By Remy Raitt

Sales manager at Tuks FM, Ryan Brunyee says a combination of things have afforded them their success. “Tuks FM is really fortunate in that we’ve been around for longer than other campus stations. The people who work here are passionate. And we’ve had a lot of amazing radio people pass through.”

Alumni include Gareth Cliff, Poppy Ntshongwana, Clayton Robbertze, Liezel van der Westhuizen, Carmen Reddy, Anele Mdoda, Sias du Plessis and many other familiar voices. Brunyee says the legacies left behind by people like these, motivate the students and even sees past students returning to the station long after they have received their degrees.

At this year’s MTN Radio Awards Tuks FM also scooped Best Campus Night-time Show: Alt La Femme, Best Campus Afternoon Drive Show: The Driveway, Best Campus Promotion, Stunt/Event: the World Radio Challenge and Best Campus and Community On-air Packaging. “It’s always fantastic to win,” says Brunyee.  “We’ve won a number of awards over the last couple of years and it’s always nice when people notice the work you’re doing.”

Refiloe Matsela, Tuks FM volunteer and Alt La Femme presenter was overwhelmed by the win. “Alt La Femme winning the MTN Radio Award for Best Campus Night-time Show was one of the greatest moments of my life. It just goes to show that hard work and sheer determination can make you a victor at the end of the day. South African women are the stronghold of many communities, it's great to be on a platform that allows me to dig deeper and to foster dialogue with my peers and women of other generations. I think that is the winning formula that Alt La Femme has.” 

The Driveway won Best Campus Afternoon Drive Show. Former presenter of the show, Werner Bothma collected the award. The station says his entry from 2014 secured the win for Tuks FM. This was Bothma's fourth win at the awards. Fellow volunteer Quintus Potgieter, who was nominated alongside Bothma for The Man Cave, is the current presenter of The Driveway. "I have been very blessed with nominations for the Best Night Time Show for The Man Cave this and last year. It is also my honour to now take over The Driveway to continue the shows successes and grow it from strength to strength, so as to keep bringing in those awards," Potgieter says.

Brunyee reckons the training that gets done at the station has a lot to with their accomplishments. “All the people who work here are really passionate and the internal training is done properly. We try encourage people to develop their skills here, we don’t hinder them,” he says.

“This year we won less at the Awards than in the past, campus stations are upping their games and really stepping up to the plate.” And although they may have scooped up less silverware than previous years, their tally of 26 awards over the past four years certainly expresses that they are doing something right.

And it’s not just students that are tuning in to the station. Brunyee says their listenership is made up of about 35% students. “We are the alternative radio station in the greater Tshwane area,” he says. Through the annual ‘Tuks FM Biggest Fan Survey’ the station gathers information about their listeners. “We then take this information, get it vetted and try calculate numbers and stats that are as accurate as possible,” he says.

The station credits its substantial upward trend in listenership over the past three years to the focus they place on their listeners. Their strong online presence and reach to overseas listeners in over 140 countries also helps to keep them at the top.

For more information on Tuks FM, visit www.tuksfm.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.