ROZANNE McKENZIE AND ROB FORBES REFLECT ON THEIR RADIO JOURNEY AND FIRST TWO MONTHS AS JACARANDA FM DRIVE HOSTS
As ‘The Drive With Rob & Roz’ celebrates its two-month anniversary on Jacaranda FM, Rozanne McKenzie and Rob Forbes look back at their journey so far.
25 October 2022, Johannesburg | This week, Rozanne McKenzie and Rob Forbes celebrate their second month-aversary as co-hosts of Jacaranda FM’s brand-new drive show ‘The Drive with Rob & Roz’. As they continue to ease into their new role, the duo reflect on the month that has passed, their journey in radio so far and what the future at Jacaranda FM has in store for them.
What was your first reaction to hearing the news that you would be co-hosts of Jacaranda FM’s new drive show together?
Rob Forbes: I was incredibly excited! I had really fun ideas and I was hoping that we would get a chance to give them a go. I told my girlfriend and she was really excited about this for me.
Rozanne McKenzie: I was so excited when I heard that this was happening for sure. I had an idea that there would be some changes, but once I got the offer, I was ecstatic! I quickly told my mom first and she was absolutely shocked and so proud of me. She listens every day via the Jacaranda FM App from London.
What makes this new drive show special for listeners?
Rob Forbes: We’re going to add value. We’re going to have a lot of fun doing it and play the most music we can! But, the one thing Roz and I are passionate about is making sure we’re going to add value to people’s day and to their life.
Rozanne McKenzie: Rob and I have great chemistry and that definitely comes across on air every show. The show is fun without being frivolous. We take the listeners with us every day. It’s a two-way conversation, so we need to be in tune with what the listeners want to hear, in terms of topics and music. It’s a really inclusive space. Everyone is welcome.
You have both been in radio for a very long time. Tell us about your best on-air moment to date?
Rob Forbes: Anytime I get to make a dream come true is a moment I live for on radio. When I’m sending someone overseas for their first time, when I’m giving someone a ticket to see their absolute favourite artist, when I’m giving someone an amount of money that’s going to change their life or being part of something someone will never, ever, ever forget is an incredible feeling.
Rozanne McKenzie: It’s a little cliché, but definitely our very first show of ‘The Drive with Rob and Roz’. We were so excited and we’d worked so hard in the run up to it that when we finally went on air, the rush was something else!
What’s the craziest or most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you on-air?
Rob Forbes: I once had a computer glitch while also losing a caller I had on the line at the same time, and nothing was working. When I was done, I thought I had turned off my mic… I swore. Loudly. And a lot. The mic wasn’t off.
Rozanne McKenzie: So far on ‘The Drive Show with Rob and Roz’ it’s been smooth sailing, but once on a live TV show, when I was a lot less experienced, I looked at the wrong camera and it was mortifying when I watched it back. That’s the amazing and terrifying thing about live TV and radio: there is no second take.
What are you most passionate about when you step away from the mic?
Rob Forbes: I’m passionate about my partner, my cats, and Arsenal Football Club. I’m interested in a huge number of things – cooking for friends to show love, travel, wine, quality time spent with those important to you, a good bassline on a new house record, a great book – but those three always come out on top.
Rozanne McKenzie: I want people to learn to embrace and celebrate who they are, especially women. We have so much pressure to look a certain way and the perfection we see on social media isn’t real. Our bodies are capable of so much and loving them as they are, instead of constantly wanting to change them to fit societal norms and standards is a waste of time and energy.
Tune into ‘The Drive with Rob & Roz’ every weekday between 16h00 and 19h00 on Jacaranda FM.