The radio broadcasting industry is fast becoming youthful and competitive.

The new transition that started four years ago is bringing a lot of challenges to all the industry players.  Many seasoned deejays have struggled to keep up with these  industry changes.

Those who survived longer are those who have allowed themselves to evolve and move on with the times like Radio 2000’s Bertha Charuma.

Charuma, oozes talent, equipped with a beautiful voice, currently hosts a 9am to 12 noon show on weekdays.

Born in Harare in Zimbabwe 40-something years ago, she has lived all her life in South Africa.

She landed in this country at the age of 21 and begged for a show at the former Radio Bop. Charuma agrees that the industry has changed compared to when they started. She says if you resist change you could find yourself out in the cold.

 “You need to always be relevant. There are many radio stations who are competing for the same market. That brings back the pressure to the station managers to look for vibrant and relevant young people. Most importantly in order to survive you need to be able to move with times.”

Charuma  says the right formula to survive will be to stay relevant as much as you can. She  says allowing yourself to learn new tricks can save you.

As someone who has decades of experience in radio broadcasting, she knows what she wants. In 2003 she worked for Metro FM and her contract was not renewed. She says since then, she had grown and is now more focused.  

“I  have grown as a deejay. I am not that girl who joined Metro FM. I have grown and now I know where I am going and what I want,” she explained.

After Metro FM, Charuma has a stint at Kaya Fm and also did a show on SABC3  before landing a Radio 2000 gig.

Charuma  is regarded as one of  relevant female deejays in radio broadcasting. The music she plays in her show and the format has earned her kudos from her listeners.

Few years ago a certain blog was searching for the best female presenter in South Africa. The blog listed female deejays  such as  Azania Ndoro, Anele Mdoda, Dineo Ranaka and Mpho Maboi both have left  YFm,  Unathi Msengana, Bonang Matheba as well as  Pabi Moloi.

What was interesting was that bloggers brought up a name that was not even part of the line-up, they named Bertha Charuma.

They kept mentioning that Charuma’s playlist has always been exciting  since the days of Metro FM.

One blogger who calls herself Jinxed on Tuesday said: “I switch between Bertha Charuma and Azania and its Thami on Sundays before I go to church.”

“I have  been listening to Bertha from when she was still in metro and she remains one of my favourite. I have tried to listen to Dineo Ranaka mara the music they play on YFM it's not for me, makes it hard for me to listen.”

Though the station has experienced  dwindling lately, Charuma’s show has been doing well when compared to other shows on the station.

Asked how she feels about the results, Charuma was gobsmacked.

“I don’t know what to say but I am happy if they think so. What I know is that when you are on air every day, you develop a relationship with listeners. They seem to know about me more. When it comes to the music I play, I cannot take the glory but thank the compilers and the producers that I have worked with,” she said.