Joburg urged to smile

For a few hours each morning, Joburgers can time some time out of their busy schedules and smile at the antics of the Breakfast Xpress team.
ON Monday morning, Joburgers woke up to spring on William Nicol Drive, when trees along the road bloomed with colourful yellow, purple, red and green flowers.

Bongani KhumaloBongani Nxumalo encourages motorists to smileThis artificial blooming was part of efforts by the Breakfast Xpress team on 94.7 Highveld Stereo to encourage people to smile as they head to work in the morning.

The trees, winter bare just a week ago, came alive with playful colours on Sunday, 31 July, a day before the official launch of the campaign, called Smile Dammit. This will also serve as the new tagline for the popular Joburg breakfast show.

Launched on 1 August, the campaign soon became one of the most talked about items on social media, with Twitter and Facebook abuzz. Through the campaign, Joburg residents – usually concerned with work, deadlines, unending meetings and work performance – are encouraged to take some time out and laugh at themselves.

“Everyone in Johannesburg is under pressure,” said the station manager, Ravi Naidoo. “Each morning we get up, rush to work, rush to school and rush from meeting to meeting. But with the Breakfast Xpress we can all take a moment every morning and smile with the team.”

The three-hour long Breakfast Xpress, presented by Darren “Whackhead” Simpson, team mom Samantha Cowen, traffic jam reporter Bongani Nxumalo, Gavin Deysel, and Greg Volkwyn, spreads the lighter side of life bug on weekdays, from 6am to 9am.

The aim is to brighten up listeners’ mornings, and they are known for playing telephone pranks on unsuspecting listeners.

The radio station, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, is a commercial broadcaster operating from Joburg, owned by Primedia. It is known for hosting and sponsoring a number of sporting and social events, including the immensely popular Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge and the 94.7 Joburg Day, an annual music concert that takes place in September, where local musicians are given top billing.