Breakfast with Martin Bester remains Mzansi's favourite way to wake up

The 12th annual Radio Awards honouring outstanding achievements across varying radio stations was held this weekend where Jacaranda FM scooped up four SA Radio Awards they were nominated for.

“This station, her people, and the community we serve absolutely deserve these awards. We dedicate these awards to every Good Morning Angel, every client and partner, every caller, and every listener who plugs into this great station everyday – Thank you!” says Deirdre King, managing director.

The Best Breakfast Show in Mzansi

Martin Bester and his team once again earned the hearts and ears of Mzansi with an impressive three wins. The Best Commercial Breakfast Show award went to Breakfast with Martin Bester for the second year in a row where Martin Bester and his team were rewarded for their exciting content and relatability that places the listener at the centre of every moment.

“This is an absolute honour and a great feeling to get this acknowledgement from my peers and our listeners (our morning family as we call them). My job is made so much easier by a fantastic production team and wonderful content to work with. Everyone on my team and especially our listeners make this show so special. I’m so grateful, I’m so humbled!” says Martin Bester.

The Breakfast with Martin Bester team kept raking in the accolades. The longstanding Good Morning Angels feature on Breakfast with Martin Bester won the Best Commercial Station Community Project award for ‘Helping single mom Nkami back on her feet’ – a standout community project celebrated at the SA Radio Awards where Jacaranda FM was the only commercial radio station to receive three nods in this category.

No other radio station has given back to the community, every week, without missing a single broadcast since 2005 and it’s this legacy that has contributed to the station’s unofficial name – ‘the Angel headquarters of South Africa’.

“Our executive producer, Megan Mitchell shared the story of a single mom from Kempton Park, and we immediately wanted to help her. I think a lot of people can relate to her and the hardships faced when doing your best to work and support your family. Her story really touched our listeners hearts and that morning I could not be more proud of our listeners, who became angels as they donated way more than she asked for. From a sewing machine to Wi-Fi, to a bursary and holiday work for her daughter and a car. We still stay in touch with her and she remains a special story that highlighted Jacaranda FM and the most generous listeners in the country,” adds Bester

Innovation at the Station

Jacaranda FM and the Breakfast with Martin Bester show went on to win another award in the category for Best Commercial Radio Innovation.

“When it comes to innovation we are so proud of the ideas and creative we come up with – like our own kids band the 942s – our listeners helped us put the band together by choosing the members and name. We then went on to record a single with them that shot to the SA top 20. During a time when kids needed motivation and entertainment during lockdown – innovation helped us connect again. We read the room really well, and I’m sure we’ll use innovation to connect when the next challenge comes around,” says Bester

Other innovations at the station include the ‘Only Local’ pop-up station took the concept of the popular ‘Friday Live’ (where artists perform live every week) feature a step further during heritage month to launch a streaming platform that would give local musicians an additional stage to share their craft, as well as deliver on Jacaranda FM’s brand promise of ‘More Music you Love’ with a new product for their community to enjoy.

Jacaranda FM also turned to long-term client Tracker with a wildly ambitious idea, and together the two brands created ‘Mzansi Quest’ – South Africa’s first free virtual reality (VR) game and Metaverse (a first for radio) where players could explore a virtual Mzansi, learn about our country’s iconic landmarks, and pursue a grand prize of R50,000.

The award-winning ‘Mzansi Quest’ was brave and innovative, attracting almost 12,000 unique players and elevated the radio broadcast sector through the use of innovative technologies.

Developing in-house talent

Jacaranda FM has a deep focus on advancing and developing talent. This year the station announced a few big moves for existing talent like Rozanne McKenzie, Thabiso Khambule, Danny Painter, and Philicity Reeken who have all progressed onto prominent positions at the station.

Another talent being cultivated at the station is Bright Star Inductee and The Drive with Rob and Roz producer – Owen Crafford. Crafford was stunned by his award and said: “It’s just a piece of paper, but this piece of paper represents the long nights, the extra miles, and the hard work we put in to give our listeners ‘more music you love’ and I’m so grateful my contribution is felt. It’s wonderful to be able to share my creativity with a station that is rooting for me to win.”

“Want to wish all the Bright Star and hall of fame inductees, as well as Rorisang Mkhumbeni – the bursary awardee, a very well deserved congratulations,” adds King.

The award-winning station has become a relied upon platform for trusted news and family-friendly entertainment, innovation, developing the best talent in SA Radio, and showing up for the community when help is needed.

About Jacaranda FM

Jacaranda FM broadcasts at 94.2 FM from Midrand, Gauteng, and is one of the most popular radio stations with a substantial footprint across Mzansi. The station has a bilingual (English and Afrikaans) commercial license in the country; broadcasting regionally across Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the North West Province.

Jacaranda FM also carries a national footprint through streaming audio on www.jacarandafm.com or the Jacaranda FM App. The multi-channel media brand provides an array of popular talent, easy-listening music, radio programming, social media engagement, concerts, online shopping, as well as sporting and social events.

Sustainable community initiatives form part of Jacaranda FM’s DNA with Good Morning Angels helping people and communities in need for the past 17 years. The station engages with over four million people across their platforms monthly, and provides market access for thousands of businesses seeking to engage a loyal South African community.