ed wants you to have an experience when you listen to him, that makes him feel like your best friend as a listener.”
Lopez says that it’s that quality that makes people connect with Lozama. “They trust him because they know he’s going to be open and honest with them, while joking with them and making them feel like that uncle who doesn’t hold his tongue and tells you the truth…[The uncle] you can’t get mad at because he’s family.”
While Lozama’s entire professional existence has been centered around radio, lately his philanthropy has been getting him as much acclaim. “It’s his work with the ManDodo Foundation that makes his eyes light up,” Lopez observes. “Seeing him give back to thousands of children in Aux Cayes and to bring doctors and nurses to far and away places in Haiti to receive medical help they would never receive otherwise is the most amazing thing. It has been a blessing to see the love in his eyes in keeping his mother’s legacy alive by giving back to Haiti and its children.”
Check out Part One of an interview with Mr. Lozama himself below…
Kreyolicious: How did you get interested in broadcasting?
My curiosity started at an early age. At seven-years-old, I opened my dad’s receiver trying to identify the people who were talking inside the radio. That curiosity didn’t stop as I grew. One late night as we camped in Gonaives, I heard a deep voice piercing the city’s darkness on a radio. I woke up that night looking for that voice. I finally found the studio where a lonesome gentleman grilling a cigarette and sipping on rum was caressing the microphone with his croning voice and sending pleasure to people who were in their beds. Right there and then, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
Kreyolicious: How did your parents feel when they saw you heading in that direction?
They weren’t too pleased—at first. As traditional parents, they were hoping I [would] choose one of the liberal lines of work like medicine or law. Then, I met Pastor David Hart, an American missionary who was the first [consummate] broadcaster I ever met. He knew the medium from the microphone to the antennae. He spent 40 minutes preaching the beautiful art of radio to me. I picked his brain and that conversation reinforced my decision to pursue a career in broadcasting.
Be sure to look for Part TWO. Meanwhile…
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