13 Sep 2022

 Broadcasters have been advised to keep up with the industry trends in order to remain relevant and offer unique programmes to listeners.

Deputy Permanent Secretary; Information and Broadcasting in the Ministry for State President Oshinka Tsiang said this during a two-day workshop organised for Radio Botswana and RB2 presenters and producers in Gaborone on Monday.

The training is done in partnership with a South Africa based broadcaster and founder of Big Dawg Productions, Thato Sikwane, popularly known as DJ Fresh, who is facilitating the workshop with another highly decorated broadcaster, Grant Jonathan.

Tsiang said the broadcasting department had been running various programmes, some of which had been in the same format for many years, therefore, it was imperative that they reviewed their offering and align them with today’s listenership demands.

“This training is in line with government Reset Agenda, which prioritises fresh thinking and remodelling of our processes for the benefit of our customers. 

Resetting entails introspection and strategising to ensure efficiency,” he said.

He said the training would pave way toward repackaging products to ensure competitiveness.

For his part, DJ Fresh encouraged participants to invest in their craft in order to be successful.

He said even though he had been in radio for over 30 years, he learnt new concepts of radio every single year.

DJ Fresh also urged them to be willing to learn for growth and to remain relevant to their audience.

“Sometimes presenters do not attract listeners’ attention because they make it about themselves, something that lessens the quality of radio. 

Listen to voices outside your spheres and have someone who guides you to grow,” he said.

Also, he said they should play more local music to attract listeners and for artistes to make money.

He also discouraged presenters from speaking on radio for about too long such as five to 10 minutes, stating that it often bored listeners. Ends