The Grind Radio: What They Dont Want You to Hear

The Grind Radio’s new Arcade Empire studio is hot. Not only because at 10k unique listeners per month, they’re the biggest 100% online radio station in Pretoria, but because there’s a sweltering heatwave outside and the absence of air-conditioning in the confined studio bumps up the thermometer. 

I’m sweating like a marathon runner now. In a few minutes I’ll be interviewing station manager Jarryd Wood, but with beads of sweat slowly trickling down my forehead and dripping onto my notebook, that’s easier said than done.

Fortunately, Jarryd guides me out of the studio before I collapse from heat stroke to a better ventilated spot inside Arcade. We settle on leather couches near the pool tables where it’s considerably cooler than the studio. Once we get talking, I immediately feel his passion for online radio.

 “I started TGR with my friend Juan Venter as an alternative rock ‘n’ roll playlist blog in 2013”, he says. 

“That automatically led people to compare TGR to TUKS FM because they’re seen as the original station that played alternative, raw rock music in Pretoria.” Jarryd makes an expression, I can’t tell if he’s complimented or insulted at the comparison. 

“But I feel TUKS FM lost it and became too poppy.  It works for them but I also feel people like me who prefer indie, folk and metal are being ignored by commercial stations. TGR fills this gap.” 

With the growing popularity of the blog, Juan and Jarryd wanted to go bigger so they approached the owner of Aandklas in 2014 asking to convert his vacant back bar into a studio and he agreed. They practically had zilch radio management experience, learning as they go and Googling everything else they didn’t know. They also teamed up with angel investors Mike Bower and Divan Paxton who came aboard as TGR’s financial backers.

In June 2015 TGR moved studio to Arcade, “we wanted to become more professional and Arcade offered us better opportunities.” Whereas the Aandklas ‘studio’ was a 5mx2m bar used for storing ice, their new HQ (originally meant to be a men’s toilet) is a total of 10mx3.5m. 

“We now have a separate studio & chill area where DJs can prepare for their shows.

“We also now have a dedicated internet line plus a broadcasting mic for the main host, but getting a carpet and a sleeper couch into the studio was the best upgrade…The somewhat soundproof double pane window was the most expensive renovation.”

With TGR’s new location came new listeners. “After moving to Arcade which plays EDM & metal, we created dedicated hard-core electro shows like We Are Animals which jams underground EDM.”

Jarryd remains adamant that TGR will never sell its soul to advertisers in the future. “We started TGR with our own money, to push our passion for indie music. We want people to tune in and feel we’re genuinely doing this for the love, not for the money.”

TGRs upcoming upgrade will come as a major relief for studio guests and presenters alike though; “next up, we’re getting an air-conditioner” assures Jarryd.

Do you think independent online music and radio stations will ever overshadow the commercial giants?

Notice:I originally wrote this article for JHBLIVE

Listen to TGR here: http://www.thegrindradio.co.za/