Radio and TV presenter Carla MacKenzie’s career in broadcasting started when, as a Maties student, she collected a prize at the office of the local radio station MFM.
The station manager asked her to say a few words and suggested that she should consider a career in broadcasting. For Carla, a BA student and accomplished hockey player, this was a defining moment. She joined MFM and presented, among others, the Lunch Show and Afternoon Drive show.
“While I was at MFM a Cape Town radio station, Good Hope FM, approached me to read the news. I started working in commercial radio and got a call from Johannesburg soon afterwards with an offer to join Jacaranda FM.”
Carla, who grew up in Stellenbosch, exchanged the Boland mountains and vineyards for the City of Gold in 2015. A year after she had joined Jacaranda FM, she was approached by KykNET and SuperSport to present the TV programmes FLITS en #chatNOU. She was also involved in broadcasts of the Varsity Cup rugby competition, SuperSport rugby challenge and Craven Week rugby tournament.
She is currently a presenter for KykNET & Kie’s ‘KLOP’ programme (Ko, Laat Ons Praat), she presents the SA Top 20 programme on Jacaranda FM and is also the producer of the weekly breakfast show.
She is passionate about people and their emotions and enjoys seeing her ideas being converted into a radio programme that enables people to connect with her and other people.
The broadcasting industry’s long hours pose the biggest challenge for her.
“I get up at 04:00 every morning. A radio programme is three hours long, but some days you spend up to 12 hours in the studio to ensure that the next day’s programme is better than the previous one.”
Her aim is to do ground-breaking work in the radio and TV industry – in front of or behind the camera.
“It makes me unbelievably happy when a story is told well,” she says.
As a former Protea hockey player Carla likes to stay active. She plays soccer in a media league in Sandton and takes part in cycle races.
Even after three years she still can’t get used to the fact that Johannesburg doesn’t have mountains and that she can’t just jump on her bicycle and go for a ride. For relaxation, she makes sure to go for a sunset drive with a playlist of her favourite music every day.
“I will do this until fuel becomes unaffordable,” she jokes.
- By By Pia Nänny -
