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Radio & Audio Opinion South Africa

Kudos, SABC, for bringing soapies back to radio

Call me old fashioned, call me a geriatric romantic, but I have been missing soaps on radio. And I'm convinced I'm not the only one who would like an occasional break from talk radio or music and have a good old fashioned daily soap in which to lose myself and get thoroughly distracted from everything going on in the world of politics, business and sport.

And now SAfm has come to the rescue with a soapie at 3.45 pm every weekday. Takes me right back to my days as a kid with Superman letting me get away from my homework.

But, I must say, I was a bit sceptical when I first heard about this soapie. After all, unless they're done properly they turn out to be absolute junk.

But this one has some seriously heavy hitters behind it.

Wotta cast!

It's scripted by Paul Slabolepszy, who is one of the country's most talented humour-mongers and of whom I am a huge fan, and directed by the extremely competent Bruce Miller, who still looks like a teenager but who has been around longer than me and that's lots of decades.

And the cast is far from shabby either: Samson Kumalo, Michael Richard, Louise Saint-Claire, Quanita Adams, Graham Hopkins, Mpho Osei-Tutu, Molefi Monaisa, Doctor Khasu-Nkatlo and Huey Louw.

And, best of all, it centres on a fictional community radio station set up in the eastern suburbs of Johannesburg. Radio Watakananda, or Radio Whatyamacallit! sounds like a huge amount of fun. Just up my media junkie alley.

I'll certainly be tuning in from day one, that's for sure.

Well done, SAFm, and well done, SABC - it really is a kick being able to say something nice about you guys for a change.

About Chris Moerdyk

Apart from being a corporate marketing analyst, advisor and media commentator, Chris Moerdyk is a former chairman of Bizcommunity. He was head of strategic planning and public affairs for BMW South Africa and spent 16 years in the creative and client service departments of ad agencies, ending up as resident director of Lindsay Smithers-FCB in KwaZulu-Natal. Email Chris on moc.liamg@ckydreom and follow him on Twitter at @chrismoerdyk.
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