Madibaz Radio ... all abuzz

Madibaz Radio is now on air! See link below.

The music might not always be to my taste, but I am not the target market … and that’s alright because there’s a new vibrancy in the air at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University! Its name is Madibaz Radio.

The new team quietly went on-air last week so as to explore any technical difficulties before officially launching the new in-house radio broadcast station.

But the whisper was far louder than anyone anticipated and before the week was out lively interaction was evident via the university’s many Facebook pages and Twitter handles and of course, on air.

And fortunately, the technical gremlins are all pretty much under control.

The other gremlins are less technical … they are those “slips of the tongue” and the inappropriate use of language and various other terminology … but nothing, assures Madibaz Radio manager Sakikaya Makapela that cannot be rectified.

This is, after all, still the pilot phase.

“We’re working hard at getting a balance,” says Saki.

That balance extends to music choice, mix of programming and hours of broadcast.

Week 1 in the pilot phase is already sending a clear message … today’s students are still awake at 10pm and so Madibaz Radio is hoping to offer its listeners an extra two hours of entertainment.

“The place is abuzz,” says Saki, a former NMMU journalism student himself.

“We have 80 students already involved in the radio station but the requests have been pouring in from other students too.”

In fact, as soon as Madibaz Radio started its own Facebook page requests from would-be presenters, producers, music compilers, sports and news readers, technical and marketing staff poured in …

Those numbers accelerated when Madibaz Radio quietly went on air at 8am last week Tuesday.

This is hugely satisfying to hear for it means NMMU students are happily getting involved in a voluntary capacity – giving of their time and talents. There’s no money to be made by the Madibaz Radio staff. There’s just the satisfaction of being part of the new station, of something new, of something special.

Oh, and, of course, it also offers students the opportunity to hone skills in preparation for work in the real world.

“The majority of the students have been placed in roles that complement their areas of study, more especially those from the Department of Journalism, Media and Philosophy,” says Saki, adding that the community radio station hosted training workshops in partnership with SABC prior to going on air.

The new station which airs from 7am through to 10pm (but hopefully till midnight soon) is also attracting commercial support.

“Numerous advertisers have been calling in to enquire about the station’s rate card and the like. We’re hoping to convert these enquiries into proper sales soon.”

We hope so too for the sake of Madibaz Radio, whose mandate is to become self-supporting within three years.

But what we especially hope is that those who are part of the Madibaz Radio volunteer team will find the experience as enriching as your listeners.

To hear more tune in via our web link http://video.nmmu.ac.za/jw6t/madibaz.html

Well done team Madibaz Radio!