The feature has taken the place of one of the Crimewatch 9.20am timeslots and is about what ordinary KwaZulu-Natalians are doing to help others.
“We wanted to show listeners that it's not all doom and gloom out there; that there is a lot of love and compassion and caring in our communities and that there are many reasons to stay in this province, and in this country,” said East Coast Radio news editor Diane Macpherson, who conceptualised The Good Stuff.
“I was driving home one evening, when it struck me that we needed to do more at ECR to inspire our listeners, and make them feel good. Obviously we cannot ignore the realities of crime and bury our heads in the sand, like the proverbial ostrich, but often we become so bogged down in the negative that we forget about the good stuff that is happening all around us,” said Macpherson.
“It's also a wonderful opportunity for the Newswatch team - who produce and present the feature - to be involved with something that is truly positive!" she said.
The Good Stuff has already featured numerous inspiring stories, like the one about the dedicated individuals from the Phoenix Rotary team who've stepped in at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, handing out tea and coffee on weekend nights - when the canteen has closed - to those who may need a cuppa; or the one about the work the Golden Entertainers song and dance group - where the oldest member is 80 - do at old age homes and retirement villages to help bring a smile to those often forgotten by their own families. In response, one listener commented on The Good Stuff page on the Newswatch blog: “Good going - it is folk like you that make it worth while staying in this country. Keep up the good work.”
Another comment - this time on the tea project - read: “Well done. I applaud all you selfless people out there. You really do make a difference in peoples lives. I hope this story will spur more people on into helping our fellow beings who are in dire need of assistance.”
And the feature has already spurred some on. A story about a play centre at Escombe that invited parents to come one Saturday morning to inject new life into the dull and depressing playground equipment, by painting it, resulted in one listener contacting the school to see how she could help. Her company has since pledged to supply the church-run play centre with jigsaw puzzles.
“It's often the smallest gestures that mean the most,” said Macpherson.
One listener summed it all up, in his blog comment: “I really hope we can start to expose so much positive energy from this that it will spark others to do similar acts and we can create a huge positive energy for the country and portray a more positive image to outsiders.”
The Good Stuff is aired every Friday at 9:20am, with a repeat broadcast on a Sunday morning at the same time. It is presented by Natarah Nadesan. Each story is also written up on the Newswatch blog, and a Podcast of the broadcast can also be downloaded via this site.
“Sometimes, we need to dig a little harder for the good stuff, but it is there,” said Macpherson.
*Please e-mail your Good Stuff stories to and let us start spreading the word about the reasons we love being here.
Make Here Happen with East Coast Radio!
For further information visit www.ecr.co.za or go directly to http://blog.ecr.co.za/newswatch.
