OneFM episode 1

 

About a 100 years ago, as a university student, I was fortunate to be one of the first DJs to broadcast legally when UCT radio got its broadcast licence. This was in 1995. 

ICASA, the regulatory authority, had just opened up the airwaves, and our little campus station, which had been a pirate station, became legit. I had a late night show, and got to do pretty much what I wanted. Like play 30 seconds of dead air as the 1995 remix of Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence. Ha ha ha. 

I had planned to become a commercial radio DJ, stars in my eyes, wads of cash on the horizon. But I quickly realised that the future of radio would be playlists without droning egotistical DJs like myself, and listeners being able to listen to whatever they wanted whenever they wanted without the big record labels and the DJs telling them what to listen to. I got bored. I tried my hand at talk radio but wasn't mature enough, or secure enough in my own understanding of the world to make that work. 

Now at age 45 with my ego well and truly shattered, and with no interest in doing radio for money (well, maybe a little interest), I decided to try my hand at a little return to radio, just for my fun. Pre-recorded instead of live, and well thought out, not just selecting and announcing songs. I took my time. Making connections and putting to work my 20 years in and out of the music industry as producer, label owner, artist manager and music travel entrepreneur. I've been learning as I go, about myself, about doing radio again, and about the music. Episode 1 for example, introduced to the connections between Scottish traditional music, the classical composer Haydn, war, lullabies, Bossa nova and Abdullah Ibrahim. It has been a deep dive. 

I hope that you enjoy listening as much as I've enjoyed putting it together.