Reggae Pon Da Radio
On the 22 March 2021 at 22:00 CAT, the final edition of Raggatak Radio Show aired on YFM, Gauteng’s biggest youth radio station. The host, Admiral of African Storm Sound announced unsuspectingly on his/African StormFacebook page:
The news broke amidst the National Broadcaster (SABC) biggest retrenchment drive which saw the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) restructuring process with 621 people losing their jobs. Many veterans of TV and Radio Broadcasting were being retrenched, one of them being uMama Noxolo Grootboom, the nations popular and the most beloved isiXhosa Prime time News Reader. She was to make her final appearance on our TV reading the news. Raggatak Reggae and Dancehall show ended in that same period amidst the furore of Mama Noxolo national farewell, overshadowing the departure of Admiral and Jah Seed from the Radio, but not in the Reggae community. YFM had already announced the departure of some of its long standing on-air personalities and hinting at a new line up coming into effect in April. Yet the news came as a surprise as there was no mention of Raggatak in that pressie.
For twenty two years Admiral and Jah Seed have kept Reggae and Dancehall alive every week on YFM, , Gauteng’s biggest youth radio station, Yona ke Yona! 22 years of strictly Reggae and Dancehall on our speakers. 22 years of bussing local and outer national tunes, interviews with local and international artists. 22 years of consistently supplementing the vibes of their (African Storm Sound) similarly long running Thursday Reggae Nights gig. 22 years of being the source of information on what is hip and happening in the world of Reggae. Salute!
The final show aired on March 22, 2021 at 22:00 and many fans of the show tuned in. Without much fan fare, the final curtain closed on the longest running radio show in South Africa.
This is not an isolated case, similar occurrence of Reggae shows ending suddenly is quite a common feature in the Radio Space. The common denominator being that the shows do not bring in the numbers. Ukhozi FM, a South African national radio station based in Durban, KwaZulu province, the largest radio station in South Africa, also canned the Reggae Programme hosted by one Nature Vybz. Interestingly enough this was a show that was starting to gain momentum with local artists. The host now sends reggae mixes to be played on a programme hosted by a popular or not so popular DJ. A trend that started a few years back as way of penetrating the commercial radio sphere. DJ Fanta, used to have his mixes played, Don Royal, Nature Vybz; DJ Rollman has his mixes played on Vhembe FM and other DJ had similar stunts on commercial radio. Once upon a time there was DEZ (Dancehall Entertainment Zone) on Eldos FM which was quite entertaining and contributed to a fair amount of artist exposure, but that too had to end. In the same period of the SABC infamous retrenchment, Ras Blaq Malachi also announced his last Reggae Tunes show on Tru FM; a commercial radio station based in the Eastern Cape.
The ending of Dancehall and Reggae critical radio show in South Africa, although having left a wide gap, did not signal the end of Reggae pon the waves.
This is where community, Independent Radio and now Online Radio step in to fill in the gap. Even though the Reggae shows suffer the same feat of being regularly canned, they (Community and Indy stations) are always ready to embrace Reggae on the Radio. They have a mandate to fulfil. Bush Radio, considered to be Africa’s oldest community radio station project based in Cape Town, South Africa, and considered to be the mother of all community radio stations, has been home to Level Di Vybz Reggae and Dancehall show hosted by DJ Bashmouth every Thursday. Another show that has the longest run. In Grahamstown Selecta Massive has been hosting Zion Train Reggae Show on Radio Grahamstown while Lion Paw International has been holding it down on the online Radio with their show 365 Reggae Drive Time on Fridays. Pretoria has got it on lock with the Capital Kings Nafy Dread and King Winner with their show Capital Reggae Dancehall Show on Tshwane FM on Saturdays. Ras Dan of Uplivement Production hosts Reggae Vibes on Saturdays on Radio Atlantis, Cape Town. Ras Pablo hosts the Reggae Vibrations on Mahikeng FM while Jimmy the Scratcher hosts Reggae Beats on Vhembe FM in Limpopo. Coffee and Deep House, an online Radio and hangout spot which has its roots in House Music, regularly hosts Reggae Dancehall Shows with Mama Zion Lioness as guest selector.
The shows are regional and diverse and cater to local listenership. A limitation when it comes to reaching a wider audience but serves a springboard to higher heights in the industry, for both artists who, when they have a promo plan in place, can have a dedicated fan base which might be their back bone in propelling them into the commercial sphere; and for the hosts of the shows who might get a bigger gig at commercial or national radio stations. It has happened before.
We came up with a non exhaustive list of Radio Shows, in no particular order. Individuals driven by the love of Reggae and Dancehall to keep the flames alive on regional, national, grass roots, Indy commercial and Online Radio stations and carry the banner of Reggae and Dancehall in Mzansi.
Salute.
Click here to access the shows.