Koos Radebe
Koos Radebe’s talent and passion for soccer was the kindling that ignited his career in the broadcasting arena. A keen striker and midfielder in his high school and tertiary years, Koos embarked on a career as a broadcaster and commentator for the then Radio Zulu (now Ukhozi FM). In the early days of his career, he would often have to commentate from a seat in the stands with the rank-and-file spectators, a position that was fraught with difficulty as he had many interruptions from spectators. His focus on telling the story and his commitment to excellence saw him gain recognition and he was appointed by SABC TV to cover a broad range of sports. In 1986, in a measure by the SABC to counter the growth of Radio Bophuthatswana (better known as Radio Bop), the SABC took the decision to launch Radio Metro and Koos Radebe was appointed as the Programme Manager. Initially, Radio Metro was part of the SABC’s PBS portfolio and broadcast on some AM and then some FM transmitters.
Koos, who is affectionately known as the godfather of Metro FM (as Radio Metro later became), had a huge task on his hands. He had 4 months in which to get a complement of staff together and to get the station on-air. The big challenge was to find presenters who would be able to present in English. In the early days of Metro, Koos did everything for the station, from recruitment, to training, to marketing to programming. On 1 September 1986 Radio Metro was launched with an Adult Contemporary R&B format, targeting a predominantly black audience in the 16 to 34 age demographic.
Metro was an instant hit with the audience and Koos led the station from the front, implementing many innovations. In 1989, Metro and the then Radio 5 combined to hold a joint birthday concert at Ellis Park and this event attracted 85 000 fans.
In the restructuring of the SABC Radio portfolio in 1991, Metro was grouped with Radio 5, Radio Highveld and Radio 2000 as the SABC Commercial Radio Division under the leadership of MTN Radio Awards Lifetime Achiever for 2012, Pietie Lotriet. This was a better business and philosophic alignment for Koos Radebe and the Metro team, as the stations all approached their business in a similar fashion.
Within this new environment, Metro (and Radebe) flourished and one of the highlights of those times was the visit by Nelson Mandela (even before he became President) to the Metro studios. Metro was one of the hottest radio stations in the country with a huge influence over a hugely influential audience. Koos Radebe’s little station rapidly came of age and many leading media figures owe their stature to the mentorship and guidance of Koos Radebe.
When Pietie Lotriet retired from the SABC in 1994, Koos Radebe was appointed as General Manager – Commercial Radio Services at the SABC. In 1996, Koos took over the SABC National PBS Radio portfolio and in 1999, he was appointed as the first Director of the SABC’s TopSport department – which encompassed both Radio and Television Sport. In 2008, he was inducted into the South African Sports Hall of Fame for his contribution to sport in South Africa.
Subsequent to his retirement from the Broadcasting Industry, Koos joined Tracker Network as CSI Director and he retired from Tracker in 2012. He presently runs his own business, communications and marketing consultancy, which has a special focus on CSI, Enterprise Development, Corporate Events, Media Relations and Broadcast Development.
Koos Radebe’s career paved the way for many to follow and he achieved substantial success – sometimes against overwhelming odds. He is a humble and modest man, who takes great pride in the success of those whom he has helped along the way.