Masixole Mdingane takes the daunting task of heading up two massive commercial stations in his stride – because it’s long been on his vision board.
Not many people are lucky enough to know what they want to do for the rest of the lives when they’re young. Masixole Mdingane did.
Now, as the combined business manager of both 5FM and regional station, Radio Good Hope, Mdingane is living his boyhood dream of moving from King Williamstown (now Qonce) and “ending up on the radio.”
Mdingane was raised by his grandmother in the small Eastern Cape town.
“Radio was literally the only thing that we listened to,” he recalls. “We listened to music, drama series and church services. As an only child, it was a treasured companion. I was so interested in how it was done and was convinced I’d end up being on the radio.”
As a student at Rhodes University in 2004, he got his first gig at a local community station before joining Rhodes Music Radio (RMR), the campus station. “That’s where everything started, really. I joined as a presenter and became a producer, a music compiler – and even read the news.”
Working behind the scenes attracted Mdingane more than being ‘the talent’. By the time he graduated with a BCom in business and information systems, he was RMR’s deputy station manager, and had served as acting station manager, too.
He joined 5FM as a music compiler in 2012, staying for three years before exploring other roles at the SABC, particularly Tru FM.
A stint as programme manager on Umhlobo Wenene showed him the power of a station with a massive audience, and this, combined with a media management studies, prepped his next big step in May this year: his combo role at 5FM and Radio Good Hope.
Making commercial sense
While both are commercial music stations, that’s where the similarity ends, reckons Mdingane. “They complement each other, it’s important that they have their own positioning, with 5FM being a youth station, and Good Hope more family oriented.”
Maintaining their identities is a “daunting task”, he admits, but programme managers ensure the ‘sound’ of each station reflects its identity. Both stations are actively seeking marketing managers; while work is done in-house, agencies also play a role.
Of course, agencies buy advertising on SABC channels, and that hasn’t always been the easiest relationship. In fact, the commercial arm of the public broadcaster has been through trying times.
While the SABC now has one sales team – with account executives selling across the broadcaster – each station has a product manager (formerly a sales manager) devoted to its needs who oversees the sales element of the brand.
Mdingane believes relationships with media agencies are improving and product managers do communicate effectively with their agency counterparts.
Creativity in radio advertising, he believes, has way more traction when advertisers work with the different brands so they can tailor their content to audiences preferences.
But: “You tend to find the same advert being flighted on most stations, with even the translation being word for word. That doesn’t take the nuances of the different audiences into account, and loses creativity,” says Mdingane.
“There are instances where there’s collaboration between clients and stations, and I think we need to take the lessons from that. If you don’t work with the stations directly, then you might just miss the mark.”
Sponsorship and social media spend does allow for more interesting opportunities, notes Mdingane.
An aligned position
On his role, Mdingane says more is expected of a business manager than was of station managers.
“I think it says that a radio station is a business and should be run as one. It’s a more high-level role. It’s not just about managing the talent; it’s about strategy and stakeholder management.
“There are many KPIs to meet, such as generating revenue at the end of the day. Each of the entities must show a return on investment,” he says.
“As business manager, you are really the station’s accounting officer.”
That said, talent is pretty important. Mdingwane says it’s difficult to find the right talent – despite the SABC being the biggest employer in radio. Head-hunting across stations is a thing – “We all do it” – as is keeping a close eye on community and campus stations.
“What we look for, more than anything, is creativity – and how the personality resonates with the audience. Voice is important, but so is how you grab my attention; how your personality shines through.
“Presenters don’t necessarily come out of media courses. It’s quite diverse, actually. And I think that’s the beauty of the radio industry: we’re unlike straight up journalism, and we’re not strict on background,” he says.
That Mdingane is a seriously busy man is in no doubt. But he still finds time to take his two beloved pugs for walks, going out and about with friends, drinking wine and cooking … or parking off with a series on Netflix.
And what does he listen to at home? “Some laidback music on a Sunday, like Good Hope FM’s old school stuff. House and dance on a Friday or Saturday.”
A soundtrack to his life.