New talent at Jacaranda 94.2fm

This year, the Jacaranda 94.2fm team is giving SA's largest independent radio station a more fun, interactive side, without taking its eye off its soft Adult Contemporary positioning, by investing in more talent with new ideas and a real love of radio.

Lloyd Madurai, who at 27 has already been a presenter at East Coast Radio and P4 KZN, and a music manager at Highveld, will be directing the changes as programme manager. "We're creating a more vibrant and interactive feel which better reflects the Gauteng lifestyle," he says. The watchword is "feel-good", which means soft Adult Contemporary with new, entertaining music features, and a more personal feel from presenters.

Patrick Bogatsu will be at Madurai's side as music manager, moving up from his position as the station's output coordinator. Bogatsu's work experience includes being a presenter and music compiler at Metro, the marketing and sales manager for the then Radio Active, and a radio consultant and training officer at RCS Africa, where he set up the formats of stations such as Yfm, Kaya FM, and Gabz FM in Botswana.

Gary Oberholzer is the new producer for "The Big Breakfast". Oberholzer has made a name for himself in the media, marketing and advertising industry through his work with SABC 3 MEDIA FOCUS presenter, Jeremy Maggs. He conceptualised the original radio programme, "MEDIA @ SAfm", which then grew into the well-known Wednesday night TV show, for which he continues to act as content producer. He spent eight years at SAfm, producing shows, as well as acting as marketing manager for a period.

Station CEO, Mike Siluma, says the three appointments are bringing a new energy, vibrancy and freshness to the 94.2fm team, which will spell great things for Jacaranda's listeners. "This new talent is sure to help us reach our next short-term goal of hitting the 3-million audience mark, and in the long run increasing our share of top-line audience."

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