Local is lekker on the airwaves this morning

Cape Town – On Thursday morning all 18 of the SABC’s radio stations switched their music playlist ratio to 90% local music and only 10% international.

This comes after the broadcaster says they’ve had “extensive” engagements with music representatives to put the spotlight on local content.

Listeners who tuned in to their favourite SABC radio stations on Thursday morning were greeted with mostly classic well-known local songs to fill the bigger 90% offering the SABC demanded.

“It was a weird feeling to only hear local songs play on the radio this morning as I drove to work,” a MetroFM listener told Channel24.

The African National Congress (ANC) in a statement welcomed the SABC’s decision.

ANC national spokesperson, Zizi Kodwa, said the party welcomed the “radical decision”.

“The groundbreaking decision by the public broadcaster follows an important and successful consultative process with various representatives of the music industry throughout the length and breadth of the country,” Kodwa said in a statement.

Local music stars also embraced the decision with AKA calling it “the greatest victory in the history of the South African music industry”.

K.O. tweeted: “Never too late to rectify things/restore order... We appreciate the public broadcaster's move with the quota. Two thumbs up!”