From retail to radio

22 Mar 2024

Michael Ndabandaba can be forgiven for thinking his life hit the fast-forward button last year. He won the OFM O-dition presenter search in March 2023 and went from working as a frozen foods packer in Klerksdorp to moving to Bloemfontein and starting a new career as a production assistant and voice-over artist at OFM.

Michael Ndabandaba

According to Michael, his life has definitely improved since he won the presenter search. “I didn’t think I would win! I was just looking for an opportunity. The O-dition has changed everything. It has put me in a position to look after the people in my life. I have learnt a lot by being mentored by others and being surrounded by creative people at OFM. It is eye-opening to see what goes on behind the scenes at a radio station. I’ve also had the opportunity to apply the knowledge I already gained from my hobby, which is music production. I would say working at OFM has sharpened all my skills.”

Michael not only started a new job and moved to a new city in 2023, but he also got engaged and became the proud father to a little girl. “It felt like everything was falling into place. Moving to Bloemfontein has felt like starting a new chapter in my life journey.”

OFM programming manager Tim Thabethe says: “Before January 2023, Michael had no committed thought toward a radio career. One year later, Michael is one of the voices that you will hear on OFM and one of the cogs in the wheel that turns OFM, the Sound of Your Life. It is always good to see a person live out their passion and we are proud to have enabled this for him.”

OFM embarked on the O-ditions not only to find someone to mentor but also to change a life… and it ended up changing three lives. From this campaign came not only Michael but also Ashmund Martin and Anny Bruyns, both of whom are now presenters at OFM.

For more info, contact az.oc.mfo@gnitekram.

OFM, is Central South Africa's premier commercial radio station, offering a mix of music, news and entertainment. The station serves the affluent SEM 7+ economically active marketplace with a broadcast footprint across the Free State, Northern Cape, southern Gauteng and North West.