#BehindtheMask: Azania Mosaka celebrates 20 years in broadcasting

Wow! You're celebrating 20 years in broadcasting this year. Congratulations! Tell us, what does that feel like?

It feels so surreal because all I did was take small steps, and now I see one giant milestone. It's hard to believe.

When I started in broadcasting, I was just driven by doing this thing that I love, but I have had to overcome a lot.

I look around, and I see men who have reached this milestone, but not many women have had a 20-year-long uninterrupted career in radio. I am proud. And I see how this enables young women to see a long career in radio for themselves.

Did you have any idea you'd reach such a milestone?

In those early years, the threat of not reaching this point was very real, so it was a fight. Think of it as getting on a rodeo ride and knowing it will throw you off and that it will last for as long as it lasts. There was a lot of politics because it is contract work and managers didn't exactly do much to allay those anxieties or levels of insecurity. But the longer I worked, the more assured of my abilities I became.

How did it all start for you?

I started in television with a youth talk show named The Joint in 1994. It was an exciting time; a new democratic government, we were free, the birth of kwaito. And the voice of the youth needed to be heard. I was a co-host on the show with Timothy Horwood. When that ended, I went to be young and wild in London for three years.

When I came back, I helped out some friends who were shooting a pilot for a show they were pitching. They got the show, and I was one of the hosts. BassIQ on SABC 3. When that show ended I did a demo for radio. I was persistent.

I was working as a production assistant on the afternoon drive on Metro FM. I shopped my demo around hoping that someone would pick it up. Then one day the programmes manager at Metro FM, listened to it, liked it and told me to do daily practice shows for him in a backup studio. I started standing in for other presenters and the rest flowed from there.

Growing up and before getting into broadcasting, what did you want to do with your life?

I loved the arts and fashion. I used to have a fashion file with all my designs. But my father didn't believe that there was a future in the arts, so he forced me to do science subjects in school. I passed well with a distinction in Science, so he said to go to Wits. I thought I would be an economist. And then I went to the airport as a kid and saw aeroplanes, then I wanted to be a pilot. But when I got into the media, everything else became insignificant.

What’s really behind your mask - literally and figuratively speaking?

Literally, a wide gapped smile. I am loving where I am in life right now. It has its challenges, and it has beauty and I am in love with it. Figuratively, an introvert who is intuitive and sensitive and loves deeply. My personality tests confirm that I am diplomatic in nature, inclusive and consultative, yet not afraid to make decisions. I go down rabbit holes, and I am curious and imaginative. I am a lover.

What excites you most about the industry?

Audio excites me. More than video most times. Podcasts excite me and how they can elevate radio is what I am excited about. I also get excited by the role radio plays in people's lives. Radio is that friend you are happy to be around no matter the weather.

When you're not busy working, what do you do? How do you socialise these days?

I love hiking, yoga and cooking. I am not big on socialising unless it's someone or something important to me. I love being home. I've always been a homebody.

With such a long-standing career, what are your most notable highlights?

The highlights are some of the conversations I've been lucky to have. I've interviewed all sorts of people and it's the conversations that have left a big impression of me that are my highlight.

I've travelled the world because of radio; like the 777 tour with Rihanna because I am a known fan. We went to seven cities, in seven countries, in 7 days. On a Boeing 777 with Rihanna on the plane. We watched her perform every night at the different country launches and partied with her at the after parties. It was epic!

I broadcast from 15 African countries over 21 days. I've come up with and pioneered a few radio features that have been adopted by other hosts on different radio stations.

If you could change anything about your career, what would it be? Why?

I would have studied radio earlier. I wonder how that would have shaped my approach. So far I've learned everything I know on the job.

For anyone starting out in the broadcasting industry now, what advice would you give to them?

Focus on the craft first. The rest will follow. Be a person of value. Fame means nothing without a solid foundation.

You've been on radio and TV shows, and you're an entrepreneur. What's next on your radar?

I've gone back to school again, and I am studying right now and excited to learn something new and expand my mind. Last year I studied breath work, and now it's time to share it and help others discover the preventative medicine that is our breath.