Enjoy an evening on the ‘stoep’ with local DJ

ESTHER Park resident, DJ @Large, is making major waves on SA’s biggest youth radio station.

Twenty-four-year-old Tshepo Kgapane landed himself a show on YFM and has been waking listeners up since April 1 with his evening show, Stoep 992.

“Stoep 992 is a weekend show on Saturdays and Sundays between 6pm and 9pm. I was actually quite shocked when I was given that slot, merely because it’s rare for an unknown name like myself coming from a campus radio background to be trusted with a slot like that,” Kgapane admits.

The Wits student – he’s studying towards a postgraduate diploma in management – was with VOW FM (the Wits University campus radio) for about four years after he joined the station in the second year of his studies.

“I was doing the lunchtime slot between noon and 3pm Mondays to Fridays.”

Making the shift from local radio to a national frequency required lots of preparation and meant being kept in the loop with all that’s happening in the country and the world, because it’s vital to always have something engaging and topical to discuss for the radio show.

“With my first show I used a story I had read in the papers about a monetary reward that was offered for anyone with information regarding a certain case police were working on. I gave it an interesting angle for young people by asking listeners how much money it would take for them to give up a family member.

“The answers I received were quite interesting and surprising, with one guy saying even just a loaf of bread will do for some family members,” he laughs.

The former Edleen Primary School pupil plans on infiltrating the entertainment industry holistically, having started a branding company with his friend late last year.

“My friend and I started Authentic Brand Love and we basically do social media campaigns for companies. We get people such as bloggers, ‘Twelebs’ (Twitter celebrities) fashionistas, social butterflies and other young influential people to promote certain brands on their social media accounts. We’ve had clients such as Miller SA, MTN and Cell C so far.”

Kgapane graduated in March with a B Com law degree with a double major in marketing and business management. He aims to do his MBA and eventually branch out into multiple forms of media, including TV and a production company.

“I would like to eventually get into a national radio station and still run a business on the side. I envision the company growing and becoming a big brand that will spearhead digital marketing in Africa.”

With his larger than life personality and a voice that commands your attention but still inviting and approachable at the same time, there’s no doubt this charming young man is truly destined to reach greater heights.

Listen to Kgapane’s first ever radio link below:

Here is the audio that landed him a job on YFM:

https://soundcloud.com/east-rand-home-videos/wiggle-remix