RADIO HAURAKI’S BHUJA
Having provided years of well garnished banter and hot-headed interviews, the team at Bhuja have taken out this year’s Hottest Radio Show. We touch base with the dynamic duo, Leigh Hart and Jason Hoyt, to see what makes Bhuja such a tasty mix on the radio. How long has Bhuja been going for?
In its current form, Bhuja has probably been going for a couple of years, but many say the original Bhuja show was broadcast from Stonehenge over 5,000 years ago, and that's probably why they never finished that monument.
What makes Bhuja tasty?
Bhuja radio much like its name-sake Bhuja snack mix, by its very nature it's a variety of flavours, aromas and food groups, meaning there is something in there for everybody most of the time. This also means that there are elements that people hate; I am talking of course about the raisins in Bhuja mix.
Who is your audience?
Rather than target an audience directly we prefer to have them come to us which means we have a wide variety of listeners, young, old, male, female, sane and insane. In general, I would say the listeners are of above average intelligence and don’t take everything too seriously. Also, we have a lot of listeners called Andy for some reason.
What is the best thing about radio?
The best thing would be touching people whether it be through the air-waves or literally when we go on tour. I am talking about good touching of course. The other good thing is being ‘used' for our pure talent as opposed to 'our looks’ which is why Jas and I both have incredibly successful TV careers. Also, the satisfaction you get when you hear a listener received a prize just 18 months after having won it, that gives you a warm feeling inside.
Favourite moments on Bhuja?
There have been so many favourite moments. Interviewing big names like Neil Finn and Brandon Flowers can be pretty awesome. The Neil Finn experience, however, has been tarnished by the fact that he no longer talks to us after I accidentally broke one of his guitars and Jas destroyed two and half years of demo recordings. But the real highlight is getting to talk to everyday Kiwis on a regular basis.
Known to provoke a few of your interviewees, Neil Finn and Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart) to name a few, have any interviews turned sour?
See above question. Most interviews have gone extremely well which is a testament to the preparation we put into each one but on occasion they have gone sour. I would say only around 40 percent have gone sour, and many of these have involved people that were deceased at the time but Jas was unaware of that fact.
How do fellow shows such as
The Late Night Big Breakfast, Screaming Reels, and the Alternative Cricket Commentary, work hand in hand with Bhuja?
They all work very well together, which is either a testament to our incredible organisational skills and our ability to compartmentalise, or it means it's the same content re-hashed into a different format. I would like to think it’s a little of both!
Speaking of hand in hand, Jason Hoyt, Leigh Hart, you’ve become somewhat of an iconic duo, how is the relationship coping after such a long period of sustained success?
Like any top iconic duo (think Lennon/ Mccartney, Simon/garfunkel, Hall/oates) Jas and I have our ups and downs. But we are professionals, so we have learnt to deal with my ups and Jas’ downs! (I suspect if Jas was writing this he would agree but may focus more on my downs and his ups!) The trick is to pay someone a compliment before you tear their work to shreds and belittle them. We leave any issues at the door and come back the next day determined to make a great show for the Kiwis out there who are relying on us to get them through the drudgery of their everyday lives! (That might be slightly over-stating it).