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JOBURG - Johannesburg may be the City of Gold, but is the also the city of dreams and, furthermore, the place where budding radio DJs and managers come to start their careers.
From Boston Media House to City Varsity, a number of institutions in Johannesburg can give you the qualification to work in the entertainment industry, but only a managing director of HOT 91.9FM can detail the true challenges that are faced when starting your own radio station.
Johannesburg may be the City of Gold, but is the also the city of dreams and, furthermore, the place where budding radio DJs and managers come to start their careers.
Managing director of HOT 91.9FM, Lloyd Madurai explained that the most important part of starting a radio station was to identify the areas where other stations were lacking.
“The other radio stations were trying to be everything to everybody, so we found a gap in the market for a station that targeted the middle to upper LSM in Joburg North.”
The stylish Madurai went on to explain that even though he has more than 24 years of experience in the industry, the station started off with no money whatsoever.
First and foremost, the idea must be documented in a business plan and an open frequency must be found on air before the station is registered with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and this ensures that the stations broadcasts meet minimum requirements and follow policies that guide communication ethics in the country.
Starting a radio station means finding or buying equipment such as chairs, headsets, microphones, renting a space, sound proofing the station and undertaking a number of other costly tasks.
The quality of the equipment that is purchased for this cause needs to be of a certain standard in order to ensure the best quality of sound that is sent out to the listeners.
“We started the station with old equipment, but it’s not the equipment that makes the station,” he said.
The most challenging part of starting the station, he explained, was acquiring advertisers on the station because the station does not have a great number of listeners.
It is important to find DJs that are relatable to the public in order to gain listeners.
Good DJs, great management, perseverance and persistence are the factors that make for a successful radio station.
Details: www.icasa.org.za
