The team from PUKfm, the radio station on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Potchefstroom, was filled with joy and excitement after they walked away with three awards during the South African Radio Awards ceremony which was held on 17 April 2020.

This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the winners were announced during an online live stream event instead of the traditional awards gala evening.

PUKfm was nominated in 16 categories, including five nominations for community projects. The station was also nominated as Campus Station of the Year.

And the winners are…

• Best Afternoon Drive Show, presented by Divan van Wyk and Mache Pretorius: PUKfm Drive (this was the first win for the station in this category).
• Best Night-time Show: Local Top 30, presented by Jean-Mari Schmidt.
• Best Daytime Show: PUKfm International Top 40, also presented by Jean-Mari Schmidt.

“Seeing the students get this type of recognition on a national level is incredible, as the station is exclusively run by student volunteers, with the exception of the station manager,” says PUKfm station manager Charonike Nel.

“The entire team at the station works incredibly hard to bring the listener the best in entertainment, information and education on a daily basis, all while still excelling in their studies.”

Charonike also thanks Dr Corrie Rheeder, director for student life on the campus, for the amazing support they receive.

“Above all, we thank every single person who chooses to tune in to 93.6 or the online stream from all over the world. They make it possible to live up to our slogan, ‘more than just radio’.” 

About PUKfm

PUKfm is a student-based community radio station on the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom and broadcasts in a radius of approximately 15km.The station’s aim is to educate, inform and entertain the community of Potchefstroom.

More about the South African Radio Awards

Now in its 10th year, the South African Radio Awards continues to recognise outstanding achievements in the radio industry, and sets a benchmark for all radio stations and professionals to strive towards.

These credible, well-judged and transparent awards promote and recognise excellence in South African radio, with the objective of ensuring that radio remains one of South Africa’s foremost media choices.

The PUKfm team watched the awards together on a Zoom call