Well-known radio personality and station manager, Allan Barnard, says the station boasts a selection of talented presenters with big personalities who have cut their teeth at some of South Africa’s most successful stations, as well as a few fresh new voices, broadcasting in Afrikaans and English. Barnard continues that the team is inspired by countryside living, wide-open spaces and the stories that define the West Coast and Swartland.

The station kicks off with the Sunrise Show from 06:00 to 09:00 weekdays, hosted by Christo Gawie, the popular former Breakfast Show presenter on Eden FM in George. He also hosts the Saturday evening show from 18:00 to 21:00. In addition, Gawie does duty as freelance reporter on Super 15 rugby for SABC and RSG. He is a recipient of the 2003 President's Award for Youth Empowerment in South Africa.

A familiar voice to radio audiences on the Garden Route, interim presenter Joani Allen, takes over from 09:00 to Noon, Mondays to Saturdays. She has been involved in broadcasting since 1999 and received her formal training from entertainment legend, Paul Eihlers. Allen has presented on South Cape Stereo, Eden FM and Heartbeat FM. She later moved to Pretoria to spread her wings and worked as presenter at Radio Rippel. She currently wears two hats as she is the sales manager at Sunshine Radio.

The midday slot (Noon to 15:00) is presented by someone who needs little introduction, Niekie van den Berg. He started as a radio presenter in June 1982 at the then Radio Suid-Afrika. He has also done television work, where he was producer of the popular actuality programme, Verslag, and presented the magazine programme Uit En Tuis. When he returned to full-time radio, he presented the controversial talk programme Sê Wie on RSG. Van den Berg also did a stint in parliament and later joined the Netwerk24 team in Johannesburg, where he presented the programme Nuusdag met Van den Berg. He has won three Artes Awards as well as numerous awards for his work on radio.

Veteran radio personality, Allan Barnard and his novice co-host, Heidi Brand, host the Drive Show between 15:00 and 18:00. According to Barnard, he joined Sunshine Radio 100.6FM to, in his words, “create a radio home for all those people who feel lost in the vast jungle of sausage factory radio stations in the Cape. In my humble opinion, they all sound the same”, he says, “so we want to stand out for playing familiar music all the time and talking about bread-and-butter issues that matter to ordinary people without too much razzmatazz”.

Barnard presents his show from the satellite studio at Kasteelberg Country Inn in Riebeek Kasteel. He was born on the West Coast in Saldanha Bay and raised in Cape Town. He started his long career in radio at then Radio Good Hope in 1985. He joined KFM in 1997 and after more than a decade of presenting the Morning and Afternoon Drive shows alternatively, he moved to 567 Cape Talk and 702’s Solid Gold Weekends for an eight-year stint where, as he puts it, “they put me out to pasture, but I loved every minute of grazing on the hits of yesteryear”.

As station manager and anchor presenter, his show, which he co-presents with Riebeek Kasteel local, Heidi Brand, is something not to be missed. Brand made her debut as a radio presenter at the insistence of Barnard, who says “she is absolutely a radio natural. She is fun, witty and has an approach to radio that is unfettered by previous radio experience. Listeners instantly connect to her down-to-earth humour. We laugh a lot on the show”.

Ziaan Siems is a Cape Town lad who matriculated in the Swartland village of Porterville and who gained valuable experience at Radio Helderberg after completing a radio presenter course in 2014. Laid-back and fun-loving, this talented young presenter will give you that extra boost to start your evening on the Sunset Show from 18:00 to 21:00 on weekdays. He also hosts the weekly Sunshine Top 30 on Saturdays between Noon and 15:00.

On Saturdays between 15:00 and 18:00, Herman Senekal intends making his programme a springboard for emerging local artists by introducing their new music to his audience. His mellow style of presenting is certain to appeal to those that are not TV sport-watching fanatics. Senekal started his career as presenter at Radio Springbok in the Northern Cape. He soon crept into the hearts of his thousands of listeners but had to make a move to Cape Town for career-related reasons. He wants to create a chilled-out Saturday afternoon vibe with well-loved songs and life-style content.

Says Barnard: “We’re privileged to broadcast from a region where we can draw inspiration from the people, places, tastes and sounds that make up the daily fabric of life out here where the living is still easy.”

Sunshine Radio’s broadcast reach extends to a combined region of more than 100 000 km² that is home to almost two million diverse listeners. Barnard concludes; “From Vredenburg to Langebaan, Blouberg to Malmesbury, Stellenbosch to Wolseley and Somerset West to Cape Town CBD, Sunshine Radio 100.6FM’s mission is to always be there to keep our listeners company with a familiar sound.”

Tune in at 100.6fm or online at www.sunshineradio.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.