Chris Jordan Media’s Consulting and Training at Ekurhuleni FM

I just spent a great time consulting and training the Ekurhuleni FM programming, sales, and marketing team. I focus on, and love upskilling community radio in South Africa, because like my products do, my academic textbook “A Word on Radio” (which was used for 5 years at media colleges) and my audiobook “Radio 1 on 1: 25 of the Most Asked Questions in Radio Broadcasting” (used by over 40 community stations in South Africa with the help of the Student Radio Network) – this is Chris Jordan Media’s mission statement and directive.  It’s also why I started South Africa’s 1^st Radio Mentorship. 

It’s not about replacing current commercial talent, but empowering the next generation of commercial voices that will be the best representation of their respective audiences.

I was warmly welcomed into the Ekurhuleni FM family, to step in, completely immerse myself in the brand, and be able to add constructive value to exit and rollout strategies that the station will now follow.

Some thoughts and spotlights from the time at Ekurhuleni FM, which you can use at your station:

• As a presenter, you are very attached to the content that you come up with for your show.  A “selfish” or “ignorant” presenter will suffocate any audience with content that they are personally interested in, but holds no inclusion or relevance to the listener.  Some presenters do this when they are in the early learning phase of how to be a broadcaster, but intermediate presenters do this when they have completely become stagnant or complacent, or feel as though their delusional perspective of being a better media practioner than they actually are.  Remember.  Always – listener first.
• Content must expire.  In other words, don’t spread content thin, and carry on and on and on with it.  Your job is to select relevant content that dynamically grows and ends throughout the show centered on its relevance to your listener’s lifestyle.
• I content does not work, drop it.  No listener has ever questioned bad content that was dropped.  There is a reason they didn’t call in or send you a voice note.  They weren’t interested.
• As a presenter, never, ever perceive that the corporate staffs of the station, including your managers, are under your service.  They do not flip and fold according to your mandates.  This type of presenter believes that they are truly bigger than the brand, and need to be given “the chop”.
• In the spirit of the aforementioned point, mandates are formed and formatted by your management team.  Stick to the station policies.  Adopt the station culture.  Understand the license agreement.  Figure out and take ownership of the station semantics.  You are not at home.  You are at work.  You adapt to the business, the business does not adapt to you.
• Sales personnel need to target and create pitches for clients BEFORE they approach a client.  Also, call an introduce yourself BEFORE you send the “cold call” email sharing your rent card.  Clients need to feel you put in some personal effort in asking them for money. 
• Your pitch is important as people (in general) like it when most of the work is done for them.  In this, approach the client with a few fully drafted activations or sales pitches.  Vary the options between a combination of on and off-air (digital) plans, or on OR off-air options.  Pitch packages to sell better value for money.  And know your client, their product or service through and through, so you can anticipate questions with confident answers. 
• If your sales manager gives you a target, make it your own directive to add another 50% to that target, and motivate yourself to reach it.  Don’t work within your own mediocre boundaries.
• Managers must rollout changes according to the simplest of project management methodologies.  Planning.  Implementation. Roll Out/Execution.  Close up.  

This is the tip of the restricting iceberg.

Contact me at info@chrisjordanmedia.net or 072 643 5502 to book training and consultation for your station. 

To read and watch more about my prospectus for this year, please click here.

Here is a little bit about Ekurhuleni FM.

Ekurhuleni FM is continuously making adjustments to programming to ensure that we can give our entire community the information and entertainment that it truly deserves.

We broadcast for 24 hours, seven days a week from our studios at Springs Mall and Emperors Palace, we are constantly updating our music, content, and informative pieces to bring you the best possible quality. You can listen to us on FM frequency 93.9 or see our full program, take a look at our Programs page. Get access to podcasts of previously broadcast shows as well as our live stream from our Tune In Page.

Our Broadcast Area

Ekurhuleni FM (then trading as East Rand Stereo), was one of the first community radio stations to grace the airwaves in 1995, the birth year of community radio in South Africa.
Today, Ekurhuleni FM is still entertaining audiences within the community of Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas.

Ekurhuleni FM broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year from its main studio situated at the Springs Mall, with a satellite studio situated at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.

Our broadcasting footprint includes the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan area – Springs, Nigel, Brakpan, Benoni, Boksburg, Kempton Park, Edenvale, Bedfordview, Alberton, and Germiston. We can also be heard clearly in surrounding areas such as Sundra and Delmas, with sporadic reception in other areas South of Johannesburg and East of Pretoria.*

*Note that the inside shaded area of the digital map depiction is the main broadcast area and that the outside shaded area is “overflow” and although we can be heard sporadically in the latter area, this does not form part of our official broadcasting area.

We do, however, stream our broadcasts, and listeners outside of our official broadcasting area can tune in at ekurhulenifm.org/tune-in.

EFM Internship

Ekurhuleni FM started its first intake of young students, from around Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

This internship will help some of the final-year students gain the much-needed training hours and exposure needed in the radio industry. They get all the ins and outs from behind the scenes and on-air in the radio industry. They have also proven to be a huge help to the station.