Happy 15th birthday East Coast Radio!

The station is very proud and humbled by how far it's come. When East Coast Radio became independent in 1996 it had around 200 000, predominantly white listeners, compared to today's 1.8-million listeners that are representative of the province's population. ECR's CEO Trish Taylor says, "The station has transformed quite dramatically over the last 15 years, including a name change, two logo changes and a completely new look DJ line up." She believes the station's strength has been it's openness to understanding what the people of KwaZulu-Natal want.

So what are her 'birthday wishes' for the station for the coming years? Trish says, "We hope to continue to build and connect communities for good through our committed staff we call the East Coast family."

Here are some of the wishes from on-air personalities that form part of that 'family':

Damon Beard, the Drive DJ, says tongue-in-cheek, "Happy Birthday ECR! I'm still your older brother because I've been on-air longer than you've been around."

Our Workzone duo have also weighed in, "Happy Birthday East Coast Radio, you have become such a big part of my life" says Peter G. While Makhosi Khoza believes, "I'm privileged to have been part of the brand from inception to its ongoing quest for perfection."

Breakfast Stack news anchor Seema Diahnan says Funsunzi started at ECR long before the concept was shared with the rest of the East Coast. She says, "I've seen it all, from grown men on the then 'Breakfast Show' running in high heels along Sandile Thusi Road, to a live snake being brought into the Newswatch studio during a bulletin."

Weekend Breakfast DJ Jane Linley-Thomas is also nostalgic, "Since 2004 East Coast Radio has been an extension of my immediate family and been by my side through some of the happiest and saddest times of my life. Happy Birthday ECR, thank-you for being the backdrop to my extremely blessed life."

Sportswave's Dumi Kunene says, "The amount of growth during my time here has been immense, and I'm so glad to have been part of it. Happy Birthday ECR! Let's keep going from strength to strength!"