Touch HD and radio star Glen Lewis have parted company barely a year into a partnership that seeks to revolutionise radio.
“Yes, he is leaving. Bear in mind we are a year-old company that is in a new space, and I call it digital. In digital, we have to conduct surveys from our listeners,” said Touch HD founder and former MetroFM presenter Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe.
Tbo Touch confirmed that Lewis would be leaving his stable. Lewis will be replaced by Microwave Boys and Yaya for Urban News on The Breakfast Wave from 7am-10am.
Touch said there was a huge difference between being a radio personality and a content creator. He said that when they conducted a survey on what Touch HD “connectors” wanted, they found there was a need to get more digital-savvy radio personalities.
“We learnt that digital is not personality driven, it is engagement driven. People look into how many times you tweet, how many times you respond. The digital space is engagement driven. Digital teaches you to be a content creator. The people that you hear on air are content creators, not DJs,” Tbo Touch said.
He added that he regarded Lewis as the “Zinedine Zidane” of radio.
“I feel he wants to do more traditional radio. I think what we both learnt from this experience is that one being a big star in traditional radio doesn’t guarantee you will be a big star in content creation. You always have to engage your listeners.
“He understands well that content engagement is far different from mixing two great songs and having people appreciate your craft or your ability,” Tbo Touch said.
In April last year, Tbo Touch launched Touch HD, a digital online radio station, available for streaming via the Touch HD App. In the eight months since its launch the station has received a million connections. This is a huge milestone, given the cost of streaming and the high data charges in South Africa.
Tbo Touch said the future of digital and streaming looked bright.
“Digital doesn’t take away one’s ability to do radio. It teaches you to be a content creator. I think it's incredible that we are witnessing networks competing with each other. Networks used to compete over voice calls, but now they compete over data,” he said.
Tbo Touch called upon President Cyril Ramaphosa and newly appointed Minister of Communications Nomvula Mokonyane to look into opening opportunities for entrepreneurs in the digital space.
@SthembisoMedia