Gagasi FM strengthens its line-up

Seasoned newsreader Bright Ntuli and sports presenter Simtho Dladla will now become dedicated team members of the breakfast show, I Love Mornings. The show will also be joined by Lebo Rakoatse as the traffic reporter for I Love Mornings. The show, which airs weekdays between 6am and 9am, is hosted by Mzokoloko and co-host/producer Nonjabulo "Njabs" Zwane.

The afternoon drive show on weekdays between 3pm and 6pm, Afternoon Show Off, will be joined by comedian Mpukane as the dedicated traffic reporter. Newsreader Simphiwe Zakwe will also form part of the team while Skhulile Ngcobo will be the show's sports presenter. Afternoon Show Off is co-hosted by Trevor "TP" Phillips and Thandolwethu.

Another seasoned news reader, Zilungile Makhanya, will become part of Teatime to Lunchtime and The Big Bang; the two shows are hosted by Zookey Zarling and Kini Shandu respectively.

Sports presenter Gabriel Sithole has rejoined Gagasi FM as the sports editor and will also be the main anchor of the sports show, Extra Time, which airs on Mondays and Fridays between 6pm and 7pm. Football expert Mike Makaab will continue to provide commentary on the show as a co-host. The Extra Time show will be produced by Simtho Dladla. Other new voices will be Nomalanga Shozi and DJ Junior De Rocker who will co-host the Hip-Hop Gagasi Music Sessions on Thursdays between 8pm and 10pm. Nomalanga will also do weekend slots between 1am and 4am on Saturdays and 4am and 6am on Sundays.

Victor Rose Jnr will be the new host of Urban Top 30 on Saturdays between 10am and 1pm while Nwabisa Hadebe will host Youth Chat Express on Wednesdays between 7pm and 8pm.

"Following the major changes that we did last year, we decided to now beef up our prime-time shows. By having a dedicated talent for news, sports and traffic roles, it will allow the shows to grow in terms of delivery on-air as these guys will essentially become part of the shows, which is something we didn't exactly have before. We are also bringing fresh talent on board, which is also something that has always been part of our programming approach and it has worked well in terms of strengthening and developing our pool of talent, this is evident by the stability we have achieved in terms of our audience numbers for the past three years," says Gagasi FM Programmes Manager, Mimi Kesaris.

The changes will also see radio legend Lekomotion retiring from on-air after 20 years of radio. He did his last show on the 25th of April and his slot, 1pm to 4pm on Saturdays, will now be done by Collen Zondo. Lekomotion will now focus his expertise within programming as the station's on-air specialist, responsible for on-air talent development.

"We would like to thank Leko for his contribution on-air over the years. We all know that radio can be a very unpredictable industry especially on-air so to have spent 20 years behind the mic is quite a milestone. We are also happy that he is by no means lost to the industry and in particular not lost to Gagasi FM as he will continue with his role behind the scenes and we look forward to the continuation of his valuable contribution to the station," adds Mimi.

Gagasi FM's new line-up went live on 2 May.