AirMedia, a pioneer of in-store and corporate radio and television in southern Africa, is staging an extensive outside broadcast (OB) roadshow to celebrate two years of broadcasting of Harmony Gold’s satellite radio station, Harmony FM.
The OB unit will travel thousands of kilometres and interact with thousands of staff at 18 hostels during the 5-week period of the roadshow. Two of the DJs travelling with the unit are ex-mine workers who emerged from a staff audition process to be trained as DJs and host shows on Harmony FM. During the roadshow, DJs will hold live interviews with management and union representatives, deliver safety messages as well as take music requests from local hostel residents.
“AirMedia’s live satellite radio service has provided a comprehensive solution to Harmony Gold’s communication requirements for the last two years. Harmony FM overcomes geographical complexity and provides an individually relevant medium for Harmony Gold to deliver messages to its stakeholders,’ says AirMedia director, Gavin Kennedy.
Staging a roadshow of this magnitude requires technical and logistical precision. The outside broadcast unit, fully kitted with back-up power capability, transmits the broadcasts back to the Harmony FM studio in Randburg that is in turn broadcast via satellite to every Harmony Gold location in the country.
Harmony Gold’s Nic Alexandre believes that Harmony FM and the outside broadcasts are a key element of the mining company’s internal communication programme. “Engaging our workforce through Harmony FM provides us with an increasingly relevant voice, allowing us to effectively communicate topical issues and realise high reach within our stakeholder base. Importantly, the station also achieves our goal of enhancing the Harmony Gold working environment,’ he said.
