By Aisling McCarthy

Moving to the breakfast slot

Host of 947’s Breakfast Xpress, Darren Simpson, announced this morning that as of Monday, 3 April, Mdoda will be taking the reins of his show. He says that “Breakfast radio is physically and emotionally exhausting,” and that he wants to be able to spend more time with his family. Both he and his team will be moving to the Afternoon Drive show.

Mdoda says that despite rumours of her moving to Jacaranda FM to host their breakfast show, she has no intention of it, but that the breakfast slot is something every radio personality covets.

“I guess when you do radio, you always know that sooner or later you wanna do breakfast, it’s like winning a grand slam in tennis, only you have to win it every day. Even when I started radio, you know, the breakfast job was someone who set the tone of the station and, more importantly, set the tone of the day for the listeners. And I have always wanted to do that.”

In April 2012, Mdoda took over as host of the Afternoon Drive, making her the first woman in South Africa to hold that position. She says, though, that none of it would have been possible without the help and support of the team at 947 and her loyal listeners.

“I swear, it really feels like yesterday and it’s just been great, because you know, you really can’t do it alone. Which means that you are building relationships with people on air and off air, you’re building relationships with clients, you’re building relationships with listeners. So I think if there is anything I can celebrate, it’s the fact that I have really surrounded myself with the best team in the world and the best listeners.”

The demands of radio

Mdoda says that although it is great fun, radio is also a job that has demands, targets, and a large amount of accountability.

“I think we forget, because we get lost in the celebration of things, we forget that there’s a mandate, you know? I have shareholders who I need to keep happy and, luckily, what I need to do to keep the shareholders happy is something that is inherently in me.”

Radio is a business, and Mdoda says that although it is challenging, it is the perfect fit for her. With numerous people demanding different things from the host, being on air is a juggling act, but one which Mdoda is well versed in.

“Shareholders want their returns, the listeners want their entertainment, advertisers want their sales, so there’s a lot of people who want things. But it’s perfect because I’m fully equipped to give it to them.”

Women in the broadcast industry

Despite now being the first woman to host the breakfast show on 947, Mdoda says that she does not want this to mean something to women specifically, but rather, to everyone in the industry.

Although radio is a male dominated industry, Mdoda says that most other industries are as well and that does not affect the way in which she does her job at all.

“I don’t sit and think ‘oh my god, we’re in a male-dominated field’ I just feel like I’m in a field where I must kick ass. And it’s easy for me to work in that because I enjoy the work every day. So I don’t see it as a big feat, you know like ‘oh my god, this is amazing for women’.”

She says that for young women who want to get into the broadcast industry, it is important to remember that whatever position you hold is important and that you should always strive to be the best.

“I’ve always said that I don’t believe in side-kicks, co-hosts or 'you’re just there to be the newsreader'. Whatever position you have which allows you to be on the microphone, that in itself is a great honour and you decide where you take that honour.”

Although she does look up to certain women in the industry, Mdoda asserts that she never looked up to them specifically because they were women in broadcast, but because of the way they did things.

“I can’t say I [only] have women who I look up to. My favourite broadcasters were Shado Twala, it was Jeremy Mansfield, it was Gareth Cliff and Bob Mabela. I’ve never been like ‘I’m a female broadcaster, therefore I need to look up to female broadcasters’. It’s never been like that.”

On her accolades

Having won numerous awards, including being named Rising Star of the Year in 2012 and Best Radio Personality in South Africa at the 2014 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards, Mdoda says that although awards do mean something, they shouldn’t mean everything.

“You’ll get in your own way if accolades, like ‘female this or that’, mean something to you. That’s something I’ve always been conscious of in broadcasting.”

She explains that no matter how many titles and awards you may be given; you always have to keep working in order to be great.

“I hope it doesn’t come across as ungrateful - I am very privileged to be where I am, but I don’t necessarily subscribe to this ‘first anything’ you know? You’ll just get in your own way. I think you’ll kind of believe that you don’t have to be excellent because you’ve already been given this accolade before you’ve even started doing the show.”

Mdoda says that she is ready to take on this new challenge as a means to grow.

“I’m always looking for change. I definitely want growth all the time, and if growth comes as change, then yes – I do want a change.”

For more information, visit 947’s website. Alternatively, connect with Mdoda on Twitter or Facebook.