Let’s talk about the weather…

Doesn’t sound inspiring, but we promise it’s a lot more interesting than you think. We know, we know, the thought of the weatherman elicits feelings of Evan Almighty, or a throwback to the SABC theme music while Simon with the glasses lets you know about rainfall. True, it may be a throwback to a bygone era, but for many, the novelty is soon replaced by the quicker, more accessible app on your phone available at the click of the button. The thought of listening to a human being speak about things to come is probably as enticing as another ‘family meeting’ reminding us to mask up and get our vaccine (as if we haven’t already heard it 1000 times), while wishing the presenter had a 2x speed option.

But what if it didn’t need to be?

There were probably many who, upon hearing about the Vox Weather channel launch, thought this wasn’t the greatest idea. 50 000 followers in six months later, and we ourselves are surprised at the speed, popularity and growth of our channel – and it warms our heart (pun intended) to know that we’re not the only ones who miss the good ol’ days.

It doesn’t hurt that our key presenter (and face of Vox Weather) is no old bag of wind (again, pun intended) either, but rather the charismatic, bubbly, and lively qualified meteorologist Annette Botha. A woman who embodies the term passion, Annette combines her in-depth knowledge of the elements with experience, exuberance, and an infectious desire to make people smile, instantly captivating her audience and allowing them to immerse themselves in a truly educational experience. A brief chat with Annette is all it takes to help us understand that, in fact, there’s far more to the weather than how hot or cold it’s going to be tomorrow. Instead, there’s literal science behind the theory, which guides informed decisions capable of informing, educating, and preparing an entire nation – and this, we think, is worth the price of admission alone.

Rather than get caught up in the boring stuff, Vox Weather takes the unique approach of focusing on the human first, and the content second.

By adding a real-life, real-world presenter who, in her own words, understands her ability to spread happiness and joy across the country, we’re able to break through an automated, digitised world to give people the connection they require (after all, who does connectivity better than Vox?).

We’ve said out with the new, and in with the old-school, presenting our information in bite-sized, easy to digest daily installments; providing shareable, watchable, and presentable content to our ever-expanding audience of loyal fans. There is a twist, however. Whilst for many, watching the weather is (or used to be) a quick in-and-out, 10 minutes then done experience, we’ve managed to successfully turn it into must-watch programming. It wasn’t easy, but through a combination of consistency, delivery, accessibility, and quality, we’ve managed to hone our craft and create a series of humble, positive, and engaging content.

So, what’s on the horizon?

Well, Annette herself would probably know better than us, but our key focus at Vox Weather is diversity and expanding our reach to make the weather accessible to a wider audience. We aim to incorporate team members with fresh ideas, a different perspective and an equally infectious energy, so as to make what we do even more popular than it already is. We realise that South Africa is the only country in the world to boast 11 official languages, so our aim is to inch towards speaking to our people in a way that resonates with them. Also, if Annette gets her way, we’ll be flying into the eye of a hurricane – but hopefully one quite far away from South Africa.

Truth be told, it’s been an eventful journey full of milestones, growth and fulfilled potential – but we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Much like the weather, one can never be too sure what the future holds, but we’re committed to expanding, engaging and doing our part to bring edutainment to everyone.