At 15:00 this afternoon, DJ Fresh kicks off his brand new show, Fresh on 947, on Primedia Broadcasting’s 947 radio station.
His debut has been highly publicised and eagerly anticipated by many, not least the DJ himself.
“I’ve always found Primedia, as a broadcaster, to always be about the science of radio. Not every broadcaster is about that. In fact, I think half the radio stations put people on air and hope for the best,” commented DJ Fresh, during a conversation with The Media Online at CliffCentral’s ‘A few brave broadcasters’ event.
“I’m looking forward to being in an environment where it’s about the business of radio … The fact that it’s very researched, means we’re playing exactly what people want to hear, and I want to be in an environment that takes radio seriously as a business and as entertainment also,” he adds.
His new approach versus previously
Asked what differences he anticipated between his new Primedia spot and his previous employers (the SABC’s 5FM and Metro FM), Fresh said that having the monkey of the public broadcaster off his back will allow him to be more free in how he thinks and does things.
“It’s not necessarily a licence to be reckless, but it’s good to do things with the freedom of knowing that, one, management have my back, and, two, they get me,” he elaborated.
The future of broadcasting
The roundtable discussion at the CliffCentral event, which included Gareth Cliff, DJ Fresh, Robert Marawa, Tbo Touch and DJ Sbu, focused heavily on the future of broadcasting.
In Fresh’s opinion, the biggest differentiator currently is social media. “It allows you to be the big personality that people listen to on the radio, even when you’re not on the radio. Previously, the minute you were off air, you were done … Now your listeners are with you 24/7. They have access to you 24/7. They can ask you questions 24/7. While on the radio you can interact with them in real-time. You know who’s listening, what they are feeling. It’s turned broadcasting on its head,” he explained.
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