Broadcaster Ed Lozama has has a lengthy career that has earned him fans and admirers. Outside of radio, he’s a philanthropist and a community leader. Check out PART TWO of the interview him below. CLICK HERE if you missed PART ONE.

K. St. Fort: When you think of your career, who are the individuals would you say have been the most influential?

They are too many to name. I have to mention David Hart who taught me the beauty of the medium. Marie-Luce Pierre who gave me my first shot at the microphone. Jethro Julien—the professional who held my hand as a teenager. Those who exercised great influence on me include Bob Lemoine, Herby Widmaier, Jacques Jean-Baptiste, Jean Dominique, Emmanuel Blaise, Larry Lujack, Charles Osgood, Paul Harvey—just to name a few.

K. St. Fort: And your biggest teacher?

Funny, my biggest teacher [was someone whose] classes I never attended. Paul Harvey had that distinct way of delivering current news in a humorist fashion. With Paul, you never knew what to expect. Never missed one of his newscasts.

Above: With a musical guest at the Radio One studios.

K. St. Fort: How has the field changed since you started?

It has changed a lot. Nowadays, anyone has access to the microphone without a minimum [of] preparation. In my day, you had to go through an internship—or apprentice—and prove yourself before they would let you on the mic. People [have] become less interested in the academic side of broadcasting. Technically, things have totally changed. Gone are the record players, reel-to-reels, cassettes, cartridge players…even the CD players are on their way out. With modern technology, I am now able to broadcast a two-hour show with a playlist and other information right on my smart phone.

K. St. Fort: Some people pray to have more than 24 hours in a day. How do you make sure that you make productive use of your time?

At my age, I’ve slowed down a lot and 24 hours give me plenty of time to do what I have to do. I try to live a balanced life…making good use of my time—including time to relax.

K. St. Fort: What advice would you like to give someone who’d like to go into broadcasting?

Go to broadcasting school. Broadcasting is both science and an art. The artistic part is within you. You have your own style and way of delivering the goods. Training can help perfect the art. The scientific part can only be learned in school. Too many great speakers have no idea how their voice reach the audience. Take time to go to Boutilliers and visit a transmitter site. Learn how this station sounds so good compared to another.

K. St. Fort: Would you change anything about the way things have gone in your career?

I’ve been blessed and not sure if I would change anything. My experience in places like the Voice of America, Vision 2000, MBC—and now Radio One—are priceless.

K. St. Fort: What should we expect from you next?

[Laughter] Even I can’t answer that question. I’m always up for a challenge. We’ll see what comes up.​

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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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