Queen Of The Airwaves

Sibongile Mtyali’s recent appointment at Kaya FM is expected to turn things around and bring new life to the radio station

Sibongile Mtyali gained prominence as one of the woman leaders in the SABC group for radio. Recently appointed as Kaya 959’s new managing director, Sibongile, whose depth of experience and vast industry knowledge have seen her steer successful turnaround strategies for a multitude of radio stations, promises to usher in a new era at one of Gauteng ’s largest regional stations.

Your experience in radio broadcasting is extensive. Please tell us more about your journey? As much as I grew up being drawn to radio, I never thought I would get an opportunity to build my career in broadcasting. It seemed like a farfetched dream, to be honest. As a result, my journey started off with a chance encounter. After studying business and office admin, I went looking for a job as a receptionist at a radio station in Rustenburg (where I grew up). The founder of Radio Mafisa, Finbarr Murphy, saw in me what I never knew existed, and the rest is history.

Many would consider TV to be a more glamorous format in media. What made you go into radio?

The beauty of radio lies in the art of storytelling, in its immediacy and accessibility. My principle has always been that I do not do radio for myself, but for the benefit of communities. Radio is a great social cohesion platform. Every radio show is about enriching lives and changing attitudes.

What has been your most challenging role in your career history so far, and why?

Being a station manager, for sure. Leadership is not for the faint-hearted. Do you know the saying, “The higher you go, the colder it becomes?” There are a lot of expectations that come with leadership. You need to be able to handle the power and the never-ending challenges that come with it. It’s worse when you’re female; you have to work twice as hard just to prove yourself.

What are you most looking forward to as Kaya 959’s new MD?

There’s something exciting about turning a business around. It kind of feels as if you are going through a transformation yourself. Kaya 959 is such an amazing lifestyle brand with so much potential for growth. I want to be a part of that movement that is about to explode.

Give us a glimpse of a “day in the life” of a radio managing director? My day starts with checking my diary in preparation for the day ahead. Now that we work remotely, a lot happens online. The priority for now is engagements with key clients to share Kaya 959’s new strategic positioning, so back-to-back meetings are the order of my day. Included in this, is constant monitoring of the on-air product and digital offering. For this reason, continuous engagements with both the programming and media solutions divisions is key. The job also comes with board responsibilities.

In your opinion, what does the future of women in radio look like? The future is very bright for women in radio. Women just need to seize it themselves. My desire is to see women occupying prime time shows on radio, without them being sidekicks.

What are the future trends you see for radio in South Africa?

Radio is reinventing itself in the digital space. There are no longer limitations to content development and delivery. ■