Behind the Mic ‒ Henrico Ernesta |12 September 2022
Henrico Ernesta behind the mic in the Paradise FM studio
‘When you are on the radio you must paint the images for the listeners’
Everyday we hear presenters talking and entertaining on the radio without being able to put names to faces. They are most of the time recognised only by their voices. As we all know, the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has two radio stations ‒ Radyo Sesel (AM) being the informative and educative station, and Paradise FM being the station for entertainment.
In this new feature ‘Behind The Mic’, Seychelles NATION will take you on a journey with the presenters who will share their experiences. The first presenter in our series of feature articles is the charismatic and entertaining Henrico Ernesta.
Seychelles NATION: When did you start working as a radio presenter?
Henrico Ernesta: I started in 2013 when SBC was looking for part-time presenters at Radyo Sesel. I was encouraged to apply for the post by an ex post-secondary colleague of mine. They were actually looking for male presenters. I recall at that time Ms Merna Eulentin and I used to do sketches about us being presenters on television or radio each time there was an activity while we were studying.
I was actually approached on a Children’s Day (June 1) at the Belonie secondary school. Mr Jules Hoareau came to talk to me about the job. I saw it as an opportunity. I consulted my family and they encouraged me to apply for the job, which I did. I was successful for the interview. One of the things they do when you come in for an interview is a voice test. This is imperative for the job. I already had experiences as a master of ceremony (MC) but I also believe that to do such a job your personality is as important as it will allow you to deliver in different contexts.
When Ms Nathalie Rose took the lead at Paradise FM, she saw the potential in me to join the team as I had a lot of energy ‒ I still do by the way ‒ as it is very much needed for a station like Paradise FM. Ever since I have been coming in on Saturdays and doing the Saturday Brunch programme from 10am to 1pm. I also do other shows when there is a need to. I am now even presenting the sports news on television. I have been at Paradise FM for around five years now.
Seychelles NATION: Give us an overview of the programmes you host.
Henrico Ernesta: Firstly, the main programme I host targets people at home, especially those who are going to town for their shopping. At times when I go to town, especially in the shops, I hear Paradise FM on air and I am like people actually hear me talking when I am on air. It is the same feeling I get when I am at the bus terminal and other places. At times I am baffled about the realisation that I am being heard everywhere across the country. However, when I am in the studio I never take this into account. I only focus on delivering for my audience. I am really passionate about our Creole language. As part of one of my shows I use Creole as much as possible and allow listeners to use the language as well. It is called ‘Nou Lalang’. So we must make use of it. For this programme I liaise with the Creole Institute quite often. What I tend to do is give positive life tips to my listeners. There are many people who need this in order to boost their morale. I tend to play a lot of music in my slot so that these people can be entertained and for that hour or more help them to forget about their problems.
Seychelles NATION: You feature for both Radyo Sesel and Paradise FM. Talk a bit about the differences between them.
Henrico Ernesta: For me, both stations are about education and entertainment. However, Paradise FM is more about entertainment as compared to Radyo Sesel. In other words, there is more hype. Radyo Sesel tends to be more appreciated by the seniors, but a lot of young people also enjoy the AM station. The tone of voice and the way you deliver your programme is not the same, obviously. Radyo Sesel tends to deliver programmes in a much calmer tone. But it does not mean that I do not enjoy Radyo Sesel. In fact, I love it. After all, it is where I began my career as a presenter. At Radyo Sesel I had more choice of music to play as well.
In my slot on Paradise FM, the content is more specific driven. For instance, I cannot play a Country and Western song or a slow. However, on Radyo Sesel it is different. I have more choice. Despite these differences, you tend to adapt with what happens around you. In addition, it also depends on the mood in general and on that particular time of day. But on Paradise FM you need to be on your toes and be fluid in order to adapt to the show unless it is a ‘slow’ day so to speak. Additionally, Paradise FM is listened to mostly by the youths and of course there are also the senior citizens who do so as well.
Seychelles NATION: You have almost 10 years of experience working with the radio station, talk a bit about that.
Henrico Ernesta: It has been an interesting experience. It feels as if I was born to do this job. It goes well with my personality and my kind of person. I have grown a lot in the domain and the colour of my voice has changed. I guess this is why other departments and people see potentials for me to do other things. Even the news section wanted male presenters. But I felt news is too serious which is why I joined the sports team.
One of the qualities I have is adaption. I am not afraid to adapt and I do so easily and quickly. I also adapt to people of different ages as well. While I was at Radyo Sesel I worked with a lot of old friends. I used to do the Sunday afternoon show which entailed a lot of Country and Western music. I discovered all of these songs at the radio station along with my audience.
I adapt well with everyone at work as well despite the age gap. Media itself is an interesting field and for me to come to the studio after a long day teaching, some may ask if it is as demanding and even more as compared to teaching. Indeed, teaching is tiring. In fact, the disciplining of students is more tiring than the teaching itself. However, when I come here it is the moment where I can let go. But the good thing is when I am about to go on air it is like I am about to take on a different personality and basically, as I have mentioned earlier, I just let myself go in the moment. When I go into the studio feeling tired and start playing a few reggae songs which both my audience and myself enjoy, all of the tiredness evaporates.
Funnily enough, at times I even dance in the studio. I put on my headset and off into my world I go. At times I close my eyes and let myself get carried away in this world. Words just flow from my mouth and everything is just spontaneous.
Seychelles NATION: What are the qualities someone should possess as a radio presenter?
Henrico Ernesta: One can have all his or her certificates and qualifications, but if you do not have the ability to interact with your audience you will fail as a presenter. You need to be a people person, you need to show the human aspect and have the ability to keep your audience listening to you. If not, you will not make it through. You can even have the ability to do proper research and be very informative on certain subjects, but if you do not have the ability to deliver it in a way that people will be satisfied I do not think that the radio is the place for you to be.
Seychelles NATION: Radio and television are two different worlds in the sense that one is visual and the other audio. Some people say that when you are on the radio you need to be able to get your audience to visualise whatever you are talking about. How do you integrate this when you are on air?
Henrico Ernesta: Just like you mentioned, one is visual and the other audio; but for television it depends on the programme you are doing. For instance, with TV you need to be more prepared than radio. It involves a lot of ‘perfection’, with fewer mistakes; and if possible not to make any mistake at all as everyone is watching you. However, on the radio no one is looking at you. I can be doing my show and scratching my feet at the same time if there is a need for me to do so. You simply cannot do that on TV. That is the beauty with radio. On TV mistakes should be avoided. Full stop.
Seychelles NATION: Would you say that you have been inspired to work on the radio?
Henrico Ernesta: One personality I enjoyed and still enjoy watching on TV is Mr Jude Louange. He is very spontaneous and do things differently. He tends to break all barriers. I recall when there were black gnats in the studio and he actually took his papers and chased them saying ‘these together’ (as people refer to them) are bothering me’. But someone else would have probably swallowed a few as if nothing happened. I like this natural feel of Mr Louange. When you make a mistake on the radio you simply laugh about it. At times people will call you and joke about it making it part of the show. You can also later correct what you have said.
On the other hand, when you are doing a TV report what you are talking about should flow with the images, for example when doing a live report of a football match. As for the radio, you do not need to do that. I can keep talking about something else and then refer to another thing which happened earlier. The important thing is to always remember that when you are talking on the radio you must paint the images for the listeners.
Seychelles NATION: What kind of reviews or feedback do you receive from your audience?
Henrico Ernesta: Many people know me, but the majority of them I have no clue who they are. I know I am involved in a lot of activities which make me known by many. But one thing that sells me at times is my voice. The way I talk in daily life is the same way I do on the radio. We cannot be so artificial while presenting. We need to be natural. I go to the shop and the minute I open my mouth people would ask whether I am the one who presents programmes on the radio. They ask if it is the voice they hear on Paradise FM.
When it comes to reviews, I get a lot of positive feedback. Those who like my shows are very positive and they say that my slot on Saturdays really liven up their day. This is the moment they are either at home doing their chores or doing their shopping in the supermarket and listening to the radio, especially if their days have been really hectic during the week. Many say that they do not do their house chores and dance when I am on air (laughs). We are here to entertain as our primary objective and I love it when this happens. If at any point in time my shows are no longer attractive to the audience, I know that my family would let me know, especially my girlfriend who is very critical of what I do. But in a good way so that I eventually improve. People who know me really well would also notice my mood. They will tell me whether I am in a good mood or not once they hear my show. There are also moments of course when you are under the weather, and people say that it was actually your best show. The thing is that media at times is artificial and can trick your audience in getting into what you are giving them.