By Remy Raitt

“Some people follow me because they listen to my show on the radio and they like my personality, hence they stretch our relationship to social media to stay in touch with my activities. I also think I am just a cool lad to hang with, so why not follow me?” he says.

DJ Sabby has been with Yfm since 2010. He started out as a traffic presenter, clinched his own show in 2012 called The Adrenaline Rush, a year later he presented The Weekend Shakeup and now he entertains listeners between 12:00 and 15:00 from Monday to Friday on the Best Thing Ever.

“Yfm is the mother of talent development and the track record is proof,” DJ Sabby says proudly. “Some of the biggest names in radio broadcasting were identified via the Yfm platform and this fact can’t be ignored.”

He says joining the daytime line-up is his greatest career moment. “[It was] the ultimate defining point to the concept that dreams are possible to make a reality,” he says. His secret to crafting a great show? He says understanding your listeners is key. “The youth understands that if they want any form of information, they can source it on their phone through the net,” he says. In order to get them to tune in, DJ Sabby says the station needs to supply listeners with information and music they might not find on their own.

The growing broadcasting market excites DJ Sabby, and he says the fact that new stations and channels keep popping up means there are still markets begging to be entertained. “Technology is growing immensely and that is a great thing because people are being exposed to various kinds of content programming,” he says. “When this happens it makes everyone in content development work harder to keep people watching or listening because when people have options, it can be tricky. But competition is healthy.” And he believes this is a good thing.

And although very positive about the landscape, he believes local talent needs more nurturing. “I think the development of talent in South Africa needs attention, we have a truck load of talent in South Africa and investing in them early can help us further in the long run,” he says.

He says radio hopefuls need to be dedicated to the craft. “Work hard, be available all the time for stand ins, and don’t make transport excuses. Be willing to sacrifice sleep and holidays and work hard for close to nothing. At the end, it will pay off,” he advises.

It’s obvious radio is his first love, but DJ Sabby is in no way one dimensional. In fact he’s got his fingers in a number of Mzansi flavoured pies. He is no stranger to TV, hosting programmes to South Africa and the rest of the continent. His clothing range #GetPaid will introduce its winter line next month, June will also see the Joburg leg of his TV and radio workshops plus his single Whatchu Want will also drop.

All this exposure makes him no stranger to the public eye, yet DJ Sabby says fans are constantly surprised about the man behind the voice. “People are always asking me why I’m not tall and skinny,” he laughs, “I blame this on my voice.”

For more information, visit www.yworld.co.za. Alternatively, connect with DJ Sabby on Twitter.