P4 Women on the Move

P4 104.9fm, the Heart and Soul of Cape Town, has appointed 3 new female DJ's to its line-up, as well as moving the ever-popular Natalie Becker into a prime weekday morning slot. The move forms part of the station's new line-up which launched on Monday 29 September, providing an exciting end to P4's month-long 6th birthday celebrations.

Becker has been on air at P4 for 4 years already, and her weekend show "Breakfast in Bed with Natalie Becker" has built her a loyal following. But says assistant station manager Philippa Hudson, her move into weekday radio is well overdue : "Natalie has been one of our most popular DJ's for some time now, with audience figures climbing steadily despite Cape Town's habit of rising late on weekends. Her extensive work in modelling, TV and other media has also built her national profile, making her instantly recognisable to FHM readers and TV viewers alike. But although Natalie's beauty is a head-turner, her real success on air comes from her sharp mind and warm personality, which we are sure are going to contribute to a funky, interesting new lifestyle show which will showcase Cape Town and its people."

Developing female talent is something P4 is passionate about, as the station feels there are still too few women on the airwaves, particularly in a DJ'ing role. That changed at the start of this month, however, when 3 new ladies lined up on the weekend roster. Fiona Furey, best known to many Capetonians as one of the hottest club DJ's in town, takes over Becker's 6-9am slot on Saturdays and Sundays, with a show which looks certain to wake up the city with fresh new energy. Another newcomer, Pam Lungu, otherwise known as "Lady P" will host the 1-5pm slot, during which the former Bush Radio presenter will feature in many of the station's popular outside broadcasts. And from 9pm till 1am, former Miss South Africa judge and Good Hope fm presenter Genevieve Howard returns to the station where she first started out as a news anchor, this time hosting a late-night party show. Her co-host Jason Maneveld has been a regular stand-in DJ and behind-the-scenes man at P4 for some years now, and deservingly takes on his own on-air slot as part of this fast-paced, battle-of-the-sexes duo.

With latest research showing that P4 has a weekly listenership of 350 000, and all indications that this number will continue to rise, the station is confident that the new female presence in the line-up will only attract a larger and more diverse audience - as well as offering more options to its growing pool of advertisers. The station's increasing popularity and pulling power were demonstrated at the end of September when several thousand people turned out for its 6th birthday bash at Dockside, where Garth Taylor, Jae, Loyiso and Jonathan Butler rocked the crowd and put a fitting end to the month-long birthday celebrations.