Pietie Lotriet

In December 1979 and June 1980, the respective launches of Capital Radio and Radio 702 (now Talk Radio 702) introduced the first “local” competition threat to the SABC, which at that stage was the only game in town. Signal distribution issues, mountainous terrain and geographical separation from Gauteng diminished the threat of Capital Radio – which at a later stage concentrated its efforts on Durban, however 702’s format and their independent spirit, saw this station making inroads into the audience numbers of the SABC’s young contemporary station, Radio 5 (now 5FM) a situation that was unacceptable to the SABC.

Perplexed, the SABC top management tasked Pietie Lotriet with establishing and implementing a strategy to regain market position and listenership. Although he was responsible for Radio 5, Radio Highveld and Radio Orion at the time, Pietie concentrated his efforts on Radio 5 as this was the station most significantly impacted by 702. Pietie identified the shortcomings of Radio 5 and saw that the only way to beat 702 was through improving the product. One of the failings of the station was that it lacked strong personalities as all the best talent had left for 702 and Capital.

SABC management at the time was averse to creating personalities, but Pietie convinced them of his strategy. He approached some of the biggest names in radio at the time and contracted some leading names to the station. He managed to sell the SABC on the concept of contracting talent as SABC policies were inflexible and he would not have been able to pay the rates required to attract the talent within these policies.

Legend has it that he approached someone who was entrenched at another station, an exceptionally well-known personality and someone with whom he had previously worked. When management of the individual’s station got to hear about the meeting, they immediately re-negotiated the individual’s contract at a far more favourable rate and with several “sweeteners” thrown in.

Pietie built Radio 5 up through contracting strong personalities, people like, Martin Bailie, Alex Jay, Chris Prior, Kevin Savage, Martin Locke, Tony Sanderson and David Blood to name but a few. He empowered his on-air talent and encouraged controversy as it was necessary for the station to establish something of a rebellious personality and to get into trouble that was entirely uncharacteristic of any SABC entity. In essence, he wanted the station to sound and look independent and he successfully achieved this.

His management style was exceptional. Pietie believes in facilitating performance. He frequently interceded with top management of the SABC when they attempted to interfere with the on-air talent and with the running of the station. He instilled the philosophy that the relationship with the listener was sacrosanct and he allowed no compromise here, standing up to SABC top management at times when they attempted to interfere with stations and staff. He was immensely popular with his team and he earned the respect and loyalty of his staff, many of whom still maintain contact with him and all of whom still hold him in high regard.

Many innovations were introduced on Pietie’s watch. He built media personalities through actively seeking television opportunities for his team. He introduced television and cinema advertising for his stations, and he managed to get the stations to box clever in their use of marketing resources in such a manner that the stations made their appeal larger than that of their independent competitors – normally on far smaller budgets. He oversaw promotions and events which had high degrees of audience participation and contact.

On the technology front, he was also responsible for leading technical innovations such as the introduction of FM Stereo, and the introduction of computerised digital audio workstations – the core of some of the smallest radio stations today. Many of the innovations that he implemented were world firsts, but he had the confidence in his people and the inherent instinct for making the right decisions.

Within two years of his taking charge of the management of Radio 5, the station turned around and started to achieve significant audience- and revenue- growth. Lotriet’s passion for radio, his intricate understanding of station personality and branding was recognised by the SABC in 1991 when he was appointed General Manager of Commercial Radio Services and placed in charge of Radio 5, Radio Metro, Radio Highveld and Radio Orion. The acumen, skills, expertise and infectious passion that he brought to this portfolio coupled with his excellent managerial ability saw all these stations grow and prosper.

His portfolio of stations at the SABC constituted a significant contribution to the Corporation’s profitability at that time.

On his retirement from the SABC’s employ after 29 years’ service, he started a consultancy and was contracted to the SABC’s radio division to assist the newly-appointed Chief Executive of radio with the process of transformation of the radio portfolio. He then joined the IBA as a councillor and brought a wealth of knowledge, understanding, empathy and ultimately love for the radio industry to the IBA. He played a vital role in the initial freeing up of the airwaves and the sale of the SABC Regional radio services to independent commercial entities. He left the IBA in 1998 to join AME as Divisional Director: Radio managing a broad portfolio of stations. He subsequently consulted to various community stations.

Today, Pietie is retired and lives in Somerset West, just outside of Cape Town. He still maintains currency with the radio industry consulting to certain stations on an ad-hoc basis.The legacy that he has left within the radio industry in South Africa is immense and honouring him with the MTN Radio Awards Lifetime Achiever Award is the very least that one can do to pay homage to the impact his career had on the entire industry.