Listen up people, this here is the new frontier
DJ Lean at his studio at Naka Estate in Nakuru County. The 27-year-old is also a DJ and radio producer. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH
What you need to know:
- Lean, who is also a digital marketer and producer, reckons there is a lot of potential in online radio, which is yet to get a footing here.
- He is using his online platform to reach out to his target audience, the youth, to push messages that are bound to be of benefit to them, messages that have to do with healthy eating, dangers of drug abuse and the importance of education, and other issues that are close to the hearts of young people.
- Part of the process involved researching on the right content, as well as seeking legal advice on how international media operates. Once he acquired the necessary licenses, he was good to go, since he already had skills as a radio producer, host and DJ.
Lean Mwangi, 27, is not your everyday Kenyan radio presenter and deejay. He is way ahead of his peers, and is already reaping the benefits of an untapped market in the world of radio; online radio. Reaching out to thousands of local and international listeners, Lean’s ‘Tha-e’, online radio station has been on air for several months now.
He explains that ‘Tha’ is a corruption of the word ‘The’ and ‘e’ stands for ‘evolution’.
“Basically, the name signifies evolution from traditional to modern radio,” says the radio presenter, popularly known as DJ Lean to his fans.
So far, Lean has clocked 200,000 minutes of listenership since he launched his station in March 2016.
Lean, who is also a digital marketer and producer, reckons there is a lot of potential in online radio, which is yet to get a footing here.
“This is the future; to begin with, it is convenient because you can access it anywhere, anytime, as long as you have internet connection,” he says, and adds,
“Traditional radio kept me in a cocoon, within the frequency range, and due to this, it was difficult for me to charm new audience with my mix of various generes of music. With Tha-e radio, I can afford to give my audience fresh music and content, nothing repetitive like what we get in our radio stations.”
He points out that as the world changes, so is the language, especially amongst the young generation, who keep developing a language that resonates with them.
RIGHT CONTENT
He is using his online platform to reach out to his target audience, the youth, to push messages that are bound to be of benefit to them, messages that have to do with healthy eating, dangers of drug abuse and the importance of education, and other issues that are close to the hearts of young people.
“We have varied content - 50 per cent is entertainment while the other 50 per cent is made up of a variety of areas. I avoid politics though, since mine is an international audience. The station runs 24 hours,” he explains.
“There is a large population of young people who spend a lot of time online - my aim is to capture their attention through an entertaining, yet educative platform,” he explains.
Before starting out, Lean consulted a couple of online media owners, who helped him to map out a digital strategy for Tha-e.
“One of my friends owns an online TV and radio station in the US - he played a big role in helping me to figure out the basics of starting an online radio.”
Part of the process involved researching on the right content, as well as seeking legal advice on how international media operates. Once he acquired the necessary licenses, he was good to go, since he already had skills as a radio producer, host and DJ.
As long as you can afford internet connection, you can listen in to Tha-e wherever you are - at home, in the office, or on a matatu home or to the office.
Tha-e is on online platforms such as iTunes, tuneIn, streema and various mobile apps.
Lean says that he makes between Sh70,000 and Sh100,000 a month from digital marketing.
He has two full-time employees, who help with graphics and marketing of the station.
With the increasing use of internet and ever-changing technology, he is sure that online is the future of radio.
“A number of counties are providing free Wi-Fi to their constituents, which means in the next few years, most people in the country will have access to internet,” he says.
So what drives him?
“My greatest motivation and driving force is when I log on to my radio station to find that more than a hundred people are tuned in, it tells me that we are connecting with our audience, that what we are doing is not in vain.”
There have of course been challenges along the way, the biggest one being that there are still many people who are yet to understand what online radio is all about.
“I encounter this mostly with the older generation, who tend to think that online radio is not serious, and therefore not worth their time. They think it is solely meant for the younger generation; it has therefore been difficult to market my station to them.”
If interested in finding out what Tha-e radio is all about, log on to http://tha-eradio.com/
