“The transfer window has closed. All contracts have been signed and the players are ready.”
This is how legendary sportscaster Robert Marawa summed up his new journey with Primedia ahead of his first show on 947 this week. The media giant and Marawa set social media ablaze when news of Marawa’s new show was announced. The legend that is Robert Marawa started his news sports show, 18:00 to 19:00 daily, with a bang when he hosted former Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
Independent Newspapers caught up with Marawa ahead of the show, and while he’s no stranger to the airwaves, it has been a while since he sat behind the mic in this kind of set-up.
“I have been bouncing around in radio for a while. In fact I was fired twice at the SABC. I’ve been working with Arena Holdings and broadcasting in Mpumalanga and KZN. This was all about timing,” he giggled.
The deal took about six months to broker and Marawa said he could not be more pleased to join Primedia but more importantly to offer the kind of broadcasting he feels is lacking in South Africa.
“We all know what Primedia is about. I am honoured to join this beast. To me, they represent the ethos of what broadcasting should be and I love a challenge,” Marawa said.
On how he managed to bag Sepp Blatter, for his first show, Marawa said he kept in contact with the Fifa bigwigs since he anchored the live draw for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
“I kept that relationship going. I am still involved on the media side of Fifa things. It’s important to keep relationships going. Even now, I am bouncing between KZN and Joburg. My 11-year-old son is in KZN and my 85-year-old mom. In fact, my mom’s having an op soon, so I need to be there. Keep relationships going,” he said.
And what can the listeners expect from the show, you ask?
“Änyone who’s interested in # Marawa’s Sports Worldwide/#MSW. We will discuss all things sports. The Tourism Department and Spurs. We will do post-match interviews. Those are sometimes more meaty than the results themselves. The score is not always the news,” he added.
And while the much-loved sportscaster was greeted with all the fanfare that is Primedia, he just wants to do radio.
“Broadcasting for me is very simple. People complicate it. I am ready for the engagement. All the time. It’s about people, people, people. While I have been working in the other provinces, I felt that Joburg was the missing link. 947 has the synergy and the people. Gauteng is home to the Champions. I really want to understand where Joburg is at, in terms of sports,” he said.
But Marawa is also not just about commanding the mic.
“I am a lot more quiet in my private spaces. This gives me the time to listen. I pause, go home and reflect. I am also very passionate about female representation in sports. We are going to be hosting the Women’s Netball World Cup in Cape Town and I cannot wait for that,” he said.
The sporting legend added that he aims to dig even deeper this time around.
“I really am ecstatic. This is not only a celebration, but it’s also about accountability. I look up to the likes of Martin Locke and Wilson B Nkosi. These guys are authentic and that’s why Wilson has had a career spanning some 35 years. I do feel that authenticity is missing. For me it’s not about how many likes or followers I have,” he said.
And while Marawa has rubbed shoulders with some of the most influential people on the planet, his interview with the late Nelson Mandela remains top of mind.
“I asked Madiba if we could talk sports and not politics and he agreed. Of course, we all know that he was a boxer and he loved sports. For me this isn’t a hobby. It’s a job and a business. If I can change a life through sports, like mine was changed, then my work is done,” said the man who once studied to become a lawyer but gave it all up when the sports bug came a-knocking.
And asked about future plans and interviews, Marawa said: “Whereto is greater than where I have been. I wish to go where I have not been before.”