Mabena, who is celebrating 25 years in the industry, says he is concerned about the quality of radio today.
"Back then, the radio industry held such high standards that we underwent an immense [sic] six months of training before even getting in front of the microphone.
"Nowadays it's all about fame. If you have a following, you can dabble into many other things, including radio."
Referring to Bonang Matheba, who recently joined Metro FM, he said: "Look, I have nothing against Bonang. I guess she is a beautiful woman and has a huge following. I'm just disappointed at how low the industry standard has dropped. Some people tend to think a good voice is all you need."
Mabena, who first started in radio in 1988 with Radio Bop, saw his career explode at Metro FM.
But Matheba's management has strongly rejected the comment.
According to her manager, Sylvester Chauke, people should not only look at her pretty face but also at the quality of what she delivers.
"Bonang is not just a pretty face. I think what Bob is referring to is that it takes a very strong work ethic to be on radio, and Bonang is very aware of that.
"This is the reason why when offered the opportunity to be on Metro a couple of years ago, she turned the offer down because she felt that she wasn't ready.
"She joined YFM as a means to learn and perfect her craft and voice and, with having been on Live [SABC1 music show] and Top Billing, she has earned the right to be on Metro now."
Chauke went on to explain that it's not all about rigorous training in the radio industry, but about numbers.
"I think most brands that Bonang represents will also reject Bob's notion. Bonang is able to pull in the numbers and ratings - and that's what it's all about at the end of the day."
Matheba has 630,000 Twitter followers and 606,000 people who like her page on Facebook.
Source: Sowetan, via I-Net Bridge
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