She's not just the morning news reader; the witty Leigh-Ann Mol also manages 5FM's website. She let us browse her online world...
5.45am
Greet the very annoying and highly-strung Damon Kalvari and the rest of the team (Mabale Moloi, Sias du Plessis and that Gareth guy) and grab my bulletin off the printer, fresh from the SABC newsroom.
For news bulletins, the SABC newsroom sources stories from SABC reporters around the country, AFP, SAPA, Reuters and the BBC. This is all available on an internal news system. I also check
Forvo.com, as it is a great site for checking out the pronunciations of words and names before a bulletin. To get the latest news, I visit sites like
IOL. Google News,
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In the past, I used various entertainment sites as a source, but now
Twitter has replaced that function. I simply follow entertainment news and general news websites' updates and links there. After all, where better to get the latest and most accurate news from music artists than from their own tweets! I follow about 750 twits – including industry buffs, bloggers, celebrities and news sites. I then set up my 'office' for the morning (laptop, Blackberry and my winning personality), and bitch about the fact that it's so early.
6am – 9am
Read three bulletins, laugh hysterically at the team's on- and off-air antics, shout incessantly at the very annoying and highly-strung Damon Kalvari, play FarmVille on
Facebook, tweet, go through some of the e-mails in the bottomless pit that is my Inbox, eat either yoghurt and fruit (if I planned properly the day before) or a ghastly toasted sandwich from the coffee shop, and bitch about the fact that it's so early.
9am – 1pm
Some days I have a few meetings to attend: a team meeting with 5FM Management, a meeting with the offices to catch up on all the latest events and competitions so I can update the
website. Most of this content (on-air and online competitions, information about upcoming 5FM concerts and events, gigs to get to, DJ profile pictures, show content and polls, all the music featured on our playlist and the option to vote for your favourite, hot news on music artists and the latest tech news, music videos, blogs by listeners, charity initiatives, 5FM internship details and more) is generated internally – and by our DJs.
Sometimes I also do voice-overs for anything from commercials to audio study guides; otherwise I just go for an after-work breakfast with the team. These are particularly exciting, because we get to marvel at how the very annoying and highly-strung Damon Kalvari manages to spill his entire cappuccino into his saucer. They are also exciting because Mabale and I have after-work drinks in the form of a sherry or the like at 10am. Often I'll use this time to squeeze in a little pampering, like a facial, mani and pedi and a massage… or to get my hair did.
1pm – 4pm
Managing the website takes precedence here. I generally do this from home, sitting on the patio with my tiny zoo of animals and 5FM on in the background. This is my most peaceful time of the day. Although the workload can be heavy with deadlines, I try to ensure that I'm surrounded by calm.
4pm – 8pm
Here's where my day could go one way or the other. This time may involve a walk to the park with my very small, tiny and little Miniature Pinscher, Joey, more tweaking on the 5FM website, drinks or dinner with friends or family, photo shoots, charity events, a mini-shop, TV (I have PVR, so I don't waste time watching commercials and mindless drivel), a bath with a scented candle, feeding all of the members of my small zoo, reading (mostly non-fiction) and admin around the house. I run a household by myself, so there's always something to do. And just for fun, I check out
www.pettube.com for hilarious and fascinating animal videos and
www.garethcliff.com for entertaining and opinionated blogs.
8pm – 4.45am
A blissful sleep with the furmily.