Are you the next Miss South Africa?

This weekend the search to find the new Miss South Africa continues, as the nationwide search comes to Gauteng. The auditions take place at Carnival City out in Brakpan and so if you think you have what it takes to be the next Miss South Africa, then be sure to get on down there. Warning though, it wont be an issue ride. You’ll have to impress judges Sonia Raciti-Oshry, Sonia Sedibe and Kieno Kammies… but they’re not the only ones. Radio and TV personalities, Robert Marawa and Anele Mdoda join the panel and celebrity judges for this round.

If there’s one quote that sticks out in my mind, it’s Anele’s Twitter bio: “Be as interested as you are interesting.” and so if you’re auditioning this weekend, be sure to follow this wisdom
Should you make it through to the next round, you’ll join 33 other hopefuls at the Wild Coast Sun in KwaZulu-Natal for a series of workshops, set to take place between the 3rd and the 9th of September. During the workshops the girls will participate in workshops involving communication, elocution, make-up and hair, ramp modelling, health and fitness, and financial planning. They’ll then be put to the test with a bunch of tasks and the field will be narrowed down accordingly. 16 will make it through to the next round, but only 12 will make to the pageant stage, which is set to take place on the 9th of December at the Sun City Superbowl. You can catch the show on Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 107. For more information check out the official Miss SA site.

Anele heading back to 94.7 Highveld Stereo

One of SA’s most loved stars, Anele Mdoda or simply just Anele, is making a move… The 5FM DJ will be leaving the station at the end of March. She’ll be returning to regional station, 94.7 Highveld Stereo as of the beginning of April. The DJ, who kicked off her radio career at Tuks FM during her varsity days, used to host the evening show on the 94.7 with her good friend, Grant Nash a few years ago. The duo then moved to 5FM, where they’ve hosted the 12-3 show ever since.

94.7 made the news official via their Twitter stream earlier saying: “@Anele is coming back to @947Highveld to rev up Afternoon Drive!!! #greatnews“

Anele will be hosting the drive time show, which means the current host Mark Pilgrim will be moving on, as will the awesome Bailey Schneider. No word on what their plans are, or what 5FM and Anele’s co-host Grant will do as yet, but the radio shuffle continues…As soon as I have official word, I’ll post it up here. For now, a big congrats to Anele for this achievement, it’s a big deal and I feel she will rise to the challenge.

Note to self, time to get that demo done and polished… again!

Spend New Year’s Eve with 5FM’s Grant and Anele

New Year’s Eve- one of the biggest parties to bid the year gone by a fond farewell on the one hand and to warmly welcome in the new year, its challenges, memories and in general good times. If you’re abroad or at the coast, you’re lucky because there really is nothing better. I am in Johannesburg, South Africa for New Years again so obviously the search to find the biggest, the best and the most festive party is on. Here’s one party that is tickling my fancy and it might do the same for you:

Grant & Anele (5FM) presents Sunset Beach NYE Party
Date: 31/12/2011 – 01/01/2012
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 AM
Location: Outer Limits, Cedar Rd, Broadacres
Contact email: adrian@myjet.co.za
Contact phone: 0824506094

Unathi’s delectable album listening session

Let’s break this down shall we. Unathi Msengana is:

-       A radio DJ. She’s one third of The First Avenue with Glen Lewis and Mel Bala on Metro FM

-       She’s the fairer and more beautiful part of the Idols judging panel. She joined Gareth Cliff and Randall Abrahams at the beginning of this season and she’s been nothing other than great and a wonderful addition to this show.

-       She’s a wife and a mother. Her and husband Thomas Msengana welcomed their second child into the world (a baby girl) a few months ago.

-       She’s an ambassador for Five Roses Tea and Lindt

-       AND she’s a singer, who has released two successful albums (SAMA nominated).

-       She’s an all-round wonderful person to be around. She exudes optimism, positivity, good energies. I love being around her.

Those are just some of many talents Unathi Msengana has. There are many more but she has to save a bit for us

So with all of that in mind, I was delighted when I got an invite to attend Unathi’s listening session for her new album With Love. The album will be out in stores next month (date TBC). The invite said we should meet at the Lindt shop in design quarter. A listening session at the Lindt Chocolate Studio? You know this is going to be a goodie. Off I went to the event to see Unathi and others at the shop. 5FM’s Anele was there as were my dear friends Gabi from City Press and Zinhle from Sunday Times Lifestyle. In total there were about 15 of us.

Anele’s Audi A1 Table Mountain Mission

Radio and TV personality Anele Mdoda recently made her way up the cablecar for her first Table Mountain experience. She, together with co-host Grant Nash, we filming an episode of (TV)5 – and naturally she took her little A1 for a spin around town and to The Mountain. Check out the vibe.

Audi A1 launches in SA

One of the hottest cars to hit South Africa in recent years has to be the new Audi A1. It’s been dubbed ‘The Next Big Thing’ and in celebration of its arrival, six South African celebrities have been tasked with being ambassadors for the next six months. They are 5FM DJ and TV personality, Anele Mdoda; models Roxy Louw and Shashi Naidoo, SA swimmer Cameron van der Burgh, TV/ Radio personality Siya Ngwekazi and one of my favourite peops in the industry, the lovely Top Billing/ Top Travel presenter Jeannie D. Lucky them- they’ve got some hot cars, and for the next six months, you can expect to see a lot more from them and their new cars. We’re going to get fun, creative, interactive so stay tuned. In the mean time, here are four videos for you to see what went down pre-launch, launch, who was in attendance and the first three ambassador parties- held at Grand Central Cafe in Melrose Arch, Jozi:

Pre-launch video

Ambassadors announced at the launch:

Other famous (jealous) names at the launch:

Ambassador party- Jeannie, Roxy, Siya:

(TV) 5 is coming

One of South Africa’s leading radio stations, 5FM is expanding – and not in the traditional sense whereby they get more DJs and make the studios bigger. Nope, this time around they’re doing something that hasn’t been done yet. The radio station is making its way onto TV channel SABC3 in the form of (TV)5- billed as ‘The television face of 5FM’. The music, lifestyle and entertainment show kicks off next week Friday (the 4th) on SABC 3 at 19:30. It’ll be anchored by lunchtime duo Grant and Anele and will feature some of the stations other big names and features.

Other features you can expect to see on the show include Gareth Cliff’s News to Use or Lose; 5FM’s Power Nite DJs will present their relevant music genre’s top 5 tracks each week. Tyren of The Fresh Drive  will also be featured in the show in the form of Tyren’s Top Five on a daily basis.

Station Manager at 5FM Aisha Mohamed says “5FM has always taken a unique approach to radio, viewing it as a brand rather than just a radio platform. 5FM aims to be a multi-platform youth offering which is accessible on many levels; (TV)5 is a part of this 360 degree approach to radio, adding an exciting new dimension to 5FM’s brand offering.” SABC3 Marketing Manager Risuna Mayimele says that (TV)5 is an exciting new addition to the channel’s Friday night entertainment line-up. “SABC 3 is excited to be launching a local entertainment programme powered by an innovative and edgy brand like 5FM. This is a powerful media platform that brings the power of radio to TV, and we believe that the fusion of these two brands will enable SABC3 to connect with the younger market in a fresh manner.”

Man oh man, here’s my dream job coming to life. I’ve been listening to 5FM for as long as I can remember and the station just keeps getting better and better. The station is always pushing the boundaries, new technologies, features; the DJs are fun, intelligent and entertaining. The station’s constant drive to stay at the forefront as a market leader in radio, has seen it throughout the years, effortlessly rebranding itself in true 5FM style. Think about it, whether it’s Radio 5, 5, 5FM Music, 5FM, people of all ages and now races have come to and still love this station. It’s more than just a radio station, it’s a brand and a culture that so many of us have come to love. In fact I remember going to America a few years back. I was out of the country for three months and because I missed the station and the DJs so much, I often streamed it live. Some of my American friends were pretty impressed with what we had to offer the world of radio and entertainment. So big up!

While we’ve seen many of the DJs on TV before, to see some of the other personalities on our screens now will be awesome too! I think this show will be very entertaining, fun and a perfect way to get the weekend going. There will be more on (TV)5 in the weeks to come- so stay tuned.