Radio 2000 raises profile of female presenters
Project will see provinces adopted to highlight GBV
Radio 2000 will be launching a campaign called First Ladies of the Airwaves where the station plans to profile its female presenters to highlight women’s success stories as well as focus on sticky issues of gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination.
According to the station’s acting manager, Hazel Tlhabanyane, each show’s female presenter is going to be expected to adopt a province just as Nonala Tose, who co-presents the breakfast show with Bongani Mtolo, has already adopted Mpumalanga and Free State provinces.
“The morning and afternoon drive shows are going to have to adopt provinces where we will then create a type of breaking news inserts across the station where female presenters will work with the news department around gender-based violence stories. If there is a breaking story in those provinces they will be the leading voice on what is happening.”
Tlhabanyane says the project is not a Women’s Month initiative only but is going to continue beyond the month of August. Their biggest aim was to profile women by highlighting their successes, their challenges and gender-based violence issues. Moreover, the station plans to use its platform to educate people and encourage the younger generation to be focused.
“Through the project, we want to take young girls from townships to villages to expose them to life in the villages, and do the same with village girls by bringing them to the city to experience fast life. We do this to show them that life is not about flashy things.”
The initiative is part of Tlhabanyane’s project to grow the station which has seen its listenership constantly growing in the past two years.
According to the radio audience measurement (Rams), between June and December last year, the station’s listenership grew from 640,000 to 665,000. The latest Rams, which was published in March, shows that the station had grown to 751,000.
Tlhabanyane, who has been working in the broadcasting industry for 32 years, has attributed the station’s success to the type of the music they play and the calibre of the station’s presenters.
Radio 2000, which was founded in 1986, boasts presenters like David Mashabela, Glen Lewis, Justice “Just Ice” Ramohlola, Carol Ofori, Emmah G, Reggie Philander and Robert Marawa, who all have stood the test of time in radio broadcasting and understand listeners’ expectations.
As an adult contemporary station, Radio 2000 plays a mixture of popular music including genres like soul, R&B and ballads.
Tlhabanyane believes that Radio 2000 has set itself apart from others with its soulful sound. “Each radio station has its own sound, and our pay offline is ‘our music, your memories’, meaning whatever we play takes you back somewhere.” As part of growing the listenership, Radio 2000 has introduced a new feature called Soon to be Famous, where unknown and unsigned artists are profiled and given an opportunity to have their music played for the first time. The songs are played for five days at 1.55pm.