Exclusive interview with Nathalie Rose, Principal Officer at Paradise FM, on the station’s 25th anniversary |30 May 2022

Nathalie Rose

‘My dream for the station is that it remains relevant and better than we are today’

For 25 years now, Paradise FM Seychelles has been entertaining a wide range of audience from local to international and from youngsters to the elders. It has been one of the most well-known radio stations in Seychelles which is also being appreciated in different parts of the world. In commemoration of its 25th anniversary, Seychelles NATION met up with Nathalie Rose, principal officer at Paradise FM, who shares the milestone of this radio station.

Seychelles NATION: Paradise FM Seychelles is celebrating its 25th year of existence today. Can you share with our readers briefly about its history?

Nathalie Rose: Paradise FM started on May 30, 1997 after the management at that time felt that there was a need to have an FM station in the country. So, they started to set up the station by running various tests and eventually set up an FM station in Seychelles. This was under the leadership of Ibrahim Afif, who was then the managing director.

Seychelles NATION: How has the station evolved during these 25 years?

Nathalie Rose: When Paradise FM started I was not part of the team. However, those who were there have mentioned that it was something new and that they had to learn everything from zero. Most importantly, they had to learn how to run an FM radio station. Moreover, they had to work together to make it a success by conceptualising programmes, and make it run for 24 hours. To note, the AM station closed at 10pm those days. So, you can imagine the challenge we had to keep the FM station running for 24 hours. In order to achieve this you need to have content. For example, songs was one of the major contents.

With regard to training, I have learnt that they had to train the staff to be able to operate the station. Some did this on the job, while others went overseas. Also, they only had about six people who worked with the station. This number eventually grew into what it is today.

At first, the station was located at Union Vale where most people knew it was until the building was demolished and we had to be relocated at Hermitage. Many people have come and gone, whether it be Seychellois or expats. Today, we still have a small team, but we are doing our best to keep Paradise FM relevant.

Seychelles NATION: What do you think have kept Paradise FM interesting and relevant during those 25 years?

Nathalie Rose: As you know, we are not the only FM station in Seychelles. During the past years we have seen the arrival of Pure FM, a private radio station. As a result of this we saw that we needed to become more relevant in terms of content in order to survive from this competitor. It was at that time that I personally became more involved with the station since we had to replace some people who decided to leave then. It was interestingly difficult at that time.

Then of course K-Radio came onto the scene and we found ourselves finding ways and means to keep the team together once more. Despite all these challenges, I am proud to say that until now, despite competition from the two private stations that have been set up, we are still relevant.

Seychelles NATION: Are there any differences in the way the presenters operate at Paradise FM as compared to Radyo Sesel?

Nathalie Rose: Yes, there is definitely! The main difference is that long ago on the Radyo Sesel you were only the announcer accompanied by a technician who did all the other technical work. However, when we moved here at Hermitage this changed. We now have to do what we call ‘self op’, meaning we have to operate our mixer and everything else ourselves. This is where this aspect of ‘DJing’ comes in. With an FM station, it is what I can term as a ‘solo affair’ from the beginning as compared to AM which only recently moved to being ‘self op’.

Seychelles NATION: Has there been changes in the programmes offered on Paradise FM?

Nathalie Rose: Yes, definitely! However, one or two programmes have remained. For example, ‘Kouler Tropik’ is one such programme. It hasbeen on air since the beginning. It was Jean Toussaint who ran the ‘Kouler Tropik’ programme at that time. We also have ‘Fréquence Paradis’ which Pat Mathiot is still presenting after so many years. Additionally, we have ‘Chat lo sa Rhythm’ that Larrey Chetty started with and is still on air today; and the names have not changed since.

On the other hand, we do have some programmes that we have introduced, even with the different genres of music where we have changed titles and format as well. One example is ‘Chart Attack’. You know, having a chart show on an FM station is very important. We had Coca Cola Top 40 at one point when the station first started. It created a crowd for a group of followers. However, for some time we did not have a chart show until recently when we launched Chart Attack. Unlike other chart shows, our chart show programme is purely local. This is where fans have to vote for songs to move the different artists on the chart. This created fan clubs who voted for artists and brought about excitement among artists themselves to make their fans happy and vice-versa. Eventually, this culminated in an award show the following year, the Paradise FM Music Awards.

This award in particular started in the studio at Hermitage and then moved live for the first time two years back at Buckingham Palace. All in all, I would say that there has been a sort of an evolution with regard to the programmes, or even how it is done. But to answer your question in a nutshell, definitely there has been an evolution in the different programmes we offer on Paradise FM.

Seychelles NATION: Apart from the challenges brought about by the private FM stations, what are other challenges the station have encountered during your tenure with Paradise FM?

Nathalie Rose: There are other challenges obviously, especially with the arrival of the new stations. The first challenge was staff retention as there were competitions from these stations. Obviously some people preferred to move to work in the private stations. We had difficulty also to get people to join the station, especially people who can do media and make presentations. We had a media school before, but at that particular time Seychelles did not really have a facility to train people in this field and it was difficult to get people who had already acquired the necessary training to come and work. So, even to get people to replace others, and to keep the team and the station going was a challenge. Even today, you have to find people to replace those who leave. To give this person the necessary training is a whole process and takes time for the person to reach the level you want. Throughout this process, you find yourself guiding them on the job, correcting and fixing mistakes. Also, we are working on the technical components of our delivery in order to improve the service we offer, in terms of sound and quality in general.

Seychelles NATION: Some people argue that when Paradise FM came into existence it ‘killed’ Radyo Sesel. On which side of the fence do you sit with this argument?

Nathalie Rose: I do not think so! Radyo Sesel still has its audience, and same goes for Paradise FM. We also have people who enjoy both radio stations. Different people follow the two stations at different times, so there is still place for both frequencies to operate. I honestly believe that Radyo Sesel should remain as it was conceived to be. That is, give information and educate the general public while keeping its current format. Similarly, Paradise FM should remain a station for entertainment. I think that the argument does not hold water, so to speak. I say this because when people have a choice, they are free to listen to what they like. When they do not like to listen to one station they can listen to another. Hence, I would not say that FM has killed off Radyo Sesel, but instead they have complemented each other.

Seychelles NATION: Surely, Paradise FM has known much success during these 25 years. Can you talk about them?

Nathalie Rose: Within these 25 years, the station has achieved a lot. Especially what it was originally set up to do. It has played a significant role on the music landscape in Seychelles. Artists in general know that they have a platform that they can use to promote their work where their songs can be heard. Before Paradise FM they had only one option. Now they have two options to choose from – Radyo Sesel and Paradise FM.

Also, we have been able to showcase the radio itself in Seychelles on a whole different level. We have been able to get artists and our listeners in general to form part of the different programmes, especially with the radio fanatics to further appreciate the radio in a different way.

Seychelles NATION: Is the station planning anything special to celebrate this Silver jubilee?

Nathalie Rose: On May 30, to celebrate our 25 years, our main activity will be our road show that is to be organised in Victoria. We are trying to recreate the successes of the 25 years by bringing people who used to work for Paradise FM together in the same place to share their stories and experiences.

We will be transmitting the whole day, from 6am to 8pm. We will be based at the National Museum of History in Victoria. Because SBC celebrated its 30th anniversary early this month since Radyo Televizyon Sesel (RTS), we will be having activities coinciding the two anniversaries. Also, on this day, SBC will be launching its Audio on Demand (AOD) service.

Then, late afternoon, we will be honouring three artists. Not honouring them per se, but make them the highlight of the afternoon. We can remember that it was Mervin Camille who won the first competition for the Paradise FM Music Awards Tune of the Year with his song entitled ‘Gro Nyaz Nwanr’, then came Gato and Ras David with their song ‘Personn Pa Konnen’. Following that was Travis, who then won the award. So, we want to bring these artists towards the end of the day, talk to them and also have them perform. All this is because of our Paradise FM Music Awards which have brought about much excitement among artists, composers and also fans of artists and followers. I want to emphasise that Paradise FM Music Awards remains the highlight in terms of successes for the station currently.

Seychelles NATION: Earlier you mentioned the launch of Audio on Demand. Can you talk more about this service?

Nathalie Rose: Nathalie Rose: This is basically a platform and service that SBC is currently working on for people who have applications. Currently both stations have their own applications through Android and Apple Store. So, you basically can have your favourite station on your phone. It is a bit similar to Video on Demand (VOD) where you pay and have the opportunity to appreciate music and archival content as well as other additional services on the platform.

Seychelles NATION: Finally, what is next for Paradise FM?

Nathalie Rose: My dream for the station is that it remains relevant and better than we are today. It is true that for the past three to four consecutive years we have remained first on the survey carried out by SBC for the most listened station. However, that does not mean we are the best and we remain as we are. Instead, we need to do even better. This is the key. I hope that the current team and those who will join us in the future can help us achieve this and keep us on top. And more specifically for the successes of Paradise FM Chart Attack and Paradise FM Music Awards, we hope to keep it as the best award that Seychelles has known, and keep raising the bar. I hope that the fourth edition will be even better.

J. F.