THE YOUTH
What has happened to the voice of our youth? In almost every generation and nation, the youth, are the robust voice of their nation, they’re a reflection of the civil and social unrest. South Africans are a vocal bunch; we talk too much. Why isn’t the nation’s leading youth broadcaster leading the conversations on employment, social ills and culture?
After having spoken to a number of my peers who grew up on the hard hitting, truth slaying, very, very vernacular and socially relevant content reflecting the state the nation was at back in 1998 and prior to that. We all had found ourselves in sixes and sevens on the topic at hand.
The youth generally do not conform to the norms, it’s called the “freedom of youth”, to be unruly, misguided, delinquents and to take a stand against most and whatever the elders feed us politically, our music tastes aren’t the same, fashion trends clash spectacularly, and well, as far as language is concerned, we are far too disconnected to begin to engage in that freedom.
INFLUENCE
The nature of growing is naturally through a series of copied and borrowed mannerisms from family, neighbours, close friends and or TV or radio personalities that tickle your fancy. In the media space, it is clear that through the amount of scratch (money) the advertising industry burns annually to reach the masses and to increase their business, whether through TV/Radio commercial or shows. Advertisers cleverly find ways to get brand messages or products out there, directly or otherwise.
Obviously implying that most of our music tastes, fashion trends and aspirations are designed for us by a group of intellectually acclaimed creative teams, bound to proverbially stroke a client’s ego and needs for the benefit of their agency.
When I was in my early teens, about 13, 14, I was introduced to a vibrant, unforgiving radio station that didn’t particularly address issues a 13 year old would comprehend but their accents and the music they played sounded all too familiar. This was a first for me, because everybody on TV and other radio stations had either been too old or too conservative in their communication. Black people were blanketed into tribal clans and thus the communication followed suit.
ENTER YFM (POST 1998)
Gosh! Where do I begin? This station didn’t only play music; back announce tracks, interview leading personalities. These guys were going to break the mould, go against the grain, allow and afford the youth to speak about everything that mattered from cheating spouses to dickhead bosses all the way down to the trashiest musicians out. Everybody was bound to have it, record execs got it from the artists, politicians go it from smaller communities and they learned about how unhappy or happy their youth were.
This was the purpose of a radio station, headed by former Idols judge Randall Abrahams and thecurrent Kaya FM station manager Greg Maluka and company.
These individuals shaped the state of affairs in this country, although the station was erected in Gauteng and most of it was predominantly Jozi skewed, although the broadcast was regional. It reached young people all over the country and the ambitious ones made it their business to get on air, Thomas Msengana being a dreaded young man from the Western Cape with a rather polished accent and knack for rap music, he would be one to look out for, with the freedoms enjoyed at Y, this would appear rather easy for this crop.
HISTORY
According to a multiple awarded advertising genius and yes the brains behind the station as a campaign for TBWA an agency he was employed by back in ’96-98, who modestly refuses to accept his creation.
But he firmly states that; “Sometime in 1998 I found myself sitting on the roof of a bar in Rocky Street in Yeoville, Joburg. Perched on beer crates, my art director and I were surrounded by a large ring of people. They were distinctly unhappy. Not a malevolent, nasty kind of unhappy, but grumpy nonetheless.
We had just finished a presentation. We had showed them concepts to launch their brave and interesting new radio station.They thought the ideas were horseshit” says Chris referring to DJ Fresh and probably Sanza sipping on a Black Label in what I suspect is Tandoor in Yoeville.
Chris Gotz continues to say “It felt underground and risky and wonderful and new. In no time YFM grew to a million listeners. It is still the fastest growing radio station in South African broadcast history. I’d like to think it was us, but I suspect it had a lot to do with DJ Fresh on that hot, boozy roof in Rocky Street”.
CURRENTLY
YFM currently plays little to no Kwaito but, sighting the foundation of the station. This lacks sustainability and the credibility in my view. Since this is an opinion piece, let me speak. The introduction of the Y-academy looked like a great idea but with terrible returns for the listeners at least. From the listeners’ point of view, the hurdles had been jumped by the predecessors; the current hosts had to run with the baton.
The station has reshuffled shows and hosts to no avail. It is without a doubt that the current crops of talent are very Euro-centric and an educated bunch. The station truly lacks personality and relevance. 90% of the youth in this country reside in the townships, much to my surprise when Kwaito was pulled from Hot 99 which was replaced by Dub-step of all genres.
The content in the youth space displays no desire of being head and shoulders above the rest, it lacks a lot of character, direction and most of all, hope.
Where did it all go wrong? Just go to Yworld.co.za and the landing page will tell you exactly what it is the youth are offering the masses, in our little corners these conversations continue but back at 99.2 it’s business as usual, the advertisers are not complaining I presume.