There's new blood on radio doing radical things, and SA FM's Oliver Dickson is at the forefront of the movement, saying making radio relatable for youth and helping to improve necessary dialogue in the country is his calling.
Chatting to TshisaLIVE, the radio personality said the radio bug bit him at a tender age.
“Growing up in Joburg, YFM was the station we all listened to. I grew up to YFM and I grew up listening to big personalities — the likes of DJ Fresh, Mo Flava, Sizwe Dhlomo and Scoop Makhathini. I remember Sizwe and Scoop doing that hip hop show, Siz & Scoop, and it was a huge cultural phenomenon. That show was so big that we would schedule out time to ensure we would catch it, even though it started at 9pm. We would set our alarms because we knew tomorrow at school, the content would be what we discuss in our little groups.”
“I remember thinking to myself, 'I want to make people feel this way. I want to do the type of media work that would have that kind of impact on its audience',” Oliver shared.
However, like most black people, radio felt like a far-fetched dream so he ended up studying chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand but his radio calling wouldn't let him catch his breath.
Soon after that he started his radio career at the same YFM that created his radio role models. There he hosted an award-nominated talk programme Y Talks aimed at young people and shortly thereafter he joined Talk Radio 702 and the SA FM.
Having participated in debate competitions at university level, Oliver is eloquent and believes the country needs to start investing in teaching people to hold proper debates, especially about national matters.
“My debate background made me. Funny thing, I was never really good at it in high school but when I got to varsity, something clicked. I really loved the thing and I worked hard at it. I got really good at it and ended up winning, becoming one of the best debaters on the continent by rank.”
“It taught me skills such as critical thinking and being able to identify and put together a good argument. To also recognise what a bad argument looks like. My goal in life is to impart that skillset on South Africans because I think our public discourse needs to improve. That is my broadcasting goal and this is why my shows are very robust. You won't always agree with me — in fact a lot of people disagree with my opinions — but if you want to come onto my show and say something, you must back up your stance and engage properly,” he said.
Oliver has also dabbled in TV, having anchored on Newzroom Afrika and The Morning Show on e.tv in addition to radio and his thriving YouTube channel.
Oliver is a columnist with published work in The Washington Post, Business Day, Daily Maverick, Mail & Guardian and News24. Oliver provides a political risk and political strategy advisory to multinational and listed corporations.
Oliver Dickson talks about helping Mzansi improve debating skills through engaging radio
Image: Instagram/Oliver Dickson via tendai_mhlanga
There's new blood on radio doing radical things, and SA FM's Oliver Dickson is at the forefront of the movement, saying making radio relatable for youth and helping to improve necessary dialogue in the country is his calling.
Chatting to TshisaLIVE, the radio personality said the radio bug bit him at a tender age.
“Growing up in Joburg, YFM was the station we all listened to. I grew up to YFM and I grew up listening to big personalities — the likes of DJ Fresh, Mo Flava, Sizwe Dhlomo and Scoop Makhathini. I remember Sizwe and Scoop doing that hip hop show, Siz & Scoop, and it was a huge cultural phenomenon. That show was so big that we would schedule out time to ensure we would catch it, even though it started at 9pm. We would set our alarms because we knew tomorrow at school, the content would be what we discuss in our little groups.”
“I remember thinking to myself, 'I want to make people feel this way. I want to do the type of media work that would have that kind of impact on its audience',” Oliver shared.
However, like most black people, radio felt like a far-fetched dream so he ended up studying chemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand but his radio calling wouldn't let him catch his breath.
Soon after that he started his radio career at the same YFM that created his radio role models. There he hosted an award-nominated talk programme Y Talks aimed at young people and shortly thereafter he joined Talk Radio 702 and the SA FM.
Having participated in debate competitions at university level, Oliver is eloquent and believes the country needs to start investing in teaching people to hold proper debates, especially about national matters.
“My debate background made me. Funny thing, I was never really good at it in high school but when I got to varsity, something clicked. I really loved the thing and I worked hard at it. I got really good at it and ended up winning, becoming one of the best debaters on the continent by rank.”
“It taught me skills such as critical thinking and being able to identify and put together a good argument. To also recognise what a bad argument looks like. My goal in life is to impart that skillset on South Africans because I think our public discourse needs to improve. That is my broadcasting goal and this is why my shows are very robust. You won't always agree with me — in fact a lot of people disagree with my opinions — but if you want to come onto my show and say something, you must back up your stance and engage properly,” he said.
Oliver has also dabbled in TV, having anchored on Newzroom Afrika and The Morning Show on e.tv in addition to radio and his thriving YouTube channel.
Oliver is a columnist with published work in The Washington Post, Business Day, Daily Maverick, Mail & Guardian and News24. Oliver provides a political risk and political strategy advisory to multinational and listed corporations.
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