Frequency Magazine_Talk Radio Issue Talk Radio Issue | Page 9

When he was doing his second
year, he heard an advert about
702 looking for a traffic writer while
he was at his parents’ house. It
was then that he made the call
and was invited for an interview.
“I’ve been here since 2002 and
after doing traffic for a month, the
station decided to downscale and
let go of people, but I begged
management to let me stay and
told them I would do anything,” he
remembers.
It’s 17 years later and
Khabazela worked on every
show as a content producer and
learned about radio from some of
the best broadcasters in the indus-
try. “I became the assistant pro-
ducer on the Gareth Cliff’s break-
fast show, then became the main
producer on the weekend break-
fast with David O’Sullivan, worked
my way up and became the
youngest executive producer on
the John Robbie’s breakfast show
for seven years,” shares Khaba-
zela . “I also produced the after-
noon drive with Xolani Gwala who
gave me the nickname Khabaze-
la and hosted a couple of over-
night shows and wasn’t too sure if I
wanted to explore that.”
Khabazela is currently the
executive producer of The Azania
Mosaka Show on weekdays and
says the midday show is more like
a breather from current affairs and
politics. “We try to look at
alternative news like lifestyle
stories that evoke emotions,” he
adds. “We have features on cars,
consumer issues, food, travel,
movies and a music feature
called 702 Unplugged on Fridays.”
Throughout his years at 702,
Khabazela says he was in-
spired a lot by the people he
has worked with. “From John
Robbie I learned very good
radio mechanics, the impor-
tance of preparation and a lot
about puns; from Xolani Gwala I
learned the importance of hav-
ing contacts with certain role
players, his humour and from
Azania Mosaka I learned the
importance of diversity in terms
of content and how you relate to
the story,” he shares.
When asked how important he
thinks his role as a producer is,
he concludes by saying: “We’re
not here to change the world
but to help people learn and
assist them to make up their
minds.”
92.7 FM is 702’s frequency in
Johannesburg. Stay tuned.
Ta l k R a d i o I s s u e
9