Veteran radio personality Allan Barnard and his novice co-host, Heidi Brand, host the Drive Show between 15:00 and 16:00. According to Barnard, he joined Sunshine Radio 100.6FM as station manager and anchor presenter, to “create a radio home for all those people who feel lost in the vast jungle of sausage factory radio stations in the Cape. In my humble opinion, they all sound the same”.  He adds, “So we want to stand out for playing familiar music all the time and talking about bread-and-butter issues that matter to ordinary people without too much razzmatazz.” 

He started his long career in radio at then Radio Good Hope in 1985, broadcasting local sports results for an hour on Saturday evenings. He joined KFM in 1997 and after more than a decade of presenting the Morning and Afternoon Drive shows alternatively, he moved to 567 Cape Talk and 702’s Solid Gold Weekends for an eight-year stint where, as he puts it; “They put me out to pasture, but I loved every minute of grazing on the hits of yesteryear." 

Barnard, who was born on the West Coast in Saldanha Bay and raised in Cape Town, presents his show from the satellite studio at Kasteelberg Country Inn in Riebeek Kasteel. “I thoroughly enjoy living here. It’s only an hour from everywhere and it’s a small town where people truly still care about each other.”

His co-presenter, Riebeek Kasteel local, Heidi Brand, made her debut as a radio presenter at the insistence of Barnard, who says; “She is absolutely a radio natural. She is fun, witty and has an approach to radio that is unfettered by previous radio experience. Listeners instantly connect to her down-to-earth humour. We laugh a lot on the show.” 

On work, Barnard comments; “It invigorates me. I want Sunshine Radio to become the favourite radio station for the whole West Coast and Swartland – a station that people call their radio ‘home’. I must admit that it’s a bit scary to be part of a brand new station - I’m already looking forward to my next holiday.”

In his free time, Barnard enjoys reading and is passionate about travel. “I absolutely love planning overseas trips and also really enjoy red wine, sometimes to my own detriment.” He gets his inspiration from the success of others; “Life lessons I’ve learnt is to always be direct and honest, and to demand the same from others. I was sequestrated in my early 30’s due to bad decisions, but overcame that and rebuilt my life successfully. It was a huge learning curve for me,” he adds.

Sunshine Radio’s broadcast reach extends to a combined region of more than 100 000 km² that is home to almost two million diverse listeners. Barnard concludes; “From Vredenburg to Langebaan, Blouberg to Malmesbury, Stellenbosch to Wolseley and Somerset West to Cape Town CBD, Sunshine Radio 100.6FM’s mission is to always be there to keep our listeners company with a familiar sound. Let the sun shine on your radio at 100.6fm.”

For more information, visit www.sunshineradio.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.