“You Should Rather Return to Your First Job.” The Self-efficacy Beliefs of Radio Personalities

ABSTRACT

Radio presenting is a rewarding yet challenging undertaking for novice and experienced radio personalities. Self-efficacy, a key determinant of performance, is an under-researched psychological variable that may influence radio presenters’ performance in a highly competitive industry. This study explored the self-efficacy beliefs of radio personalities at a community radio station in central South Africa. Eleven semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted and analyzed by means of directive coding. The findings in this study unpack the factors that impact positively and negatively on self-efficacy beliefs and may help navigate station management toward rendering the necessary support in empowering and retaining these employees.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Notes on contributors

Mardi Delport

Dr Mardi Delport is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) in South Africa. She obtained her under- and postgraduate qualifications from the University of the Free State. Her radio broadcasting career extends over 28 years and she presented programmes on community and commercial stations in South Africa. She also facilitates communication- and writing workshops and does freelance copy-writing and voice-over work for various radio stations.