#BehindtheSelfie with... Boni Mchunu
1. Where do you live, work and play?
I live in Padfield Park. It is somewhat in the countryside of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), between Kloof and Pinetown.
I work for Kagiso Media. As general manager for East Coast Radio, I’m responsible for managing the regional commercial radio station in KZN.
KZN is my home and my playground.
2. What’s your claim to fame?
I’m a girl who was born in the dusty streets of Imbali township in Pietermaritzburg, who has been to more than 72 countries in the world.
I’m the first black South African woman to lead one of the biggest commercial radio stations in KZN.
I’m also the shy motivational speaker, who has motivated matriculants around KZN, and the woman who knows and who is living proof of what education can do for underprivileged South Africans.
3. Describe your career so far.
My career has been very diverse, interesting and not centred around one industry. Along this path called a career, I have learned that business is business, regardless of industry. It about the 7Ps marketing model, but most importantly, it’s about top and bottom line.
At ECR, I’m responsible for ensuring that the business is efficient and fully operational. Secondly, my responsibility is to ensure that the business has the required resources to function optimally and deliver profitable revenue for the shareholder.
4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.
I love life and this for me means going to places with my husband and friends, taking holidays with my kids, and dining out. It also means exploring new things – I learnt how to ride a bike when my first son was born. I love running and cycling.
5. What do you love about your industry?
I love media because it’s not static; it’s exciting and fast-paced. Being in the media, and particularly radio means we can influence the lives of the people we serve, so I consider this opportunity as a privilege that I will cherish for as long as I live.
We connect millions of South Africans with the world and we bring the world to South Africa, particularly to KZN.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
Every day I wake up with an attitude that says, “I’m blessed to see another day to serve my family, all ECR employees, KZN and all stakeholders.”
Upon waking up, I tune into ECR on 94.95FM to listen to my breakfast team. Every day without fail, I drive to work listening to ECR and our breakfast show helps me to start the day on a high.
We have a strategic operational plan, which serves as a guiding document to help us align our actions with strategy.
I’m an open book, what you see is what you get and I believe very much in an open-door policy, so I make it a point that I see the entire team at ECR both structurally and un-structurally. I like to have conversations with people regarding business ideas and innovation.Over- and above-structured departmental meetings, I do my ‘floor walks’ every Friday and I try to see as many of my team members as I possibly can.
7. What are the tools of your trade?
- Listen more and talk less, especially with staff
- Stakeholder engagement, with both listeners and advertisers
- Research before making any changes
- Brand marketing, especially to reach out to the millennials and the hybrid consumers
- Relevance – being in the know. Content is king in this industry, but it has to be delivered creatively and authentically
- The importance of a multimedia offering – digital integration to radio is fundamental
8. Who is getting it right in your industry?
Kagiso Media, especially the ECR brand within the group. We are the most proudly diverse radio station in KZN, we are market leaders in the digital space, and we are at the forefront of exploring the digital landscape.
ECR also has the biggest website in terms of UBs in South Africa.
9. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.
I personally think radio is undervalued in South Africa, and I think it is a very powerful medium. The industry has not worked together to validate the importance of radio, which is why the new media is sometimes perceived to be better than traditional media, like ours.
Secondly, media – not just radio, but overall – in South Africa is lagging in terms of transformation for both race and gender, equally. I don’t think there is enough supporting structure to enable transformation to prosper, and therefore people, especially women and people of colour, don’t stay long in this industry.
10. What are you working on right now?
There is a lot! We are working on market study research, which I’m very excited about because it will inform our future strategic intentions. We are also working on a brand campaign that will take ECR from good to a great brand, in both KZN and South Africa.
11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
‘Podcasting’ and ‘digital’ are the buzzwords currently. Simply put, podcasting is on-demand audio content, replayed online.
My favourite catchphrases are ‘greatness’ and ‘leadership’. I love both these. I utter them a lot and this is what they mean for me:
Greatness is not an event, it is about showing up and showing up entirely every day. Leadership is not about the title, it is about leading yourself within the space that you occupy.
12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
13. What’s your secret talent/party trick?
I love cooking for my family; my husband adores everything that I cook for him. I love beautiful spaces and I think I have an eye for beautiful home pieces… when I’m big one day I would like to venture and explore interior decoration.
14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?
I’m not a technophobe at all. I love technology and I think it is the new global buzzword. It is fascinating to see what technology can do today, like with #FeesMustFall and #MeToo.
These campaigns were brought to life through technology, which for me re-emphasises the importance of this powerful and well-adopted innovation by all global citizens.
But I don’t think I will ever be as good with the gadgets as my kids are…
15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?
Motivational quotes, books to buy and beautiful spaces and clothes.
16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?
Be yourself, work hard and the universe will find you. Know where you come from, where you are and where you intend going, and the sky will be the limit.
Simple as that. Follow Mchunu on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, visit the East Coast Radio press office and follow East Coast Radio on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
