Open Letter to 5fm

Dear DJ Fresh

This letter, although addressed to you, is in fact intended for the 5fm leadership. I just figured that there was more chance of you reading this than any of the suits. Maybe you could pass on the message.

I am a young man currently studying in Cape Town. For years, the extent of my music knowledge was the old stuff my parents listenened to, and what was on tv and radio. I draw no distiction between the two media platforms because there is none. All the songs that are played on MTV, MTV Base and Trace are also played on 5fm. In fact, and you may not believe this story, one day I was watching MTV and Lady Gaga's Bad Romance came on. I quickly changed the channel, not because I hate the song, merely because it had been horribly overplayed and I feared that I might go outside and attack a social worker if I heard it I again. Unfortunately, the same song was on Base. I pushed P+, and was greeted by Katy Perry on VH1. Not much better, but at least it wasnt Bad Romance. However, the song ended and next up was, lo and behold, Miss Germanotta yet again telling me how she wanted my ugly and my disease. I changed to Trace praying aloud for anything but Gaga to be on, but I must have been praying to the wrong God, as my prayers were not heard. Four channels. One Song. Makes one wonder why we pay for more than one.

That same day I heard Bad Romance and Katy Perry no less than 5 times each on 5fm. The point I'm trying to make is that yes, it is pop music, and it does sell, but do you, as the country's leading youth radio station, not have a responsibility to the country's youth to show them what else is out there? We may have delusions in this country of being right up there culturally with the States and Europe, but we arent. We are very isolated and about twice a year we get to see a big name band on our shores. We dont have indie bands constantly passing through our cities, and we sure as hell don't have a Glastonbury, Fuji Rock or Lollapalooza to see a whole range of top quality bands.

5fm should be filling this void. As much as you have to play Chris Brown, Rihanna and Soulja Boy, you have to play Phoenix, Deadmau5, The National, Editors, City and Colour, Justice, Foals. I'm not trying to be a pretentious hipster about this. I love pop music. But I also love "proper" music, and the sad fact is that not enough young South Africans are given the opportunity to love this music.

I dont know the circumstances that surrounded Barney Simon's departure from the station, but perhaps it is time to investigate reintroducing a similiar show. The weekends are pretty much dedicated to dance music, but maybe two nights a week, there should be a show that plays indie music that we dont usually get the opportunity to hear. It would be a great musical education to the public, as well as a chance for these bands to get an international following. We all have friends overseas, and with social media being what it is, there is a good chance that a band that becomes popular on 5fm could gain an international following through sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.

So please Fresh, and 5fm, give us, the youth, some proper muzak. We deserve it.
Thanks
Nick Bristow