Media personality Nikki Z will be making her return to Jamaican radio on SunCity FM, which will start airing by mid-December.

It is expected that Nikki Z, who is currently in the United States (US), will start doing her show from there before making her return to local soil.

"As it is, her show will be done from New York but her intention is to come back to Jamaica and be the face for the thing," said Steven Alexander, CEO of SunCity Fm.

Nikki Z said she will start off on the station with her show World Caribbean Countdown that is currently aired in the US and Caribbean. She said it is pre-recorded so it can be aired on the station at any time. She said they are also working on doing some live broadcasts from there.

As for when she will move back to Jamaica, she is unsure.

"That is something that is inevitable but it's just a matter of timing. It is something that definitely means a lot to me. In Jamaica, it (radio) was meaningful and fun but over here it's more fun," Nikki Z told THE STAR.

"If everything works out that will be a fabulous thing but that's not gonna happen in the next couple months. One thing I can tell you is that I miss Jamaica. But I have responsibilities over here, so I can't just pick up and move quickly."

Alexander said Nikki Z was not the only known name that will be on the station. Other disc jocks, he said, will also be coming onboard but could not be named yet.

"All of the DJs are known and some of them are working on other stations as we speak," he told THE STAR.

The new radio station, which is registered by the non-governmental organisation, Mothers In Crisis, will be aired on the 104.9 band. It will operate out of Portmore Pines Plaza.

rebuilding of Jamaica

"It was really built for the rebuilding of Jamaica and it is going to be disseminating positive music and positive talk programmes that will be able to educate, entertain and promote positive culture. The target audience is 13 to 35 years old," Alexander said, while noting that 10 per cent of all the station earns will be going back to charity.

Alexander explained that test transmissions will start today and last for a week. Actual airing is expected to begin by the third week in December.

While the aim is to reach the entire island, he said it will only be aired in Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine.

"It is our intention within the next three to five years to go island wide. But we will also be broadcasting on the Internet because we want to tap into the diaspora market. Although the station is regional, our reach is global," Alexander told THE STAR, noting that many young people will be working at the station.

"It's still work in progress. As it grows and expands there might be a need for additional staff or even a change in location."

Currently, there are 15 persons on staff. In addition, there is a studio for broadcasting, one for production and another for pre-production.