Radio Kaap se Punt

A few months ago, a whole new dimension was added to my life, when I was asked to join a community radio station as a freelance presenter.  I got the opportunity only because a friend who was being signed up to do a weekly show recommended me strongly, as she sincerely believed it would be something  I’d be good at and that I’d enjoy. She was right! I love it!

The highlight of my time on radio so far was my interview with my mom, May Abrahamse, a former opera singer.This picture shows the two of us in the studio last week, on Sunday 20 April 2014. 

One of the things I liked, from the very beginning, was that I was given free rein as to what I’d focus on, how I’d fill the two-hour slot. I decided to divide the two hours into two separate parts: in the first hour, I focus on “interesting people doing interesting things’, and in the second hour, I focus on the South African music industry.  With this as my template, I’ve interviewed some fascinating people. I’ve learnt a lot and also heard music I’d never heard before.

Someone once said that your “strengths” are not the things you’re good at – they’re the things that give you strength, that make you happy. If that is so, then this is one of my strengths – I LOVE working on radio! I love every part of it – securing studio guests, chatting to them before the interview, and then doing the live radio interview. I love the energy of live radio – it’s hard to explain. I suppose, being a performer, it’s the same as the rush I get when I play and sing to an audience.   

But live radio is a lot more than a performance – I have the opportunity to give people a platform to talk about their lives, their ideas, their organisations, their creations, their art. What’s struck me about all my guests, so far, has been their passion for what they do.  When people are passionate about what they do, whether it’s owning and running a tour company or training people to teach English as a foreign language, they’ll speak with great enthusiasm about what they do, which is very interesting for the listeners.

I’ve also realised how much I enjoy sourcing music and playing a whole hour of different music to what you normally hear on radio.  So, every now and then, when I don’t have a guest for one of my hours, I play music.  I particularly love playing South African music, giving local musicians the airplay they deserve. But I also love playing the music of the international artists I enjoy.

I suppose that what I’m trying to say is, radio is a very powerful medium. As this station grows and reaches more and more listeners, its power to inform, empower and entertain will increase. I am thoroughly enjoying being part of this leg of the journey, and I hope to be a part of it for much longer. Right now, I am just a freelancer with a two-hour weekly show. Who knows what the future holds?

The radio station is Radio Kaap se Punt and its frequency is 90.7FM. People in Cape Town who don’t get the signal clearly and others around the world listen to it via the website, on the live audio stream.  The website is www.rkpfm.co.za.