KNYSNA NEWS - Thursday 16 November 2017 was a very special occasion for local radio presenter Eon Engelbrecht (28).
This date marked exactly 1 000 radio shows – and around a momentous 4 000 hours behind the microphone.
“I started as a weekend presenter in early 2011 at Knysna 97.0 FM, presenting ‘Sunday Jukebox’ from 15:00 to 18:00/
“In November 2011, I took over the mid-morning slot ‘9 to 12 with Eon’, sponsored by Kloppers right from the very start. In December 2013, the show started going out as a simulcast to listeners in Plett on our sister station in Melville’s Corner, MC 90.3FM.
"The show was initially only aired on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but in May 2016, Tuesdays and Thursdays were added following the departure of Mac’s Morning Run presenter, Dave McCausland who passed away in June this year,” says Engelbrecht.
On Monday 6 February 2017, due to its popularity, the show was again extended – this time by an hour and renamed ‘AM to PM’, every weekday from 9am to 1pm – and since then Engelbrecht is a household name in local radio.
My best studio guest?
"The South African Author, John Van De Ruit. He is my muse”.
-What I love the most about my job?
“The music, to be creative and the interesting people I meet”
Any funny incidents on the air?
“The microphone fell off its stand as I was broadcasting one day and I had to press my cheek against the table to carry on talking”.
Some facts: “I dreamed of starting a local radio station for Knysna back in High School, long before its launch (I was featured in the Knysna-Plett Herald in the early 2000s for wanting to start a local radio station “Knysna Stereo” with my best friend at the time,” he says.
Engelbrecht spends up to three hours preparing a show the night before.
“There’s a misconception that radio presenters just go in and play music for three to four hours and talk nonsense. That’s an insult. There’s a lot of preparation going into a show.
"Apart from being on air four hours a day, I also work as producer for other programmes. I am music compiler for the stations and technical engineer.
"I’m also presenter of the weekend chart show, The Garden Route Top 10, every Saturday afternoon from noon to 13:00,” he says.
“I want to thank everyone for their loyal support over the past six years and for welcoming me in their homes, cars and sometimes, their showers!”
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