Jozi FM CEO Mpho Mhlongo believes hiring former Gagasi FM radio presenter Penny Ntuli was something the community station needed to do.
Mid-Morning Chat show
Ntuli has joined the station as the host of the Mid-Morning Chat show from 9am-12pm Monday to Friday. This comes after the radio personality recently disclosed that Gagasi FM had offered to renew her contract at a monthly salary of R2,800.
Speaking to Sunday World this week, Mhlongo said some things cannot go to waste. And Ntuli’s talent was something he could not see go to waste.
“We hired her because of the gift she has and the different talents that she has. So, for us, we wanted to allow her to do what she has been gifted to do. She is an inspiration to many people if you understand her background. It makes it easy for many to be inspired by her journey in this industry, where there are limited opportunities,” said Mhlongo.
Advised against taking a break
“We started talking to her at the end of last week. We had a very long discussion even though she was very difficult to get hold of. My discussion with her was that she did not have to come to us. When she told me she wanted to take a break from radio, I advised against that idea. Because the world is moving on and she will be forgotten if she takes that break.”
Mhlongo shared that Ntuli does not have anything that puts her in an advantaged position. However, her willpower to achieve and go beyond is what made him give her another shot at radio.
“We need to get a lot more people who will get inspired by her. For us, it was about giving her that platform to continue shining. Inspiring with her God-given talent.”
Mhlongo said surprisingly, the station was not eyeing her in the past. They never thought Ntuli would want to relocate to Johannesburg.
“We could not allow her talent to go to waste if we kept quiet. [That would make us] guilty of allowing her to fade. This when we know we need so many people to be inspired.”
Topped social media trends
Since the radio personality joined Jozi FM this past week it has topped trends on social media platforms. Mhlongo said Ntuli is pushing the station to get out of their comfort zone.
“When you have too many eyes on you, you need to be on top of your game. Because you now suddenly have to work even harder. We are no longer as comfortable as we were, which is a good thing.
“We do not have volunteers and all our staff are paid salaries. Ntuli is going to push us to a higher level. We do expect numbers, but I do not necessarily think we had planned it that way. This is how it has turned out.”
He added that he did not expect this avalanche of attention that the station was getting. They were not really shocked but surprised with what Ntuli has done by joining the station.
