When it comes to accessing Durban’s trendy spots, whether old or new, popular or wannabe popular, East Coast Radio (and Durbanite) has got it covered. As a city we are almost always compared to our fellow city of Cape Town and furthermore we always come out second best. As a true Durbanite, it pays to be self aware (or somewhat) when acknowledging our defeat. In my opinion, the number one reason lies in the over reliance of our coastal beauty. Durbanites are in search of more than just the beach; it’s about the cultural experience, the story and history that concretes the setting, the people that congregate and share the experience and the memories that unveil at each gathering. East Coast Radio proudly worked in favor of our hidden cultural gems and did not disappoint when they chose Max’s Lifestyle as their event venue when announcing their new show line up.
Max’s Lifestyle, which is located in Umlazi, not only screams township pride but also has great food with humble service. The backdrop of modern lifestyle fused with ‘Mzansi’ cuisine definitely adds spice to any occasion. This place ideally got my spirits bubbling with enthusiasm, the obvious reason being that I had heard of the stylish township ‘Shisa Nyama’ experience and had been eager to add some flavor to my diary. First thing that blew my mind: here is a brand that is not just talking the talk but accentuating their talk presence by actually engaging with their research. ECR has managed to create a buzz around all genres of ‘Durban’ and Max’s Lifestyle locks in ideally with the “all about talent acquisition and nurturing approach” in their new show line up. Zane Derbyshire, ECR Programming Manager sounded enthused that the financial contribution allocated for target market research has remunerated the team with insights that revealed key pointers. These pointers have allowed them to create content that suit their listeners but also allowed them to harness the talented DJs that are now parading the radio scene. Their new show line up features an array of vibrant personalities, each offering their own Je ne sais quoi. Zaba moves into weekday mornings and Carol Ralefeta is taking over the 10am-2pm weekend show, Alain Tardin, the buff guy with a youthful smile, entertains the early birds with the midnight to dawn weekday line up; Bongani Mtolo, the one that keeps it short and sweet slides in from 4am-6am. The smooth Sky Tshabalala who freely claimed his support for Cheetahs (arrrr, Shark bite) tackles the weekend 2am -6am slot and A.T Nkosi, the guy who is passionate about community and youth development adopts the weekend 10pm-2am slot.
Zane Derbyshire rounded the new additions with a revolutionizing statement, “East Coast Radio has a line-up of very talented presenters who are delivering world class entertainment to our listeners each day. These latest tweaks to our weekday offering is in line with the station’s strategy to deliver multi-platform content that is exciting and relevant. Our weekend line-up now offers a fresh listening experience and a place where we ‘home-grow’ our future stars!”
My second favorite part of the day (the first being the venue, in case you weren’t paying attention) had to be when Carol Ralefeta advocated her pride when it came to being a woman on radio. As radio is still a male dominated industry, it was a goose-bumpy moment when two very independent and opinionated women graduated to peak shows on ECR. Of course when Zane Derbyshire shouted out “Girl Power” after Carol’s proud blurp, it was certainly a cherry on top of the cake moment!
It certainly is regular for the team at East Coast Radio to radiate its listeners with a plethora of personalities that keep the avid listeners feeling as if they know the DJs on a personal level. However with their new additions that hit the radio as of 1st July 2014 (excluding Zaba’s graduation, which begins on 1st August 2014), they have definitely taken a leap of true east coast openness and I can’t wait to hear the outcome. As a proud Durbanite/South African, that listens to ECR frequently, I was very humbled to hear Renee Burton, the Marketing Manager at ECR, say that their motivation behind the announcement venue stemmed from the fact that they wanted the Journalists (although I feel I fall under the heading of ‘writer’) to write about their ‘experience’, which still remains rare considering the evolution of Media and Marketing, which is highly concerned with user generated content. So big thumbs up to you Renee Burton for highlighting the importance of the ‘experience’
