The Media - Radio Awards

ISSUE 189 JULY 2021

Inside:

› Young radio talent: Show up, show interest and understand show business › MacG on how to manage a podcast crisis › How Reginald Nxumalo has redefined the SABC’s sales force › Should radio adjust its advertising rates?

THE SPIRIT OF THE RADIO AWARDS

Scenic Drive Team Philicity Reeken, Rian van Heerden and Joe Mann

more music you love

AN AUDIENCE OF

50%

4,331,000 MIL WEEKLY CAPTIVATED LISTENERS

RURAL

6%

19%

METRO FM PROVINCIAL FOOTPRINT 70,0

61,0

60,0 50,0 40,0 30,0

6

1

We stern Cape

North Wes t

Mpumalanga

Limpopo

KwaZuluNatal

Free Sta te

Easter n Cape

5

5

2

2,0

Norther n Cape

11

8,0

0,0

Ga uteng

20,0

SEM CLUSTERS OF METRO FM CONSUMERS 18,0

16

15

16,0

15

14,0 12,0

12

11

SEM9

SEM10

10

10,0 8,0 4 2

2,0 0,0

8

6

6,0

SEM1

SEM2

SEM3

SEM4

SEM5

SEM6

SEM7

SEM8

RADIO LISTENING BY 1/4 (’000S) 800 600

Mon-Fri

400

Sat-Sun

11pm

10pm

9pm

8pm

7pm

6pm

5pm

4pm

3pm

2pm

1pm

12pm

9am

11am

10am

8am

7am

6am

5am

4am

3am

2am

1am

200 0

SOURCE: BRC RAM (APR ‘19 - MAR ‘20)

BLACK

URBAN

0am

@METROFMSA - 466k

WEEKDAY & WEEEND LISTENERSHIP PATTERN IS SIMILAR WHICH SUGGESTS THAT WE HAVE A LOYAL LISTENER THAT STAYS THROUGHOUT

75%

METRO FM - 1.5M @METROFMSA - 1.9M

13%

FOLLOW US

50+

METRO

4,0

In line with the stations strategy of remaining relevant to its listeners, as well as affording its talent the opportunity to grow, Lerato Kganyago has moved from ‘The Bridge’ 09:00 – 12:00, to anchor the 12:00 – 15:00

31%

COLOURED

Oskido has taken over the 19:00 – 20:00 time channel to start a newly curated talent development show aimed at unearthing and showcasing new musical talent.

Why spend with METRO FM? As the number one commercial station in South Africa, METRO FM offers a wide variety of on air and online client solutions and prides itself on the creation of collaborative client content.

For more information on all commercial opportunities email info@metrofm.co.za.

35-49

87%

9%

INDIAN

In keeping with its reputation as the home of stars, the station launched a brand new dance show on Saturdays, The Penthouse Sessions from 16:00 -19:00 hosted by the renowned Lulo Café and trail blazing, dancing DJ aka ‘the tattooed lady’ – Lamiez Holworthy.

The rest of the station line-up remains unchanged and available on www.metrofm.co.za.

25-34

WHITE

10,0

What’s new?

With the changes experienced in the industry and radio broadcasting environment in recent months, the station has worked to consistently be relevant and engage its audience on different platforms through its on-air personalities, content and digital interactions.

35%

15-24

METRO FM’s Saturdays are envisaged to carry on its growth trajectory with the introduction of DJ Sabby, to host the iconic METRO FM Top 40 Chart Show between 09:00 – 13:00.

2%

METRO FM has a combined online following of over 3 million followers and has been voted the coolest radio station at the Sunday Times Gen Next Awards for 8 consecutive years (2013-2020).

21%

About METRO FM METRO FM is a mentor and guide for youthful urban adults that embrace a pragmatic and successful life and is influential in their constantly changing environment. As the iconic leader in its market broadcasting in English, METRO FM is ideally positioned to deliver both a national and global perspective that instils confidence and inspires its audiences.

POPULATION AGE GROUPS

show, ‘The Midday Link Up’ with LKG. She is joined by well-known South African medium Taz Singh every Friday from 14:00 – 15:00.

2%

METRO FM is the largest national urban commercial station in South Africa with over 4 Million listeners. The station embodies and reflects the style and attitude of its listeners, who are ambitious, high flyers with the confidence that comes from being comfortable in a multiracial multicultural South Africa.

50%

LEVEL UP WITH 5FM IS NOT JUST A RADIO STATION.5FM IS A MULTIMEDIA BRAND THAT BUILDS AND SHARES CONTENT ACROSS DIGITAL AND ON-AIR MEDIA CHANNELS INFORMED BY THE YOUTH. 5FM’S PURPOSE IS TO BRING TOGETHER THE YOUTH OF SOUTH AFRICA THROUGH THE POWER OF MUSIC. As an entertainment powerhouse 5FM features some of the most relevant media personalities and music DJs in South Africa. The station embraces content that is relevant, youth centric and co-created with the 5FM community while proudly supporting the South African music industry.

In April 2021, 5FM introduced new faces and voices to the audience and clients. This was done to make a bold statement about what 5FM stands for. To appeal and attract the youth market, and create a product which is differentiated, this started by putting together a completely new Breakfast show, 5 Breakfast anchored by 2019 Best Breakfast Presenter nominee Dan Corder. The team includes Mathapelo Moloi on news who has recently been nominated as best News Reader, Marli van Eeden on traffic, and sport by Xoli Zondo completes the on – air team. Behind the scenes content is the responsibility of Nick Erasmus who comes in with commercial radio experience from sister station Good Hope FM. This is followed by 5 Mid – mornings anchored by proud Capetonian Stephanie B discussing topics one would feel awkward talking about with their parents. Stephanie B creates a platform for expressive dialogue through her unpopular opinion.

5 Lunch is hosted by the incredibly talented Zanele Potelwa. She has a heart for the people and is a true lover of broadcasting in every way. The station’s lunchtime news is taken care off by Yanga Mjoli whose curious nature has seen her following her passion for reading. The upbeat and funky show will put a kick in you day.

In the afternoons, the 5 Drive team takes the listener on a journey from 15:00 – 18:00. The team who is known as being The Unapologetic Voice of the Youth, consists of anchor Nick Hamman, Jude van Wyk on Sport, Babalwa “Bibi” Mbangula on traffic, and Nadia Romanos reading the news. Mad Money Mike is behind the scenes, and usually the prime suspect for all the shenanigans the show gets up to. 5 Drive encourages positivity with a specific focus on South Africa.

UNMASKED GOOD HOPE FM, BROADCASTING LIVE SINCE 1965, IS CAPE TOWN’S ORIGINAL MUSIC RADIO STATION AND HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITIES’ POP CULTURE FOR OVER FIVE DECADES. THE STATION CAPTURES THE FUN, ENERGY, AND FUNKINESS OF URBAN CAPE TOWN, ACTIVELY ENGAGING YOUTHFUL CAPETONIANS THROUGH MUSIC, RELEVANT LIFESTYLE NEWS, AND EVENTS. The COVID 19 pandemic accelerated the station’s on-air content offering to its digital platforms, with the introduction of the station’s Virtual Party’s in April 2020, and this was also done in collaboration with 5FM and SABC 3. For the station’s birthday in July 2020, the station hosted the BIG 55 Virtual Concert streamed exclusively live on the station’s website and social media platforms.

Good Hope FM has some of the best and entertaining on-air presenters in Cape Town, starting with the Big Breakfast Show hosted by the booming voice of Stan Mars and his team. The team includes News Presenter Andriques Petersen, Show Producer and Traffic Presenter Gabriela Werner, and local Cape Town Comedian and Sport Presenter Dalin Oliver, who was recently nominated for Best Sport Presenter by the Radio Awards.

This is followed by The Morning Show, hosted by well-known media personality Leigh-Anne Williams, who was also one of the main presenters on the Expresso Morning Show on SABC 3. Sandra Rosenberg presents news, and the show is produced by Delucia Daniels, who was

5FM is the youth station of the country, continuously pushing boundaries and driving he narrative of the future leaders. Level up with 5 FM.

recently inducted as a Bright Star by the Radio Awards.

At midday, the legendary Grand Master DJ Ready D presents The Good Vibes, a feel-good music focused show, celebrating Cape Town culture through features such Made in Kaapstad, and Ridez and Vibez. DJ Ready D recently won the SA Hip Hop Awards Best Radio Show for 2020, proving his status as a legendary presenter in Cape Town.

The Great Drive afternoon drive show is hosted by the vibrant Khanya “Kyeezi” Siyengo, who was first noticed when he participated in the station’s Campus DJ Search in 2012. He garnered further recognition on national TV, when he participated in SABC 3 presenter search and became one of the Top 5 finalists and was subsequently offered the host position on the 2nd season of Win a Home in 2016.

Good Hope FM is a well-established Cape Town brand and will keep on providing the ideal platform for advertisers to reach the affluent 20-something market of metropolitan Cape Town.

ED’S NOTE

On the record...

R

eading the responses to questions on how media agency leadership prepared their teams for working from home, I was struck by the fact that all the respondents mentioned the mental wellness of their employees as something of great concern.

Many had initiatives in place for employees and even their families. Some offered professional counselling, others a 24-hour helpline. All were vitally aware of the issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic that go beyond staying safe and counting the days until we can get the jab.

During the terrible week of violence and insurrection South Africa recently experienced, I watched the mostly young reporters from eNCA, Newzroom Afrika and SABC News on the ground amid the madness, solidly reporting news that was terrifying and sad in equal measure. These reporters have to deal with increasing distrust of media and personal threats to their safety too.

I wondered how they decompress when they return from the front line. How they clear their minds of the fear, sadness and disquiet that are the legacy of the past weeks. Are they offered counselling? Are they taught skills to manage the stress? The South African National Editors’ Forum recently hosted a webinar for members covering topics such as grief, trauma, burnout, compassion fatigue, managing anxiety, and coping with workplace stress and depression. It was the first of an ongoing project to “prioritise journalism wellness in all newsrooms across the country this year”.

Then there are the freelancers out there, their income dependent on getting work in, getting paid on time and getting more work in. The added layer of stress is a burden, and something the Southern African Freelancers’ Association has acknowledged. It too hosted a webinar by American resilience expert Dr Deborah Gilboa to help freelancers find “the path from stress to resilience”.

Then there’s webinar and Zoom stress too! The point is, perhaps it’s time to take time out to join these webinars. We all need to learn to cope better with the wider world, and our own particularly unsettled and unhappy country.

Meanwhile, in a happier space, we are celebrating all things audio in this issue, plus some other interesting media stuff too. The Radio Awards were a bright light in July, celebrating the wonderful talent and resilience of our audio sector. Congratulations to the winners: you are amazing.

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4 i THE MEDIA

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FEATURES

Contents

11 THE RADIO AWARDS – ALL THE WINNERS

Celebrating the voices that keep South Africa listening.

34 AN AD GIANT AWAKENS

The public broadcaster got a new head of sales in May 2020. The straight-talking Reginald Nxumalo tells GLENDA NEVILL how the SABC has changed its way of doing advertising business.

39 TAKING PODCASTS SERIOUSLY

Some 2.5 million people listen to podcasts in South Africa.

Brands ignore them at their peril, says LWANDILE QOKWENI.

41 MAKING LEMONADE

He delivers one of South Africa’s most popular podcasts. But MacG found himself in hot water after an insensitive broadcast.

He tells GLENDA NEVILL how he turned lemons into lemonade.

07

6 i THE MEDIA

60 THE IMPACT OF BEING LOCKED AWAY

44 AUDIO INNOVATION

Audio technology is helping radio stations connect even more with audiences. But some broadcasters are still resistant, writes JONATHAN LUMLEY.

46 STAYING IN THE MEDIA MIX

Audio strategy, says JOHN WALLS, is essential to keep audiences listening and advertisers buying in. But the cost of radio advertising needs to be addressed.

51 TALKING TALENT

Are South African broadcasters doing enough to bring fresh new talent into the fold?

TIM ZUNCKEL takes a deep look into the issues.

57 OUR COLLECTIVE GRIEF

We’re all feeling the pain of a country struck by a global pandemic, coupled with ongoing local crises, writes LEBO MADIBA.

44

BrandMapp has issued the findings of its survey into media consumption.

BRANDON DE KOCK analyses the trends.

62 THE CONNECTED COMMUNICATORS

Media agency leaders share with GLENDA NEVILL the

strategies they employed to stay

connected to clients and staff in

a virtual world.

REGULARS 04 Ed’s note: On the record 06 Contents 07 Who are You? I am Mpho Mtembu 67 The Hotseat with Stephen

Werner, Kfm station manager

COVER Winners of the Afternoon Drive Show, The Scenic Drive with Rian, are from left Philicity Reeken, Rian van Heerden and Joe Mann.

60 themediaonline.co.za

I am Mpho Mtembu

WHO ARE YOU?

Mpho Mtembu is the co-founder of Joziwood, a video content production company that recently became part of the Matrix Group, founded by former The MediaShop Johannesburg managing director Kgaugelo Maphai. The 29-year-old is proud of the company’s ability to keep steady during the pandemic, which he attributes to finding creative ways to reach audiences and consumers in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Joziwood specialises in creating premium video content in the reality, lifestyle and entertainment sectors.

What was the road you followed that led you to becoming such a multi-skilled, cross-disciplinary creative?

Mpho Mtembu

Watching a lot of television and listening to radio a lot, coupled with a mind that works overtime, led me to becoming the creative I am. I draw major inspiration from the content I consume online, on television and on the radio, which makes it easier for me to come up with great ideas and concepts. I’ve always been determined to take every opportunity to learn, regardless of the department, role or project. I hold a Diploma in Media Practices and through this I have acquired skills such as project management and leadership. I’ve also never been afraid to fail.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

What are the issues you are most concerned with in South Africa and are you involved in addressing some of them?

Our country’s education system!

I value the importance of education and have the utmost respect for anyone else who does too. Although I am not actively doing anything at the moment to help better our education system, I do have plans to give opportunities to upcoming creatives to enable them to learn more about their craft and upskill themselves.

What three things can you not live without?

My cellphone. Water – I drink a lot of it throughout the day. Music.

Who is your superhero and why?

My mother is my superhero. She is probably the one person who has themediaonline.co.za

been with me through thick and thin. I appreciate that lady with all my heart.

In five years time you will be…

A seasoned entrepreneur within the media industry. I am also interested in property and have plans to venture into that in the next few years.

THE MEDIA i 7

PARTNER CONTENT

Entertainment for everyone

O

penview, with its aggressively growing base of over 2.4 million households, recently added the SABC’s 19 radio stations to its already existing bouquet. These stations include some of the biggest South African radio brands – Ukhozi FM, Metro FM, Lesedi and Umhlobo Wenene.

Openview is well positioned to serve its audience, enabling previously geographically restricted FM radio channels to be received throughout the country via digital broadcasting on a free-to-air basis.

With the additional 19 SABC radio channels added to the Openview bouquet, as a whole, the platform has now increased to 28 radio channels, serving customers across all genres in every language in South Africa.

Together with the radio channels, Openview is packed with South Africa’s favourite free-to-air television channels – SABC 1, 2, 3, and e.tv. With over 20 entertainment channels, most in HD, Openview viewers can enjoy a multitude of content, from movies and reality shows to ‘toons, music, Bollywood, weather, sports and 10 i T H E M E D I A

news, to suit everyone in the family.

Openview’s sporting fans enjoy live football games from the English Premier League, DFB Pokal and La Liga, coupled with a 24-hour sports channel, SABC Sport.

INCREASED CONNECTIVITY TO INCLUDE EVERYONE

Openview recently launched its wi-fi dongle, Openview Connect, which aims to drive increased connectivity for families across South Africa and act as a plug-and-play hotspot for Openview-enabled homes wishing to themediaonline.co.za

get and stay connected. For a once-off fee of R599 (no monthly charges), Openview customers can enjoy up to 10 devices simultaneously connected with operating data rates up to 150 Mbps speed on 4G LTE – lightning-fast compared to most home fibre connectivity options.

The tangible benefits this connectivity brings to communities across South Africa are multifold and life-changing. On a social level, Openview Connect can help households stay in touch with friends and family. Besides providing instant access to news and information, e-learning platforms like Vodacom e-school, free-to-browse career websites for job seekers, are all available free of data charges.

Openview is all about changing lives and keeping South Africans informed and entertained. For a go-to family brand that ticks all the boxes get Openview at leading retailers nationwide, then sit back, relax and enjoy premium entertainment.

For more information, visit www.openview.co.za This is sponsored content.

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

Openview, the company behind South Africa’s first free-to-air satellite service, brings entertainment into every household.

It has recently expanded its offerings.

THE RADIO AWARDS

All the winners and finalists

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T H E M E D I A I 11

A word from the organiser of The Radio Awards After close to a century of operation, radio in South Africa is as relevant as ever, and The Radio Awards recognise those who keep us listening, writes TARYN WESTOBY.

W

hether we choose to credit Marconi, Popov, Fessenden or Tesla, the invention of radio continues to leave an indelible imprint on the lives of billions of people more than a century later.

Hardly a day goes by where most of us aren’t tuned in to radio at some point, even as we increasingly turn towards internet streaming technology to bring favourite personalities and voices into our lives.

Yes, we’ve come a long way since radio broadcasting first began in South Africa in 1923. The origins of the medium were relatively humble at that stage, with the first commercial radio station – Springbok Radio – only being launched in 1950. Now, with more than 250 radio stations broadcasting across the country, the medium has proved itself a valued platform for delivering information and entertainment to millions of citizens.

Radio is part of the fabric of South African society, which makes the recent destruction and looting of radio stations across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal especially heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the unrest.

The past 18 months have been tumultuous indeed. Last year was the first time that The Radio Awards were presented online, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us 12 I T H E M E D I A

Taryn Westoby

would have been quietly optimistic in hoping that this year we would be able to celebrate the success of our colleagues in person once more. It has been a tough year that has tested the mettle of all South Africans, and as an industry, radio can stand proud in knowing how important it has been in lifting the spirits of so many during these periods of lockdown.

SUPERSTARS AMONG US

This is why The Radio Awards remain so integral and valued by the industry as an opportunity for broadcasters and their producers, presenters, station managers and those working behind the scenes to get recognition for outstanding work under the most challenging of circumstances. themediaonline.co.za

We are incredibly proud of the local radio industry, and we’ll continue to acknowledge those superstars among us in the hope that we can meet in person for a firm handshake and applause in the future.

We congratulate all the finalists and Bright Star and Hall of Fame inductees for their hard work, resilience, and dedication to the medium of radio in South Africa. Now more than ever, radio has cemented itself as an accessible, trusted source of information and entertainment, as well as a platform that makes people feel connected.

We must also thank those who continue to make The Radio Awards a success, particularly the high-calibre panel of 40 judges from the broadcast media industry who have once again been so generous with their time, lending their ears to listen to hundreds of hours of submissions.

Thanks to our advisory panel and members of the National Association of Broadcasters for the valuable insights, passion and expertise they provide to keep The Radio Awards relevant.

BDO, the auditors of The Radio Awards, have once again done sterling work in ensuring all the numbers are accurately tallied and reliable.

And to the small but passionate team that puts these awards together every year, thank you for your ongoing loyalty to this imperative South African awards programme.

In this 11th edition of The Radio Awards, let’s celebrate the voices we have that keep South Africa listening!

Taryn Westoby is head of Arena Events, the organiser of The Radio Awards.

THE RADIO AWARDS

STATION OF THE YEAR CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

PUKFM 93.6

LOTUS FM

TUKS FM 107.2

RADIO 2000

UJFM 95.4

SAFM

VOICE OF WITS FM

THOBELA FM UMHLOBO WENENE FM

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM PRETORIA FM RADIO KHWEZI

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS EAST COAST RADIO JACARANDA FM KAYA FM KFM 94.5 RADIO 702

themediaonline.co.za

T H E M E D I A I 13

BREAKFAST SHOW PRESENTER PBS FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

PRESENTER

STATION

PRESENTER

PUKFM 93.6

CHARONIKE NEL

PUKFM 93.6

KHANYISILE MAHLANGU

LOTUS FM LOTUS FM

O’NEIL NAIR SHAASTRA NAGESAR (CO-HOST)

TUKS FM 107.2

VENITA

RADIO 2000

BONGANI MTOLO

UJFM 95.4

NICK EXPLICIT

THOBELA FM

MANKOKO BABY

VOICE OF WITS FM

GOITSE LELAKA

THOBELA FM

LENNY T LEGODI

UMHLOBO WENENE FM PASTOR

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

PRESENTER

STATION

PRESENTER

HOT 91.9FM IZWI LOMZANSI FM

JEREMY MANSFIELD MXOLISI “STRESSLESS” MHLONGO BRADLEY KIRSTEN

947

ANELE MDODA

ALGOA FM

WAYNE HART

JACARANDA FM

MARTIN BESTER

KAYA FM

DAVID O’SULLIVAN

PIETER MALAN

METRO FM

MOETI ‘MOFLAVA’ TSIKI

RADIO 702

BONGANI BINGWA

RADIO CAPE PULPIT 729AM RADIO LAEVELD

14 I T H E M E D I A

themediaonline.co.za

THE RADIO AWARDS

BREAKFAST SHOW CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

KOVSIEFM 97.0

#MONATEFELABREAKFAST BIG BANG BREAKFAST

LOTUS FM RADIO 2000

THE BREAKFAST EXPRESS

PUKFM 93.6 SMU FM 97.1

SATURDAY SUNRISE SENSATION

SAFM

SAFM SUNRISE

TUKS FM 107.2

THE TUKS FM BREAKFAST SHOW

THOBELA FM

DITLALEMESO

UJFM 95.4

UJFM BREAKFAST WITH NICK EXPLICIT

UMHLOBO WENENE FM BEE (BREAKFAST EYONDLAYO EKUSENI)

VOICE OF WITS FM

THE MAINSWITCH

THE TAKE OFF

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

ALEX FM BAY FM 107.9 HOT 91.9FM

THE KICK START BREAKFAST IN THE BAY MANSFIELD IN THE MORNING

947

ANELE AND THE CLUB

EAST COAST RADIO

DARREN, KERI AND SKY SHOW

JACARANDA FM

BREAKFAST WITH MARTIN BESTER

INANDA 88.4 FM MOTHEO FM

THE RISE & ROCK BREAKFAST SHOW THE LIT BREAKFAST SHOW

KFM 94.5

KFM MORNINGS WITH DARREN, SHERLIN AND SIBS

RADIO 702

702 BREAKFAST WITH BONGANI BINGWA

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T H E M E D I A I 15

AFTERNOON DRIVE PRESENTER PBS FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

PRESENTER

STATION

PRESENTER

TUKS FM 107.2

TASTE CHAMPAGNE

TUKS FM 107.2

DUANE JEFFERY VAN WYK

IKWEKWEZI FM MOTSWEDING FM

BIZIWE MASANGO LUCKY LTK KOMANISI

TUKS FM 107.2

TSHEPI

RADIO 2000

NTOMBI MESO (NEE PHIRI)

UJFM 95.4

BOLELE POLISA

THOBELA FM

THABO WA MO-AFRIKA

VOICE OF WITS FM

ANTHONY TEIXEIRA

UMHLOBO WENENE FM

AMAZA NTSHANGA

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

PRESENTER

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM RADIO HELDERBERG 93.6FM SEDIBENG FM WESTSIDE FM

RUBEN DELMAGE SIMON PARKINSON ANELE DU PLESSIS HAPPY MOFOKENG GUY AT

16 I T H E M E D I A

STATION

PRESENTER

5FM

NICK HAMMAN

JACARANDA FM

RIAN VAN HEERDEN

KAYA FM

SIZWE DHLOMO

RADIO 702

JOHN PERLMAN

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THE RADIO AWARDS

AFTERNOON DRIVE SHOW CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

PUKFM 93.6

PUKFM DRIVE

IKWEKWEZI FM

SMU FM 97.1

THE ULTIMATE MORNING EXPERIENCE

AMATHUNZI ANABILE AFTERNOON DRIVE SHOW(AAADS)

SMU FM 97.1

THE FASTLANE

MOTSWEDING FM

GOTETSA MOSHA

TUKS FM 107.2

THE TUKS FM DRIVE SHOW

RADIO 2000

THE GLENZITO SUPER DRIVE

UJFM 95.4

UJFM DRIVE

UKHOZI FM

SISONKE DRIVE

UMHLOBO WENENE FM MASIGODUKE

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

COMMUNITY FINALISTS STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

HOT 91.9FM RADIO KC 107.7 FM PRETORIA FM

THE BIG JOBURG DRIVE KC DRIVE KLANKKOERANT LAATMIDDAG

5FM

5 DRIVE

EAST COAST RADIO

STACEY AND J SBU

HEART FM

THE O’CONNOR DRIVE

JACARANDA FM

THE SCENIC DRIVE WITH RIAN

RADIO 702

702 DRIVE WITH JOHN PERLMAN

PRETORIA FM MIDDAG MET MD RADIO HELDERBERG 93.6FM CRUISE CONTROL

themediaonline.co.za

T H E M E D I A I 17

THE RADIO AWARDS

DAYTIME SHOW PBS FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

PUKFM 93.6 PUKFM 93.6 TUKS FM 107.2

FLASHBACK FRIDAY ON THE GO 09:00 TO 12:00 WITH TSHEPI

LOTUS FM RADIO 2000 THOBELA FM

THE LUNCH BREAK RADIO 2000 SEDIBENG

TUKS FM 107.2 UJFM 95.4 VOICE OF WITS FM

TUKS FM TOP 40 THE EGO TRIP THAT LUNCH SHOW

TRUFM UMHLOBO WENENE FM

THE MIDDAY FREQUENCY SJL (SIJIK’ILANGA)

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

COMBINED FINALISTS STATION

SHOW

STATION

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM HOT 91.9FM

LUNCH PUNCH LUNCH WITH MURRELL THE MARK PILGRIM SHOW

947 ANDY MAQONDWANA CAPETALK 567 AM LUNCH WITH PIPPA HUDSON EAST COAST RADIO VIC NAIDOO ON EAST COAST RADIO

INANDA 88.4 FM RADIO LAEVELD

ISIVUBELA ISIZWE DIE PAPPACHEF SHOW

METRO FM RADIO 702

18 I T H E M E D I A

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SHOW

LUNCH WITH THOMAS & PEARL THE AZANIA MOSAKA SHOW

THE RADIO AWARDS

NIGHT-TIME SHOW PBS FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

PUKFM 93.6 TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM 107.2 UJFM 95.4 VOICE OF WITS FM

LOCAL TOP 30 BUSINESS TALK WITH LENNOX 19:00 TO 21:00 WITH LENNOX NOVEL LEISER RECRUITMENT AGENCY

LOTUS FM

THE NIGHT CAFE RADIO SHOW MONDAY -THURSDAY SAFM FACTS OF FAITH MOREMOGOLO ABAHLALI ABANGALALIYO

SAFM THOBELA FM UMHLOBO WENENE FM

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

STATION EAST COAST RADIO EAST COAST RADIO GAGASI FM KAYA FM

AGANANG FM FINE MUSIC RADIO HOT 91.9FM

SHOW

TSA SE GARONA THE LOVE DOCTOR LATE NITES WITH TREASURE TSHABALALA RADIO HELDERBERG WEEKNIGHTS WITH LINDI 93.6FM RADIO KHWEZI SAKHA ISIZWE SHOW

METRO FM

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SHOW EARLY BREAKFAST WITH MIKE V 7 TO 10 WITH MINNIE NTULI INDABA LIFESTYLE THE LAW REPORT WITH MICHAEL MOTSOENENG-BILL THE 4AM CLUB

T H E M E D I A I 19

WEEKEND RADIO SHOW PBS FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM 107.2 UJFM 95.4 VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM

WEEKEND LIFE WITH KEA TUKS FM WEEKEND BREAKFAST THE WARM PARTY I VOW TO TRIP U THE GLOBAL LOVE EXPERIENCE

LOTUS FM RADIO 2000 TRUFM

BOLLYWOOD BILLBOARD BRUNCH WITH REGGIE TRUFM TOP 30

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM

GISTER SE GROTES SATURDAY BREAKFAST WITH ROB VEGA THE CLASSIC COUNTDOWN WITH KEVIN SAVAGE CLUB CLASSICS WITH LLOYD MADURAI DIE PAPPACHEF SHOW

STATION EAST COAST RADIO

HOT 91.9FM HOT 91.9FM RADIO LAEVELD

20 I T H E M E D I A

GOOD HOPE FM JACARANDA FM KFM 94.5 METRO FM

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SHOW WEEKEND LATE-NIGHTS WITH OWEN CRAFFORD THE HIT 30 WEEKENDS WITH KENZY THE KFM TOP40 WITH CARL WASTIE THEWKNDR

THE RADIO AWARDS

MUSIC SHOW CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

TUKS FM 107.2 UJFM 95.4 VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM

TUKS FM HOUSE CULTURE UJFM TOP 30 I VOW TO TRIP U VOWFM TOP 40 THE GLOBAL LOVE EXPERIENCE

LOTUS FM RADIO 2000 UMHLOBO WENENE FM

THE LUNCH BREAK BETTER TOGETHER UMCULO WE JAZZ

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

EKURHULENI FM GROOTFM 90.5 INANDA 88.4 FM PHELI FM PHELI FM

TOP 40 5TO9METANNELIE THE URBAN CHART SHOW EZODUMO HIP HOP CORNER

947 GOOD HOPE FM JACARANDA FM

947 TOP 40 THE HIT 30 HIGH SCHOOL CLASSICS WITH BARNEY SIMON KAYA DRIVE WITH SIZWE DHLOMO SOUNDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT

KAYA FM METRO FM

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T H E M E D I A I 21

NEWS AND ACTUALITY SHOW CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY COMBINED FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

GROOTFM 90.5 PRETORIA FM RADIO KHWEZI

GROOTTRAUMA KLANKKOERANT LAATMIDDAG SAKHA ISIZWE

LESEDI FM SAFM SAFM

MATHUMISA SHOW SAFM FACTS OF FAITH SAFM SUNRISE

VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM VOICE OF WITS FM ZULULAND FM

ITALK YOUTH BREAKING GROUND THE COVID REPORT DRAMA FOR LIFE LIFEBEATS EZINOJU

UMHLOBO WENENE FM

INGCEBISO NGEZOMTHETHO

FIELD NEWS REPORTER

COMBINED FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS STATION

REPORTER

EAST COAST RADIO

EAST COAST RADIO NEWSWATCHTHE TRIAL OF THE VERULAM FATHER ACCUSED OF RAPING HIS 11-YEAR-OLD STEPDAUGHTER HUNDREDS OF TIMES. NUSHERA RAISA SOODYAL EAST COAST RADIO NEWSWATCHCOVID-19 COVERAGE- KZN-2020 - NUSHERA RAISA SOODYAL EWN NEWS BULLETINS - AHMED KAJEE

SHOW

CAPETALK 567 AM THE MIDDAY REPORT WITH LESTER KIEWIT GAGASI FM INDABA WITH ALEX KAYA FM THE LAW REPORT WITH MICHAEL MOTSOENENG-BILL RADIO 702 THE AUBREY MASANGO SHOW RISE FM THE EMANCIPATION WITH PRETTY D

22 I T H E M E D I A

STATION

EAST COAST RADIO EYEWITNESS NEWS EYEWITNESS NEWS POWER 98.7

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SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD FIELD REPORTER - VERONICA MAKHOALI POWER 98.7 - KHOMOTSO MABELANE

THE RADIO AWARDS

NEWS BULLETIN READER CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

NEWSREADER

STATION

NEWSREADER

MADIBAZ RADIO PUKFM 93.6 TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM 107.2 UJFM 95.4

BULELANI NONYUKELA TSEGO MOTSEPE REECE LENTING NAOMI KOBBIE DOMINIC MAJOLA

LOTUS FM MOTSWEDING FM RADIO 2000 SAFM SAFM

TRACY VALAYDHAM DIMAKATSO MOTAUNG KHUMBUZILE THABETHE NOMSA MDHLULI KIRAT LALLA

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

NEWSREADER

STATION

NEWSREADER

GROOTFM 90.5 GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM HOT 91.9FM HOT 91.9FM MOTHEO FM

NINA COETZER ANNELIE BOUWER RAGANI ARCHERY MATHAPELO MOLOI KEORAPETSE HLOPE GAOPALELWE JASSON

5FM 947 KAYA FM RADIO 702 SMILE 90.4FM YFM

NADIA ROMANOS THEMBEKILE MROTOTO MBALI DHLAMINI GLADYS MUTELE MERENTIA VAN DER VENT THABO BALOYI

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T H E M E D I A I 23

SPORTS SHOW CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

CAMPAIGN

BARBERTON COMMUNITY RADIO SPORTS COMPLEX

HEART FM

FEINBERG ON FOOTBALL

GROOTFM 90.5

SLATDIESPORT

HEART FM

SUPER SATURDAY

HOT 91.9FM

HOT SPORT

METRO FM

MARAWA SPORTS WORLDWIDE

INANDA 88.4 FM

EXCLUSIVE SPORTS HOUR

RISE FM

RISE FM IN 60 MINUTES SPORT

VOICE OF THE CAPE 91.3 FM

INSIDE SPORT

PBS FINALISTS

SPORTS PRESENTER

STATION

CAMPAIGN

MOTSWEDING FM

MABALENG

RADIO 2000

THE TOUCHLINE WITH ROMY TITUS

RSG

RSG SPORT MET JODY HENDRICKS

SAFM

SAFM SPORT ON

UMHLOBO WENENE FM

EZEMIDLALO

24 I T H E M E D I A

COMBINED FINALISTS STATION

PRESENTER

GOOD HOPE FM HEART FM HOT 91.9FM LOTUS FM RSG

DALIN OLIVER NICK FEINBERG JOHN WALLAND O’NEIL NAIR JODY HENDRICKS

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THE RADIO AWARDS

COMMUNITY PROJECT COMMUNITY FINALISTS

CAMPUS FINALISTS STATION

PROJECT

STATION

PROJECT

TUKS FM 107.2

GLOBAL NETWORK OUTREACH PROGRAM MENTAL MATTERS SENDS A DREAM TO SPACE

GROOTFM 90.5

JOU MENSE MY MENSE

HOT 91.9FM

HOT CARES CHRISTMAS WISH

HOT 91.9FM

HOT 91.9FM TEDDYTHON

HOT 91.9FM

MANSFIELD IN THE MORNING

RADIO TYGERBERG 104FM

GOD IS ABLE, DAY ZERO CANCELLED

TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM 107.2

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS STATION

PROJECT

STATION

PROJECT

LOTUS FM

THE BREAKFAST EXPRESS

ALGOA FM

RADIO 2000

BRUNCH WITH REGGIE

THE VIRTUAL ALGOA FM BIG WALK FOR CANCER

THOBELA FM

DITLALEMESO

JACARANDA FM

BREAKFAST WITH MARTIN BESTER

THOBELA FM

MOSWA LE BOKAMOSO

JACARANDA FM

GOOD MORNING ANGELS – BREAKFAST WITH MARTIN BESTER KFM TEACHER OF THE YEAR

KFM 94.5

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T H E M E D I A I 25

PROMOTIONS STUNT/EVENT CAMPUS FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

CAMPAIGN

STATION

CAMPAIGN

KOVSIEFM 97.0 TUKS FM 107.2

#MONATEFELABREAKFAST TUKS FM’S GLOBAL NETWORK OUTREACH PROGRAM TUKS FM SENDS A DREAM TO SPACE TUKS FM PRESENTS THE RISE RECRUITMENT AGENCY

LESEDI FM RADIO 2000 THOBELA FM UKHOZI FM

LESEDI FM RADIO 2000 MOSWA LE BOKAMOSO UKHOZI 60-YEAR CELEBRATION

TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM 107.2 VOICE OF WITS FM

COMMUNITY FINALISTS

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

STATION

CAMPAIGN

STATION

CAMPAIGN

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM HOT 91.9FM

BRAAI-DAY HOT 91.9FM MANSFIELD IN THE MORNING & THE BIG JOBURG DRIVE KLANKKOERANT BYLAAG JERUSALEMA DANCE AND BIRTHDAY

ALGOA FM

ALGOA FM GREAT DEAL PROMOTION EAST COAST DRIVE WITH BONGANI AND MAGS THE FLASH DRIVE WITH CARL AND ZOE KFM TEACHER OF THE YEAR

PRETORIA FM RADIO TYGERBERG 104FM

26 I T H E M E D I A

EAST COAST RADIO KFM 94.5 KFM 94.5

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THE RADIO AWARDS

PODCAST

MULTI-CHANNEL PROMOTION COMBINED FINALISTS

COMBINED FINALISTS

STATION

STATION

SHOW

5FM WOMEN’S MONTH, SO WHAT!!

SMILE 90.4FM SMILE 90.4FM’S LIVE INSIDE & WIN THE RIDE SMILE 90.4FM SMILE BREAKFAST CHALLENGE THURSDAYS TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM SENDS A DREAM TO SPACE TUKS FM 107.2 TUKS FM PRESENTS THE RISE

EYEWITNESS NEWS FINE MUSIC RADIO HOT 91.9FM INDEPENDENT VOLUME (PODCASTING COMPANY)

HAUNTED UNDER THE KILT MANSFIELD IN THE MORNING THE AIRPOD WITH TSHEPI ALIBI: LADUMA HIGH

BEST INTERNET RADIO SHOW

RADIO INNOVATION

CAMPAIGN

COMBINED FINALISTS

COMBINED FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

EAST COAST GOLD

DAMON BEARD ON EAST COAST GOLD

5FM CAPETALK 567

EAST COAST GOLD

THE MORE MUSIC BREAKFAST SHOW

KAYA FM

THE ARTS REPORT

MASSIV METRO

THE WEEKEND SPECIAL

QUINTESSENTIAL ZA

QUINTESSENTIAL UNDERGROUND

5FM BIG BREAKFAST BROADCAST WITH REFILWE MOLOTO BREAKFAST WITH MARTIN BESTER KFM MORNINGS WITH DARREN, SHERLIN AND SIBS ALL SHOWS 702 BREAKFAST WITH BONGANI BINGWA

JACARANDA FM KFM 94.5 KFM 94.5 RADIO 702

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T H E M E D I A I 27

CONTENT PRODUCER CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY COMBINED FINALISTS

PBS FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

SHOW

EKURHULENI FM THE FRONTLINE WITH ZANDI WARDLE RADIO KC 107.7 FM KC AT WORK RADIO KHWEZI SAKHA ISIZWE

LOTUS FM

THE BREAKFAST EXPRESS

SAFM

SAFM FACTS OF FAITH

THOBELA

MOREMOGOLO

RADIO KHWEZI SICOBELELANA NGOLWAZI VOICE OF WITS FM THE COVID REPORT

UKHOZI FM

ISIDLO SASEKUSENI

VOICE OF WITS FM THE MAINSWITCH

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS

TRAFFIC PRESENTER

STATION

SHOW

EAST COAST RADIO

DARREN, KERI AND SKY SHOW

COMBINED FINALISTS

GAGASI FM

INDABA WITH ALEX

STATION

PRESENTER

JACARANDA FM

BREAKFAST WITH MARTIN BESTER

GAGASI FM

CLARISSA MFEKA

KFM 94.5

KFM MORNINGS WITH DARREN, SHERLIN AND SIBS

GROOTFM 90.5

FRANCOIS VAN RENSBURG

KAYA FM

JULIET JOSEPH

POWER TALK

KFM 94.5

SHERLIN BARENDS

METRO FM

ROB BYRNE

POWER 98.7

28 I T H E M E D I A

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T H E M E D I A I 28

THE RADIO AWARDS

BUSINESS AND FINANCE SHOW

DRAMA PROGRAMME

COMBINED FINALISTS

COMBINED FINALISTS

STATION

SHOW

STATION

PROJECT

KAYA BIZZ WITH GUGULETHU MFUPHI METROFM TALK WITH AYABONGA

FINE MUSIC RADIO

THE MONEY SHOW

KFM 94.5

THE BLACK UMBRELLAS BUSINESS SHOW

RADIO KHWEZI RSG

OUT OF THE SHADOWS - THE PEACE TREES OF HIROSHIMA KFM MORNINGS WITH DARREN, SHERLIN AND SIBS THE FLASH DRIVE WITH CARL AND ZOE ISALAKUTSHELWA BLOEDMAAN

KAYA FM METRO FM RADIO 702 & CAPE TALK 567 TUKS FM 107.2

RADIO DOCUMENTARY

KFM 94.5

BRIGHT STAR INDUCTEES

COMBINED FINALISTS

ANNELU LE ROUX

STATION

SHOW

BUSH RADIO 89.5FM EYEWITNESS NEWS KAYA FM PRETORIA FM RADIO 702

CONNECTED 2 JAZZ INSIDE EWN - POWER STRUGGLE: ORANGE FARM RESIDENTS KLANKKOERANT INSIDE EWN

DELUCIA DANIELS J SBU

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T H E M E D I A I 29

MY STATION

STATION IMAGING CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY FINALISTS

MOST VOTES FINALISTS

STATION

STATION

ALEX FM

GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM

KOPANONG UJFM 95.4 FM

INANDA 88.4 FM

VOICE OF WITS FM

HOT 91.9FM RADIO KHWEZI LIGWALAGWALA FM OVERVAAL STEREO 96.1 OVERVAAL STEREO 96.1 PRETORIA FM

PBS FINALISTS STATION LESEDI FM RADIO 2000 UKHOZI FM UMHLOBO WENENE FM

MOST LOYAL LISTENERS STATION GROOTFM 90.5 HOT 91.9FM OVERVAAL STEREO 96.1 PRETORIA FM RADIO KHEWZI

COMMERCIAL FINALISTS STATION 5FM JACARANDA KFM 94.5 METRO FM POWER 98.7 FM

30 I T H E M E D I A

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THE RADIO AWARDS

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ALFIE JAY

BRENDA SISANE

LANCE ROTHSCHILD

MARK PILGRIM

BURSARY AWARD

STATION MANAGERS CHOICE

THULANI MASHIYA

SIYETHEMBA SHOZI

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T H E M E D I A I 31

PARTNER CONTENT

Something for everyone SABC Radio – broadcasting for total citizen empowerment and providing advertisers with maximum exposure to targeted markets.

THE POWER BEHIND MG5

The MG5 offering is a collaboration of three of South Africa’s most successful commercial stations: METRO FM, GOOD HOPE FM and 5FM. This combination harnesses the power of these stations as a collective. MG5 offers access to a distinctly defined target audience, leveraging the individuality of each station. Creating a potent vehicle to reach a lucrative target sector is what this combo understands intimately.

Collectively, the MG5 has built up trust and established relationships with the youthful, chic, hip and upwardly mobile 16 to 34 target market. These stations are the trendsetters. They are on the pulse, bringing the cutting edge of trends, music, fashion and attitude to the audiences and placing all three stations at the top of their game.

32 i T H E M E D I A

The MG5 stations have numerous years of experience with the youth market as well as an acute appreciation of their desires and aspirations, especially in the modern context. This generation is far more marketingsavvy with a healthy dose of cynicism.

MG5 can guide you, the advertiser, on how best to speak to 16–34-year-old consumers and still get more bang for your buck. From generic 30-second sound bites, on-air promotions with bespoke concepts, and outside broadcasts to millions of followers on social media platforms, SABC Radio simply has this market captured at the touch of a button.

THE POWER BEHIND ALS

African Language Services (ALS) Radio is for all South Africans (young and old) from all walks of life (urban, township and rural) who speak and

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understand South African indigenous languages. ALS is governed by the mandate to educate, inform, entertain, support, develop culture and, as far as possible, ensure the fair and equal treatment of all languages.

These traditions and practices provide a solid foundation for understanding the modern psyche of the various cultural groups and what motivates consumer behaviour.

The different radio stations in this category enrich the lives of audiences by inspiring a strong sense of belonging. Knowledge and capacity building are the key drivers and the stations are seen as dependable and trusted friends.

Listeners are connected to their roots within the context of a modern environment. Programming revolves around personal empowerment, lifestyle enhancement, moral

partner content

regeneration, financial independence, rural development, societal upliftment, nation building and cultural revival. This is a powerful lower-, middle- and high-income audience with real spending power.

ALS listeners: • self-actualise and improve their lives, strive for greater things in life • constantly uncover and unleash their potential • hold the key to the masses • are caught between their dreams and reality • are ambitious and believe quality education is key • are driven by the need to succeed.

THE POWER BEHIND FORTUNE 4

culture of common identity within the broader South African business community. Fortune 4 drives South Africa’s development agenda to create a culture of entrepreneurship.

Offering credible and balanced news and information it is committed to engaging and robust debates on a wide range of issues and subjects through interviews and talk shows. Fortune 4 champions the

image of a modern South African business person.

The four stations are unique in their heritage and yet are part of a broader South African identity that aims to inspire a truly South African spirit and enrich listeners with inclusive and captivating radio that is deeply inquisitive and culturally stimulating.

Consistent with the SABC’s vision of broadcasting for total citizen empowerment, the role of Fortune 4 is to: • lead the national conversation • engage in debate and discussions • be a progressive and positive influence • be responsive to the listener’s expectations • affirm and empower listeners.

This is sponsored content.

SABC RADIO’S PORTFOLIO

SABC Radio consists of 19 radio stations and broadcasts in 11 official languages across nine provinces.

SABC Radio key initiatives that extend beyond generics include: • Sponsorship and bespoke opportunities. We create bespoke opportunities connecting brands to our audiences. These packages are communicated monthly.

• Digital. We reach over 13 million digital citizens monthly across various platforms. We offer both social media engagement and advertising opportunities.

• Creative and competitive message productions. Our highly competitive and creative team can develop an idea from conception to execution.

• Adventure. SABC Radio extends partnership to non-traditional revenue opportunities such as merchandising, event-based deals and other bespoke ideas.

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

Fortune 4 is truly a treasure chest collection of radio stations comprising RSG, SAfm, Lotus FM and Radio 2000. Fortune 4 targets affluent and discerning radio audiences across South Africa, offering news and information, lifestyle, drama, sport, and an entertainment platform.

It resonates with the South African business community – speaking to a mature and responsible audience with a positive perspective on life.

The Fortune 4 listenership landscape boasts listeners in leadership positions, visionaries, entrepreneurs, professionals, managers and executives, who make an enormous contribution to the country and its economy and are generally high net-worth individuals.

Fortune 4 seizes opportunities presented by the emergence of a

MG5 offers access to a distinctly defined target audience, leveraging the individuality of each station.

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T H E M E D I A i 33

Awakening the sleeping SABC giant

In November 2020, SABC 1 and SABC 2 achieved advertising sell-out status during prime time for the first time in over five years. GLENDA NEVILL caught up with the broadcaster’s new head of sales, Reginald Nxumalo, to find out how.

Some people are saying it’s the first time in years that they’ve seen so many proposals coming out of the SABC sales division

Reginald Nxumalo

34 i T H E M E D I A

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A

s anyone working in the media sector knows, the South African Broadcasting Corporation has suffered mightily under a series of boards beholden to whichever communications minister was in office at the time, and executive managers (Hlaudi, we see you) who were happy to facilitate such a state of affairs while continuing to spend and spend and spend as if the SABC’s advertising coffers were overflowing.

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the SABC since then, with a new board in place, new executives at the helms of key departments, a R3.2-billion bailout that came with a strict Treasury-approved turnaround plan, Special Investigative Unit investigations, sweeping retrenchments and then, of course, Covid-19.

Reginald Nxumalo was appointed head of sales at the SABC in May 2020, a tricky time to be tackling a new job and undertaking a massive restructuring of the public broadcaster’s commercial side. Six months later, the SABC reported an upswing in its advertising fortunes.

Nxumalo had promised a new way of working, and it was starting to deliver.

THE SABC

At this point, it must be said that Nxumalo came into the job from the corporate world with his eyes wide open. “When they recruited me I said, ‘Guys, I’m not on the comrade path. If you want to run a business, then I’m in business.’ Because within the SABC stable, we’re dealing with customers and we’re dealing with money, and I’m not dealing with politicians.”

Nxumalo says the board has been supportive to date. “From that point of view it has been great. One way of describing my experience so far is that SABC feels like a sleeping giant. I’m fascinated by the potential reach I can achieve with the number of account executives that I have.”

Nxumalo says he has already introduced a lot more discipline into his division, which lost 10% of its sales staff in the recent Section 189 retrenchments.

IMAGE: Supplied

Becoming a sales division

As part of the turnaround plan, the SABC introduced a targeted operating model. This, Nxumalo says, turned the whole organisation on its head. “It has given us an opportunity to do the kind of stuff that will leave a sustainable legacy.

The changes are more than cosmetic; they are structural. You can cut as much fat as you like, but if you don’t get the revenue right, you still won’t become profitable.”

Nxumalo says the SABC has made changes in terms of technology, content and repositioning its channels. “But from from a sales perspective, firstly the division is no longer called ‘commercial enterprises’. It is now called a sales division. This puts things in fresher perspective, if you like.”

In the past, agencies and brands found it frustrating working with the SABC’s siloed, product-centric

approach. Sales people sold TV or radio and digital, sometimes.

But asking them to come up with a cross-channel campaign was a nightmare. As a result, a number of commercial opportunities were lost in the confusion.

“We had to become customercentric,” says Nxumalo. “Our new model is built on customer-centricity, which means you call on a customer whether it’s Unilever, a shop or an agency.”

Now sales executives sell across product sets, providing turnkey solutions to clients, which Nxumalo says is a “service to the marketplace”.

After all, he stresses, if you’re not on SABC you run the risk of missing people in different target audiences – and there are millions of them.

New segments, new skills

Of course, it goes without saying this required upskilling of existing sales staff, as well as those who’ve joined the SABC from other media owners.

“We’ve committed the last few months to training. Research tells us that 70% of learning is done on the job. So you can have as much theory as you like, but you’re not going get up to speed until you actually try and sell.”

As of 1 April 2021, SABC Sales moved to a new system, segmenting its markets into small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs), corporate and government business, for example. “We’ve used aggregate ad spend as a benchmark, or threshold, for different enterprises in corporates. The idea is that enterprise clients are based on size and the value that they invest in your business.

“By default, you actually force your organisation to think about similarities in that particular segment, so that you can see if themediaonline.co.za

you’re serving the needs of your customers. SMMEs have specific needs: they need protection and a lot of help. In media planning, they’re too small to be significant within agencies, so we’ve got to come up with vanilla-type offerings to make things easy for them.”

Rebuilding trust

Despite its recent successes, the SABC is still dealing with a legacy of mistrust from agencies and brands.

How are they overcoming that long-term reputational damage?

Nxumalo says evidence is anecdotal and data driven. “Some people are saying it’s the first time in years that that they’ve seen so many proposals coming out of the SABC sales division. Take Tiger Brands or Unilever, for example: brand managers and chief marketing officers battle to find a home for all their brands. Therefore, when we provided different homes or different proposals for those brands, they were able to do a bit of portfolio management, avoiding clashes and conflicts.”

And although the Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with advertising, Nxumalo says the SABC hasn’t done too badly. He believes his sales teams’ agility and willingness to trade and engage has turned declines into gains.

So what are Nxumalo’s three main priorities for the next year?

“I’d like to see a very competitive, dynamic sales force. I want to see us hitting our numbers. I actually want to surprise the country, go beyond our projections and maybe deliver a break-even position based on the revenue. Finally, I’d really like to develop our capability and make sure that I’ve got a strong team in order to make it sustainable.”

T H E M E D I A i 35

A big celebration for the big 10.

Join us as we say cheers to 10 years.

Armed with his crazy sense of humour and infectious personality, KZN just cannot get enough of Darren Maule.

This July, Darren Maule is celebrating 10 years as the Breakfast show host on East Coast Radio! We will be looking back at Darren’s decade on ECR revelling in the highs, and engaging with the people who Darren has made a huge impact on.

In true East Coast Radio style we love to reward our listeners when we celebrate a momentous occasion, so to mark Darren’s contribution to the station, we are giving

away R300 000. The aim of the campaign is to be a helping hand to waiters, artists, musicians, stage crews, kitchen and cleaning staff, who cannot work during the Level 4 lockdown.

But that’s not all … Darren will have an exclusive podcast where he interviews 10 people who’ve impacted his life and vice versa and to close off the celebrations we are hosting a live “Roast of Darren Maule”.

Tune in via ecr.co.za, the ECR App or DStv channel 836

THE ONLY BREAKFAST YOU NEED

DARREN, KERI AND SKY

WEEKDAYS 06:00 - 09:00

These three are the most fun you can have in the morning! They are an essential start to your day the right way. You’ll love their wit as they take on current affairs, life in KZN and a give you a glimpse into their personal lives. Expect great music, the latest news, traffic, sport and loads of chances to win!

Who needs coffee anyway when you’ve got Darren, Keri and Sky?

PARTNER CONTENT

Gold mix of classic hits drives audience growth

Digital radio meets classic music on East Coast Gold, says DIANE MACPHERSON.

ENGAGING AND AUTHENTIC

In the first few months, our audience was primarily based in KwaZulu-Natal.

East Coast Gold is a logical home for listeners who grew up with East Coast Radio, but no longer relate to most of the music it plays.

East Coast Gold targets 50+-yearold South Africans who love the music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

We’re finding and connecting with them and they’re loving the music: we make them feel 21 again!

Audience numbers grew steadily throughout 2020, despite micro 38 i T H E M E D I A

budgets and no formal marketing campaign, as great music and smart, entertaining banter from presenters provided the refuge many needed from the anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

East Coast Gold now claims over 32 000 unique IPs and more than 170 000 active sessions (SharpStream June 2021). Avid listeners stream our music programmes throughout South Africa and the world – the top three provinces are KwaZulu-Natal (50%), Gauteng (32%) and the Western Cape (8%).

We are proud of how our Gold fans engage with us: no throwaway tweet or Facebook comment; we receive long emails. Our listeners are incredibly invested in the station. One super-fan compiles a daily quiz feature for our award-winning breakfast show host, Gordon Graham.

Another has sent a long list of contributions for a weekly Motown Magic feature. Our daily Birthday Roll Call – where we wish listeners’ loved ones a happy birthday and read a personalised message – resonates too.

For East Coast Gold, it’s about playing brilliant music and making authentic connections. It’s about feel-good radio with updated news, traffic and weather reporting. We strive to keep our programming mix at 90% music, 10% talk content.

For advertisers, East Coast Gold delivers an exclusive and affluent market at a very affordable price.

East Coast Gold is ready to step up and step out – this digital station is on the rise and seeking to connect with more individuals whose favourite musical decades include the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

HOW TO LISTEN

Listen to East Coast Gold via the ECR app or here . You can also find it on other platforms including Alexa (enable the ‘East Coast Gold’ skill), MyTuner, Radio Garden, iono.fm, Radioline or OpenRadio.

This is sponsored content.

Diane Macpherson is head of on-demand content at Kagiso Media, overseeing podcasting for East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM. She heads up digital classic hits station East Coast Gold, driving marketing, social media and programming.

themediaonline.co.za

Diane Macpherson

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

M

ost people have one favourite musical decade that deeply resonates with them.

Often it’s linked to their coming of age or the years after school when studying further or finding their feet in the world.

For me, it’s the ’80s – the decade of my high school years, when my love for music turned into a passion. When I hear certain ’80s songs, I’m transported back in time to specific moments, celebrations and milestones in my life.

What a pleasure then to be working on – and helping to craft and grow – a digital radio brand that includes the ’80s in its mix, alongside the ’60s and ’70s. East Coast Gold, the classic hits digital station brainchild of the team behind Durban-based East Coast Radio, went live at the end of 2019.

PODCASTING

The right to be heard The podcast hearkens back to the bygone days of radio, and therein lies its appeal, writes LWANDILE QOKWENI.

IMAGE: supplied

W

hile Covid-19 has caused terrible destruction, wreaking havoc on health systems, economies and families the world over, it has also been a catalyst for creativity and change. It has forced those of us with the ability and means to engage more proactively with the digital world. As a result, we now rely on email, video conferencing, social media and other forms of digital communication more than ever before. The most spoken words in the past 15 months must surely be: “Your mute button is on.”

Among the innovations that have escalated exponentially since the advent of the pandemic is the podcast.

Previously, local radio stations simply repackaged their live shows for distribution on podcast platforms and YouTube. This gradually evolved, however, to include the delivery of curated and structured content, which listeners could access whenever they chose.

In the last year-and-a-half or so, the podcast space has changed again. With Covid-19 inspiring new creative ventures and ways of communicating, more and more content creators are exploring the possibility of becoming podcast show hosts. A growing number of

platforms are making it easier than ever before for the average person to host and broadcast shows that deal with their interests, and any listener can now find their podcast niche.

Gritty, relevant content

While writing this article, I looked into the world of podcasts to find out more. I opted for the Apple Podcasts app because it integrates with all the history linked to my Apple ID, making it easy to suggest and rank podcasts relevant to me. After trying a few local and international options, I stumbled upon Podcast and Chill with MacG and, as I listened to various shows, I realised why this form of media resonates so much with young people.

Listening to Podcast and Chill reminded me of the bygone days of radio, when stations were still the playground of DJs, when listeners had their say, when content was still gritty and relevant. It’s likely that this approach is fuelling the growth of podcasts today, as young listeners seek out authentic sources of media.

According to the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa, 6% of the South African adult public (some 2.5 million people) listen to podcasts. These listeners are more likely to be men than women, and are between the ages of 21 and 34, and mostly live in major cities. They themediaonline.co.za

tend to seek podcasts that are either interview based (33%), one-on-one interviews (29%), fictional storytelling (27%), panel-type shows (24%) and conversational cohosted podcasts (22%).

The top five podcasts in South Africa by listenership include Distractible, The Joe Rogan Experience, Podcast and Chill with MacG, Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba, and Ideas that Matter by Vusi Thembekwayo.

The growth in podcasts and podcast subscribers over the last 18 months is only likely to continue.

For brands looking to build stronger consumer relationships, this space is on the edge of integrating programmatically with advertising. It is only a matter of time before brands will be able to target specific audiences interacting with these platforms, allowing them to access new markets and increase their affinity with audiences.

The brave brands that heed this call will get involved Lwandile early and reap the Qokweni rewards later.

Growing up in small Eastern Cape towns in the ’80s and ’90s, Lwandile Qokweni had little exposure to the world of marketing and advertising. After completing a diploma in computer programming and working as a promoter for a major telecommunications brand, he set out to unravel the mystery of the opportunities available in advertising. Now he is CEO of Wavemaker.

T H E M E D I A i 39

PODCAST CRISIS

P

Not so chill any more

odcast and Chill with MacG had a horrendous start to the year. An episode that was supposed to take the mickey out of Siv Ngesi’s debuting of his ‘Sivanna’ drag character deteriorated into a session that was trans- and homophobic.

Sponsor Old Mutual pulled out, describing MacG’s commentary as “ignorant and insensitive”. It wasn’t long before the podcast was trending, for all the wrong reasons.

Seven months later, MacG took part in a Radio Days Africa discussion on podcasting, revealing how he took the criticism to heart, educated himself and launched an LGBTQI+ podcast too. “My first reaction [to the outcry] was overwhelming, to say the least. I was getting calls from everybody: celebrities, family, friends. But after the dust had settled, that’s when I sat down and went through what had transpired. It made me more curious about the world and what’s going on right now.”

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

Damage control

Initially, MacG’s team wanted him to issue a statement. His concern was that issuing a statement could set a precedent, one that could result in his constantly having to explain himself.

“We offend a lot of people because that’s just the kind of content we do.

We can’t control how people receive it.” But he changed his mind, and apologised. “This experience has helped us learn about social issues and know where we must draw the line for what is expressed as a joke.”

The team went further. “We decided to shoot an episode with someone from the trans community,

MacG

came about, so people could learn more about their community and prevent what happened with us.”

MacG says the incident made him realise that his platform had grown, and that with this came responsibility. When he launched the show, he had one subscriber.

Now he has more than 240 000.

“I realised that what we say has a greater impact on society and the community, and that we always need to be mindful of that, respect the platform and conduct ourselves in a responsible manner.”

Moving forward

After ill-judged comments prompted a public backlash, podcaster MacG was forced to do some soul-searching, as GLENDA NEVILL discovered. so that they could teach us and show us where we went wrong.” An interview with transgender publicist and activist Yaya Mavundla ensued.

“I imagined how many people were just like me,” explains MacG. “I don’t have any trans or gay friends, so I don’t know about that world. Everything that was said on the podcast came from a place of ignorance. That’s how the LBGTQI+ show Queer Way Of Life with Bujy themediaonline.co.za

MacG says the reaction to his LGBTQI+ community podcast has been great. “It’s a young group with great potential. I think it’s the secondbiggest podcast on the network, which shows that people really are really digging it. For a podcast that started merely a few weeks ago, it’s showing great potential, and I think it’s only going to grow bigger and bigger.”

MacG’s advice to podcasters is to be cognisant that a crisis could arrive at your doorstep at any moment, because what you say could be perceived in a certain way, or people might misconstrue it or spin it to suit an agenda and narrative. “You must be comfortable with that, because it’s a public platform, and people are entitled to do whatever they want to. But stay true to yourself, don’t do things because of pressure from the media, or Twitter or social media; do whatever feels right with you.

Because at the end of the day, you’re the one who has to face the music by yourself.”

T H E M E D I A i 41

Radio starts listening

I

think I have Cassandra syndrome.

If you’re not familiar with Greek mythology (or the movie 12 Monkeys), then you wouldn’t know that Cassandra syndrome relates to a person whose valid warnings or concerns are disbelieved by others.

That’s how I’ve been feeling of late: like I have Cassandra syndrome.

From the start of a tough year for all of us, second wave into a third, with businesses trying to get back to a semblance of normality, it seems like no matter how much we exhort broadcasters to embrace tech to help them know and engage their audiences, it’s just not happening.

Well, not fast enough anyway.

The broadcasting industry seems to be where print was 15 years ago. But what’s worse is that radio in particular seems to think itself as some kind of ‘immortal’ in the media world.

I’ve had countless conversations with station and programming managers all over the world about their futures. There is a recognition that digital merged with FM has scale and data to match. But then they don’t move on that knowledge, or in certain instances are putting their future into podcasts or – worse – an already collapsing programmatic model. Their inability to move forward, or make a small change now that will make a big difference later, has become a weekly excuse.

Radio needs to embrace tech in order to understand its audiences and their needs better, writes JONATHAN LUMLEY.

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themediaonline.co.za

… What’s worse is that radio in particular seems to think itself as some kind of ‘immortal’ in the media world

AUDIO TECH

This is true except in one part of the industry: community radio. Bless these little giants in the industry and their ability to hustle, as this is what’s needed: recognition of a problem and the speed and agility to do something to course correct.

Just because the world is dominated by certain tech companies right now doesn’t mean that we can’t take a seed of an idea around community and combine it with a digital platform that can help those communities

IMAGE: unsplash

They’ve seen the future… and it works

Earlier this year Immedia invested R10-million in launching the Digital Leap programme to community media, and brought some 15 radio stations onto the Fabrik platform.

This helps a radio station to do several things: live stream; collate podcasts; create an app (where those things are housed); and also engage with the audience in an all-in-one solution where messages are sent and received – including voice notes, alerts and notices. And with that all working together, a broadcaster gains data and insights about its audience. It can then earn true digital revenue by selling advertisers an engaged audience on their own platform.

Why is it so innovative? Because there is nothing else like it in the world. And when community radio

stations see it, they get it and want it.

They’ve seen the future and it works.

Is South Africa well placed to offer this game-changing tech?

This country is an engaging, talking and vibrant society. We have great ideas, and the tech can be developed and purchased more cheaply than elsewhere. Just because the world is dominated by certain tech companies right now doesn’t mean that we can’t take a seed of an idea around community and combine it with a digital platform that can help those communities. But that’s the challenge in part: we can’t actually believe that something so groundbreaking could come from … South Africa!

Take back control

Over the past decade we have seen the rise of social media platforms, the tracking and breaching of data, and how these have negatively impacted society. That can’t be undone – but what we can do is make communities better with a technology developed here in South Africa. Instead of empowering social media, take back control with your own platform: a private social network.

It can even help broadcasters fight fake news. By owning the narrative as a trusted source of information, you can put that trust on steroids.

Don’t be a broadcaster who pretends to care about your audience and then mine their data from your website, or have fake news links posted at the bottom of the same website. People and audiences are used to and demand instantaneous information.

That demand must be fed. You can own and deliver verified information.

And radio in particular is well placed right now to fight fake news. It’s in the now, in real time, and trusted by the people who listen. Add a platform themediaonline.co.za

like Fabrik to the mix and you compound that trust, exponentially and digitally reaching your audience in a way that they are used to and where they will engage. It’s already designed, and has been created with the privacy of the user in mind.

With Fabrik you can understand your audiences better, and know who they are, what they are listening to and how often, and from which area of the world. By the same token, audiences can connect at a deeper level with you, their station, and interact, comment or engage actively – and that’s the game changer – in a feedback loop. This isn’t a platform ‘just’ to live stream, or house your podcast; it’s a fully integrated message system for alerts or conversations, on topics and channels your audience have opted into.

So there, that’s the message.

Hopefully the curse of my Cassandra syndrome will be lifted. The future is here. Don’t look back at this article in a few years’ time and go: “Ohhh, now I get it!”

Bring your audience into your own private, secure and trusted space.

Know your audience, your numbers and your data. It’s obvious, but as they say, “Everything in retrospect is obvious”.

After 20 years in radio, Jonathan Lumley joined Immedia to help clients leverage their investments in the Fabrik platform, bringing new value to their audiences and advertisers through innovative, technology-enabled workflows and campaigns. Lumley was previously the promotions manager for Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, with seven of his 20 years’ media experience specialising in on-air radio promotions.

T H E M E D I A i 45

Ours for the taking

L

ike a slow-moving storm sitting on the horizon, digital audio has been threatening for some years to wreak havoc on the existing radio landscape. We’ve been fearful. We saw what digital did to print, scattering audiences to the wind and wrecking pricing. How could radio possibly avoid the same cannibalisation of its audiences by digital?

But then something remarkable happened. The storm hit and the Listening Revolution happened. People started consuming audio like never before. Across the globe there was a surge in music streaming, podcasts and audio books. Meanwhile, the widespread adoption of smart speaker technology such as Alexa and Siri meant audio became an integral part of our daily lives.

Audio is now seeing the same surge that video experienced during the internet explosion in the first decade of the century.

South Africa is not exempt from this. Just look around. In cars, buses, taxis, gyms, on the street, people have listening devices in their ears in a way that just wasn’t happening five years ago. Thirty-nine percent of South Africans consume online audio each month. Over four million South Africans listened to a podcast last month (Infinite Dial research), while Spotify offers advertisers access to over 500 000 ‘freemium’ customers. Although not at the levels of developed countries, digital audio in South Africa “is likely to grow, perhaps rapidly” (Infinite Dial).

South African radio groups are embracing their own digital audio offerings. African Media Entertainment (AME) has invested in bringing the Wondery podcast offering to South Africa while Mediamark has done good work in creating measurement terminology common to terrestrial radio and digital audio. Meanwhile, Primedia Broadcasting chief digital officer

In the present zeitgeist, JOHN WALLS sees an incredible opportunity for audio growth and advertising – if we’re savvy enough to grasp it.

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themediaonline.co.za

AUDIO STRATEGY

Regional radio needs a complete rate reset to find its way onto the media schedule in a meaningful way again Muhammad Cajee says, “Our next priority is to extend our digital audio offering into exciting new brands, apps and business propositions that grow audiences beyond our terrestrial broadcasting footprint.”

IMAGE: unsplash

Refining your audio strategy

But perhaps the real story of South African audio in 2021 is that 91% of South Africans are still tuning in to traditional radio every week. We’re actually listening to more hours of radio each week than we were last year (Broadcast Research Council Q1 2021 Interim).

It’s clear that digital audio is not cannibalising traditional radio. In fact, digital audio has the potential to completely revitalise radio in this country.

Audio has become sexy again!

We’re all now in the audio game: radio, podcasts, streaming – it’s all one and it’s all audio. The key is integration. It’s about reaching your target market through their ears, whatever they might be listening to.

Chris Borain, head of digital at United Stations and AME, says, “Every marketing proposal that we present to our clients includes both terrestrial radio and digital elements, to ensure that we achieve their marketing objectives.”

A well-crafted audio strategy media plan also allows you to maximise your budget. The high cost of radio in South Africa has traditionally meant an ‘always on’ strategy is out of reach for even the biggest brands. An integrated audio

strategy brings ‘always on’ back into play by combining an audience buy of your defined target market across radio, podcasts and streaming based on budget.

For example, I might spend 60% buying my predefined audience on a cost per thousand (CPT) basis on radio. Then another 20% on inserting my audio commercial as a pre-roll into Spotify music or international podcasts such as Joe Rogan or Business Wars – but delivered only to South African listeners who fit my target market. The final 20% goes to tactical promotional campaigns on chosen radio stations to drive lead generation and sales.

A good audio strategy media buy will hit your target audience with minimal wastage while still making use of radio’s traditional strengths of listener engagement, credibility and response. Meanwhile, including a digital audience buy with zero wastage and greater cost efficiency means you can stretch your campaign period over a significantly longer period.

We’ve got a real opportunity to shift spend to audio on a sustainable basis. Grow the audio pie and we’ll grow existing radio spend. In the above example, 80% of the campaign spend still goes to radio.

The price problem

It’s an appealing prospect all round.

But there’s one sizeable obstacle in the way: the cost of radio advertising in South Africa.

Like it or not, media strategists see radio as prohibitively expensive and not competitive. “Radio has become extremely expensive over the last 10 years,” says Celia Collins, general manager: Africa at Omnicom Media Group. “The increases were based on demand and not audience, and now themediaonline.co.za

radio finds itself in a scenario where other mediums are less expensive, if taken back to a CPT.” It doesn’t help that our radio industry has been reluctant to adopt CPT, even though it is a common measurement for TV and digital and for radio overseas.

Park Advertising group managing director Chris Botha adds, “To get effective coverage of South Africa with radio is impossibly expensive.

Regional radio needs a complete rate reset to find its way onto the media schedule in a meaningful way again.”

That’s scary talk for our industry at a time when we have a golden opportunity to secure the future. Collins puts it bluntly: “If radio wants to stay in the media mix, it is going to have to find a way to re-evaluate how rates are set, what the audiences mean to the advertiser along with streaming, and how to reach these people digitally.”

There’s no simple answer to the problem, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t smart ways of making radio cost competitive without kickstarting a ‘race to the bottom’. It’s a huge challenge for the industry (and it’s a bigger discussion for another day) but, if we’re serious about embracing the concept of the audio strategy, it’s a challenge that we need to address collectively as an industry.

Opportunities like this don’t come along too often. Let’s be the generation that grasps it.

With 20 years’ experience in creating radio solutions for marketers, John Walls went on to co-create independent specialist radio and audio agency Ultimate Media.

With a focus on integrated, content-based creative audio solutions, Ultimate Media has successfully worked with nearly all of South Africa’s top brands over the last 10 years of its existence.

T H E M E D I A i 47

FM BREAKFAST O

ON ALGOA FM BREAKFAST ON ALGOA FM BRE AKFAST O ON ALGOA FM BREAKFAST ON ALGOA FM BRE AKFAST O

BREAKFAST WITH WAYNE, LEE & CHARLIE T WEEKDAYS 6AM - 9AM

THE D

THE D

THE DR

ON ALGOA FM

ON ACONTACT LGOAINFORMATION FM

ON ALGOA FM

THE DRIVE WITH ROLAND & ROCH-LÈ WEEKDAYS 3PM - 7PM

STATION INFORMATION Core audience: Algoa FM targets affluent individuals who indulge in good living in the Eastern Cape and along the Garden Route.

Typical Listener: Open to new experiences, adventurous, loves the outdoors, community focuses, passionate about life and loyal to Algoa FM. Broadcast audience: The station’s broadcast footprint stretches across the Eastern Cape and Garden Route.

Total past 7 days listenership (2020 BRC RAM): 505 000 listeners Advertising policy: Algoa FM usually allows up to 12 minutes of advertising per an hour.

Broadcast language: Predominantly English.

Format: Adult contemporary.

DRIVE ON ALGOA FM THE DRIVE ON ALGOA FM THE DR IV DRIVE ON ALGOA FM THE DRIVE ON ALGOA FM THE DR IVE RIVE ON ALGOA F M THE DRIVE ON ALGOA FM TH

PARTNER CONTENT

Helping Eastern Cape businesses to be more competitive Algoa FM is committed to expanding the economy of the Eastern Cape and Garden Route. Numerous start-ups and small businesses within Algoa FM’s broadcast footprint have grown through partnerships with the media house.

A

lgoa FM understands that its suppliers need positive cash flow to survive and grow.

The radio station’s procurement policy – to pay all suppliers within a week of receipt, allocation and authorisation of their invoice – is one way it demonstrates its support to sole proprietors, small and medium enterprises, qualifying small enterprises and large businesses.

“Cash is king and we recognise that it is good corporate citizenry to assist our suppliers to retain their liquidity,” says financial manager Desiré Killian.

“Where we have open accounts with suppliers, referred to as our trade creditors, these accounts are reconciled monthly and paid strictly on 30 days.”

BUILDING BRANDS

“We maintain that fun is serious business and because radio is a business, we view it as a privilege and a responsibility to help other businesses succeed,” says Algoa FM managing director Alfie Jay. The radio station’s support extends beyond the strategic advice given on advertising campaigns to build brands, move stock off shelves or offer special deals.

Since 2012, Algoa FM has supported emerging companies through its enterprise development programme.

50 i T H E M E D I A

“We channel our expertise in advertising to help market their services and get their brands known.

We supply them with airtime, website advertising and on-air interview opportunities,” says sales manager Dennis Karantges.

“The valued and trusted connection between Algoa FM, our listeners and our presenters is unique to radio.

Algoa FM, through its Brandfocus and VIP Advertising programmes, has helped many local businesses become household names across the Eastern Cape and Garden Route,” says Karantges.

“Combined with social media, digital, promotions, events and onsite activations (Covid-19 regulations permitting), our advertising solutions give local business owners an opportunity to grow an effective share of mind and market share,” Karantges explains. “We pay attention to crafting a great advertisement for each client. Price, reach and frequency are other fundamental focal points because every campaign has to resonate and deliver return on investment for our clients.”

OUR RESEARCH TELLS US THAT ALGOA FM LISTENERS SUPPORT BUSINESSES AND BRANDS THEY KNOW AND TRUST themediaonline.co.za

PRAISE FROM ADVERTISERS

“Advertising on Algoa FM gives us reach for all our branches across the region. You don’t need to have great expertise in advertising to advertise on Algoa FM because they provide it all: help with writing and producing our ad and advice on the best time to air it. And, it’s affordable – Priya Harry, Harry’s Printers, East London.

“I encourage every independent business to advertise. Algoa FM has remained the core of my advertising strategy for many years. You have to use other platforms as well, but radio has helped me a lot. Yes, advertising costs money, but Algoa FM is the way to go in this market.

They are good people to deal with, they understand this market and my business and what we need to do and achieve.” – Rafi Seyviela, owner, Rafi’s Appliances and Mattresses, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

“Sharing in these successes is what really puts the fun into our business,” says Jay. Website: www.algoafm.co.za Email: marketing@algoafm.co.za This is sponsored content.

AUDIO TALENT

Tuning into talent

Young radio industry talent wants to feel seen, heard and understood, writes TIM ZUNCKEL. This means we must invest – and invest now – in their future.

T

here is a popular trend on social media that looks at where someone or something started and where it currently is using a photograph, #HowItStarted and #HowItsGoing. A quick browse on any of the platforms will show a myriad of people, projects and events in various stages. The juxtaposition of the two pictures often creates humorous moments by showing how something has slipped backwards and looks quite disastrous, but can also highlight monumental strides and progress in other instances.

As a business, radio knows how to celebrate. From music to events, iconic people and moments to everyday life, radio can amplify events and revel in the success of others. It is with this spirit that we recognise our own good work and take a moment to applaud ourselves at the annual South African Radio Awards. Those who’ve been nominated and ultimately win in each category will no doubt post a #HowItsGoing picture, and so they should; this is the one time in a year when we can celebrate ourselves.

For every #HowItsGoing picture there is a #HowItStarted moment. themediaonline.co.za

As an industry, do we create enough #HowItStarted opportunities? Do we invest time, energy and effort into finding aspiring talent, nurturing their skill, training their ability and mentoring their development? Being a product of campus radio and actively working in the training and development space, I think the answer is no, but the reasons are complex.

The South African broadcasting business has developed substantially since the early ‘90s, when commercial and community radio was introduced as an independent layer in the radio landscape.

T H E M E D I A i 51

The three-tier system of public, commercial and community radio sectors has always had a ‘people need’ and the sectors have loosely navigated the movement of talent between stations. Although we often associate ‘talent’ with on-air staff, it must be said that the ‘people need’ in all the sectors is vast and varied from technical, to sales and marketing, to those who contribute to the content value chain including presenters, producers, journalists, audio engineers and creatives.

Nthabeleng Matela

Perfect people filter

Community radio is the perfect people filter and is the sector that has undoubtedly contributed the most amount of talent to the broader industry. This is because it is collectively the biggest (by stations and people) and because of the relationships within the communities it is based. It is far easier for someone who thinks they have a calling to work in radio or who is drawn to the allure of the medium to pass by the local radio station and try and get involved than to knock on the door of a bigger broadcaster.

This results in high turnover of community radio volunteer staff as people are introduced to the medium and the rigours of working in a station. Those who are dedicated and passionate stick around and quickly learn several basic skills in the community radio environment.

The Media Connection, for example, has an academy with the mission to develop skills across the community radio sector. The initial learning curve is steep and those with natural inclination move quickly in the community environment, often becoming an attractive proposition for bigger stations.

Nthabeleng Matela (Metro FM) is a classic case of a community radio 52 i T H E M E D I A

enthusiast becoming a commercial radio talent. Working as an economist in 2017, Matela knew she wanted to be in radio and approached her local university-based community station Tuks FM in Pretoria. With a clear goal in mind, she embraced the training offered by the station, attending as many sessions and workshops as she could, bearing in mind she had a full-time job.

Her commitment and focus meant she stuck it through the first round, watching others whom she trained with gradually disappear. Taking on a graveyard shift meant she was broadcasting at night and working by day. This hectic routine led her to making a considered decision after talking to station management.

She resigned from her full-time employment and soon found herself presenting the afternoon drive on the popular campus station.

With regular feedback, airchecks and guidance she matured themediaonline.co.za

quickly in the community space and was soon operating at a high level within the station. Her efforts were rewarded with a South African Radio Award for Best Afternoon Drive Presenter (Campus) in 2019, an accolade that helped springboard her into her current position at Metro FM, presenting the 4AM Club (weekend mornings 4–6am). Her current slot is billed as a training opportunity at the SABC station, and she regularly stands in for other shows as she establishes herself in a commercial radio environment.

Asked what the one piece of advice she would give other aspiring radio people is, Matela says, “Always remember why you want to do radio. It must be for the listener. Radio connects through powerful stories; learn to tell yours and maybe someone looking for talent will connect to your story.”

Community radio is often burdened with the time and cost factor of the base level training, and commercial radio has been accused of poaching talent from the community sector without investing back into the talent development regime. It seems like a fair accusation at face value considering the amount of community radio talent currently employed in the commercial and public radio sectors.

The challenge is that there is no formula to quantify the input that community radio invests into talent identification, training, and development. The trade-off at community level between station and staff is often that staff work as unpaid volunteers in exchange for the opportunity to learn. When an opportunity presents at a larger broadcaster, why wouldn’t the community talent consider it, especially if it is a paid job?

AUDIO TALENT

Talent risks

Ask any radio manager what they consider the risks in their station to be, and talent will be on the medium- to long-term risk analysis.

Gauteng-based YFM created the Y Academy as part of their plans to mitigate the talent problem. YFM managing director Haseena Cassim explains that the station had an exodus of established talent that caused them to rethink the way in which talent is identified and hired. The Y Academy allows the station to expose candidates to various aspects of their business and operations. The academy was never just about on-air talent or DJs; it was a holistic approach to addressing skills shortages that could arise in the business.

IMAGES: unsplash, supplied

TALENT DEVELOPMENT

Cassim shares that they have at times have had 30% of their on-air team compromising Y Academy graduates and as much as 40% of the off-air staff having come through their training programme.

These are impressive numbers and more impactful if you consider that the talent has been groomed in the station’s ecosystem. Those candidates who pass the Y Academy exam and stay on at the station can immediately begin to add value. When talking about the challenges that Covid-19 has had on their training academy, Cassim adds that for the first time in many years, YFM has had to look outside their academy. Listening to Cassim describe the Y Academy concept, it seems obvious that a training division is essential if we want to employ the best of the best.

Grant Nash, Primedia Broadcasting’s head of creative solutions and Boston Media

House’s radio knowledge manager, agrees that we need to do more as an industry and that we aren’t doing enough to develop talent. Nash is a community radio alumnus and author of the local radio textbook Next Level Radio. As part of his work, he spends time as a radio professional considering the academic training of students, ensuring they are workplace ready when they graduate. He believes there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

Nash says, “The old ways of relying on community radio stations and a small group of individuals to drive talent development no longer works. As an industry young creative talent wants to feel seen, heard and understood, meaning we must invest and invest now in their future. We need to find ways to get in front of young talent. We need to mentor them one-on-one to allow them to explore, create and grow. Mentorship and coaching by everyone in the value chain, not only old fuddy-duddy programmers, need to drive the talent pool forward.”

From a talent perspective it seems as if hard work can pay off, and Matela’s story above resonates with many currently employed in the radio industry.

At the recent Radio Days Africa Conference, Sakina Kamwendo spoke about her introduction to radio and the development of her career. From her session I took out that a keen interest, unfaltering desire, an appetite to learn and being prepared to start at the bottom are part of the recipe of being spotted, nurtured, and developed.

I believe there is also an element of natural ability that mustn’t be overlooked. Showing up is simply not good enough. You need to show intent, show up, show interest, and understand show business.

My message to young, astute and creative practitioners is that the radio industry has yet to refresh their thinking on talent. There has never been a better time to leverage your skills and talent, invest in yourself and know the difference between a career and a job.

We know radio is looking for the next big thing, #HowItStarted. Could it be you? #HowItsGoing.

Haseena Cassim Tim Zunckel is an audio ambassador, creative and trainer at Tuned Media.

Zunckel has extensive experience in the radio industry and works locally and internationally. He is a judge for the New York Radio Festival and is on the advisory panel of The Radio Awards. His passion lies in training and development, and he works with several universities and educational institutions in their radio departments and regularly lectures to media students. As a lover of good ideas he consults agencies on creative concepts and ideas. He is also the director of Radio Days Africa, Africa’s largest radio conference. Connect with him at @timzunckel.co.za or tim@tuned.co.za.

themediaonline.co.za

T H E M E D I A i 53

Martin Bester

with

Monday to Friday from 06:00 - 09:00

Monday to Friday from 04:00 - 06:00

the

the

with Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp

Monday to Friday from 09:00 - 12:00

with Alex Jay

Monday to Friday from 12:00 - 16:00

We are weekdays.

And everyone is welcome.

Tune in and turn it up – on-air, online, in your car, at home, at the office – wherever you are. From the moment you wake up, throughout your day and into the evenings, weekdays on Jacaranda FM are all about welcoming you into more conversations you love and playing More music you love!

the Scenic

Drive

with Rian Monday to Friday from 16:00 - 19:00

Love Songs

with Danny Painter

Monday to Thursday from 19:00 - 22:00

the

House Party

with DJ Jazzy D

Friday from 19:00 - 22:00

more music you love

PARTNER CONTENT

Building a powerful, connected community For the past 16 years, Jacaranda FM has been changing the lives of its community and continues to do so.

COMMUNITY FIRST

Every Wednesday morning, with the assistance of donors and listeners, Good Morning Angels helps individuals, organisations, and communities with all manner of needs. The idea is simple: Jacaranda FM invites people to send requests for help on behalf of people in need.

Then, by leveraging its giant network, it tries to find a sponsor that can help.

If successful, the station brings the sponsor and the recipient together to shares stories of inspiration with the on-air community.

“When our community is happy, we lead the celebration. When our community is in need or crisis, we give a voice to those in need, do what we can to assist and support or solve the problem. It’s all about our listeners,” says Deirdre King, Jacaranda FM managing director.

THE CURRENCY OF GOODWILL

Never has the currency of goodwill been more calculable, impactful and 56 i T H E M E D I A

tangible. Goodwill is how Jacaranda FM was able to raise R5-million for farmer aid in the Free State and surpass its R300 000 target to raise R570 000 for children awaiting treatment at the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.

“Our country was at its lowest point this Mandela Day, yet, as a community, we still managed to help.

This is the power of goodwill and it yields impressive results. The paradox is that to achieve these results, you cannot focus on them, you can only focus on the community and what their needs are,” adds King.

Radio is a one-on-one medium; millions of people listen to their audio and digital devices at any given time and radio speaks directly to the person listening. It’s an intimate discussion between a trusted, familiar voice and a loyal listener.

Listeners take considerable pleasure and pride in ‘doing their bit’ by supporting a project the station shares with them. “We echo their identity or the part of them they want to be. It’s one of the contributing factors to our longevity and trustworthiness in the space,” explains King.

Jacaranda FM has, through Good Morning Angels and other initiatives, proven to be the commercial radio station that not themediaonline.co.za

only cares, but also takes action and rallies others to do the same.

BEYOND COMMUNITY INTO A CULTURE

“Jacaranda FM has created a culture of community responsibility. It’s built into our weekly programming, attracts sponsors and, because we’ve been there consistently serving the community all these years, our listeners have come to depend on and expect Good Morning Angels to be there to fulfil whatever need may arise,” says King.

Jacaranda FM, a humble radio station in Gauteng, has demonstrated that it is possible to transcend community and develop a culture where doing good isn’t a requirement, but rather part of how we engage with each other and look out for our communities.

This is sponsored content.

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

J

acaranda FM believes in working with the community for the community. Every week, without fail, Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning Angels connects those in need with those who want to help.

OPINION

Moving through our collective grief LEBO MADIBA reflects on how South Africans can deal with the crises facing us and come out stronger.

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e’ve been living with the Covid-19 pandemic for well over 18 months. And now we’ve had to deal with a new crisis: widespread civil unrest. Collective grief for friends, family and colleagues lost to the pandemic now extends to include grief for the many people whose lives and livelihoods have been lost to rioting and looting.

We watched in disbelief as the infrastructure that supports our daily lives was destroyed and mass looting laid the foundation not only for economic hardship in the months to come but also for the very real possibility of widespread food and medicine shortages.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

Losing leaders

These events have exposed deep cracks in our socioeconomic construct. While we commend short-term gains as the authorities manage to restore order street by street, we also understand that there is so much more to be done.

At times like these, we look for guidance to business and community leaders, which is why the loss of those who have had such a significant role to play in our communities comes with such a profound sense of weight.

Lebo Madiba

One of those we’ve lost is elder and businessman Jabu Mabuza, who died from complications arising from Covid-19. His loss is made all the more poignant by the fact that taxi drivers turned out to be such unexpected heroes during this traumatic time.

Ta’Jabu was a very special South African whose career took him from the taxi ranks to some of the most eminent boardrooms in South Africa.

On a personal level, my admiration for him was only heightened by the leadership he showed in the fight against state capture.

I had the privilege of working with him in his capacity as president of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) at a time when we were only just starting to connect the dots on the themediaonline.co.za

issue of state capture. He was the one who took up the baton and led business’s response, working tirelessly to help stop the rot. So it was an honour when my public relations agency was appointed to handle BUSA’s messaging, communications and reputation management under his leadership at such a critical time in our history.

No more normal

Reflecting on the events of the past weeks it’s easy for me – as it is for many of us – to long for a sense of normalcy. Sadly, we have to confront the fact that life as we knew it is gone forever, and we need to grieve for that as much as for the people we’ve lost. We’ve been exposed to the uneasy reality of how quickly death and destruction can happen.

But South Africans are made of stern stuff. We have to take the time we need to grieve and, just as importantly, to think about the kind of society we want to live in and leave to generations to come. Then, as we have done so many times before, we need to draw on the example that people like Jabu Mabuza have set for us and do better. One step at a time, one brick at a time, one relationship at a time, we need to build a South Africa that is a safe and nurturing place for all who live here.

In this moment of darkness, we can choose to move through our loss and grief with bravery and conviction, and create something better for all of us.

Lebo Madiba is managing director of PR Powerhouse. She is a communication expert and brand builder with 20 years’ experience using communications and branding to solve a range of complex business challenges.

T H E M E D I A i 57

partner content

Sound data, sound insights

Kagiso Media’s radio stations, Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, have industry-leading digital platforms that engage and entertain over 1.5 million consumers monthly, writes NICK GRUBB

I

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

n a highly competitive media landscape where consumers have endless choices, one of the key methods we have used to get and stay ahead has been through a deep understanding of our audiences. We figured that if these insights are useful to us, they will be just as valuable to our clients. That’s how SoundInsights was born.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit South Africa last year, forcing consumers to stay at home and increase their media engagement, we partnered with Pinpoll, a data management platform, to ensure that every contact we had with a consumer yielded a greater understanding of who they were and what they were interested in.

Now less than 18 months later, we can access more than two million first-party data profiles. Earlier this year, we provided our clients with the opportunity to harness this capacity to build their understanding of their target market.

This is done by composing surveys or quick polls and targeting the consumers most relevant to

to recover post-pandemic, as well as guides around consumer attitudes to finance, insurance brands and products.

Clients that have run these surveys report that they have been able to tailor their radio and digital campaigns to deliver better responses and higher return on their investments.

For the past 10 years, I have wanted to match the acquisition of every listener with a deeper understanding of each listener, and am proud of the teams at Kagiso Media Radio and its brands, who work with tireless curiosity to realise this, TOWARDS DEEPER UNDERSTANDINGS as they have done with SoundInsights.

In the coming months, we are When we first started using our first-party looking to reinforce this product data to improve our ability to connect substantially with even more with our audiences, we saw declines resources and partnerships. Get in the bounce rates on our website of in touch so we can understand up to 8% and solicited more than 17 your objectives and explain 000 detailed responses from listeners how our engaged audiences on how the Covid-19 lockdown was can help you get closer to impacting their lives and livelihoods. achieving them.

We were then better able to tailor our Email soundinsights@ products to their tastes and further kagisomedia.co.za or me strengthen relationships. directly at nickg@ Client use of SoundInsights has kagisomedia.co.za enabled us to produce industry guides This is sponsored covering retail shopping behaviour and content. the eventing industry and its ability Nick Grubb that customer or campaign. Our audience members in the database are categorised according to their demographics, locations and lifestyle interests.

Our opted-in consumers love the opportunity to be heard and shape the offerings they get from our clients and partners. Furthermore, the size of our platform means we never survey the same consumer twice, ensuring the solid credibility and integrity of our data.

Nick Grubb is the chief executive of radio at Kagiso Media. He has an extensive radio and digital background and is Deputy Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters, among other industry roles. He believes passionately in connecting and empowering communities, through compelling content and trustworthy platforms. themediaonline.co.za

T H E M E D I A i 59

Hello, is there anybody out there?

BRANDON DE KOCK unpacks the latest results from the annual BrandMapp survey to find out where media consumption sits on the Covid-19 journey.

I

t’s almost instinctive to latch onto phrases like ‘changed forever’ and ‘never be the same’, but for those of us who work in the world of trends and behaviour, that’s a recipe for disaster. In short, you need to be patient and wait long enough to see if the idea you just threw into the air is a stick or a boomerang.

For BrandMapp 2021, that meant holding back until mid-year to put

60 i T H E M E D I A

our annual survey into field, resulting in a set of data that can be compared with a previous one completed before the world even started coughing.

The audience that BrandMapp profiles comprises an estimated 12 million adults (18 years and older) living in households earning R10 000 a month or more. They earn about 80% of all income in the country and pay 100% of all personal tax, so they’re rather important to the themediaonline.co.za

well-being of the economy. If they fail, the fate of the other 28 million adults living in lower-income environments will be significantly worse.

The data set is a bit like a Rubik’s Cube, covering a vast array of measures from hopes and dreams to financial behaviour and shopping habits, but the focus of this piece is

We are in the middle of the great on-demand media era that began by tearing up the print world as we knew it

MEDIA RESEARCH

specific: How did being locked away from the world change our listening and viewing habits in 2020 – and what do these changes mean for the future?

On demand

There are dual dynamics at play in this regard. Firstly, purely practical realities: ‘Drive time’ slots on the radio are a bit meaningless when you’re not allowed to leave home, for example, and streaming can be outright torturous without decent bandwidth. Secondly, we are in the middle of the great on-demand media era that began by tearing up the print world as we knew it, and now poses a similar extinction-level threat to the other two great ‘newsosaurs’, radio and television. These things are inextricably intertwined.

IMAGE: unsplash

As for television, it seems as if what happened in the big social imprisonment experiment was that we all watched a lot more of everything On the connection front, the first big shift during lockdown was that middle-class-and-up households experienced a massive surge in fibre connectivity. The penetration has leapt from 20% before lockdown to 35% – that’s a 75% growth. As a result, the big players had a windfall year: Netflix went from reaching 40% of homes to 60%. Every time I read that statistic, I remember the famous words of CEO Reed Hastings in 2017 when he explained that Netflix’s biggest competitor wasn’t television; it was sleep! Five years down the

line, it would seem his confidence was justified.

The rest of the providers sending bytes down pipes enjoyed similar success. Spotify grew from 13% to 20%, while DStv Now and Showmax usage grew by 40% year-on-year.

The net result is that right now, 85% of respondents make use of one or more streaming services.

On a granular level, we see these changes in behaviour starting to settle down into something resembling a new normal – one where 25% of adults listen to podcasts every single week, and 60% watch YouTube videos as part and parcel of everyday life.

Keeping tradition alive

With all that going on in the blue corner, it’s no surprise that the contender in the red corner is suffering a few bruises. For traditional radio, the first is that the percentage of people ‘hardly ever or never’ listening to radio has risen from 14% to 25%. That’s the effect of on-demand media. And the percentage of people listening ‘a few times a day’ has dropped from 47% to 34%. So although the school run is back on the timetable, there’s no doubt that overall listening habits have changed.

Be careful of overreacting here, though: radio remains a massively powerful medium in this country, but for the first time in its history, the danger is clear and present, and there’s a requirement for clever thinking. Perhaps radio stations could start by hiring a few ex-magazine publishers to consult and help them understand that neither arrogance nor ostrich tactics is going to offer meaningful protection against the dark digital arts!

As for television, it seems as if what happened in the big social themediaonline.co.za

imprisonment experiment was that we all watched a lot more of everything. So there’s not nearly the same impact for eyeballs as there was for eardrums. If anything, overall viewership is slightly up. But what we do see is a slight decrease in the old free-to-air stations, SABC and e.tv, by a couple of percent.

And DStv? Well, that’s gone up considerably, from reaching 74% of people pre-lockdown to 84% in 2021. No surprise then to hear that MultiChoice has claimed an additional 500 000 subscribers in the past year, albeit mostly in the cheap seats. We haven’t asked the ‘package’ question for a few years so have no trend, but only 35% of respondents this year are premium subscribers versus 41% compact.

Equally interesting is that 80% of Netflix subscribers also watch DStv. You have to make some assumptions, but it’s a fair bet that the question ‘Should we cancel or downgrade?’ is more likely to be asked now than ever before.

In a nutshell, for these two platforms that have such a massive effect on our lives, 2020 simply rode existing trends, most notably that people can and will pay a premium for on-demand content rather than having advertising thrust into their lives. And while some may see that as a threat, the successful products, brands and marketers of tomorrow will be those who are able to step through the looking glass, see the opportunity, and really innovate as they sculpt and design the media landscape of a post-Covid world.

Brandon de Kock is the director of storytelling at WhyFive Insights, producers of the annual BrandMapp survey.

See whyfive.co.za for more information.

T H E M E D I A i 61

Adaptable and agile agencies

We recently canvassed media owners on how they adapted to a virtual working model. This time around, GLENDA NEVILL asks media agencies how they connected with clients and kept staff sane.

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e asked agencies about how they created virtual teams and the challenges they faced in doing so. We wanted to find out how strategies had to change to deal with the new circumstances, and what methods were used to keep staff motivated. We looked at value, and whether or not remote work would play a part in a post-pandemic future.

Responses from senior media agency leaders were extensive, and we don’t have enough room in the magazine to run them at length, but we will be posting them in full on The Media Online over the next few weeks.

ASHISH WILLIAMS, CEO OF MEDIACOM

MediaCom’s leadership believed that before implementing any operational or technological steps to transform an office-bound team into a virtual one, we needed to change mindsets first.

Business focus became less about input (hours) and much more about the output (results), which was the value clients were seeking.

Then MediaCom essentially had to recreate an office environment and experience for each staff member as much as possible. We believe that if our people and their needs are prioritised, the operational results will follow.

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Ashish Williams

A key strategy was utilising the insights and learning from the global network available to us. We connected to CEOs at our Chinabased offices at the beginning of the outbreak to ascertain what we could anticipate when it reached South African shores. These conversations enabled us to predict beforehand what the challenges would be, where the vulnerabilities lay and what our clients would need most from us.

Our biggest challenge was maintaining what others may see as the ‘softer’ side of running a business – employee morale, retaining company culture and encouraging social interaction. Consequently, we launched various digital-friendly, themediaonline.co.za

staff-orientated workshops centred on creating connections and team spirit. Effective and consistent internal communication helped staff feel supported.

Our transparent communication activities extended to media owners, as we also made the effort to advise proactively on how investments could be managed and budgets might be affected and made even stronger.

Motivation can be negatively affected by monotony, fatigue and stress. To counter this, MediaCom created two well-being champions, who were assigned to support and assist staff on a wide variety of topics such as debt, pressure on family life, depression and so forth.

Adding value played a significant role. Some clients needed advice on budgets, while others needed support or for us to step up and find innovative digital solutions to reach their audiences even more effectively.

Our ability to adapt to each client’s new perception of what value meant to them translated into strengthened customer relationships.

The three biggest lessons for us were: focus on people; be adaptable to any challenge; and share and reapply (learn from other markets and reapply to your own).

Moving forward, because we are so focused on output, it doesn’t

MEDIA AGENCY

matter where staff work from. Our productivity climbed significantly when we adopted a remote working model. This clearly demonstrates that the new way of working complements our employees’ worklife balance, and the freedom to work remotely provides staff with various time-management perks that translate into operational efficiencies that can’t be duplicated in an officebound environment.

Richard Lord

NIC SIMMONDS, CO-CEO OF CLOCKWORK MEDIA

RICHARD LORD, MEDIA AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, AND KAGISO MUSI, GROUP MD OF META MEDIA

Our policy prior to Covid-19 was that people could work from home when they needed to do so, so we were actually quite well placed to move to that setup. Staff all had laptops and 3G modems, and all of our systems and network folders could be accessed via VPNs. The biggest challenge was data, as the deals we had purchased were not big enough to handle full-time remote working. We addressed this quickly by increasing data allowances, and have since put in place subsidies to contribute to employees’ home fibre.

We have made a psychologist available to all staff at no cost, to whom they can chat to about anything. This service has been extended to their families as well.

We also schedule regular fun team activities (all virtual of course) just to keep people’s spirits up.

At the beginning of lockdown, we found ourselves losing touch with our media-owner partners. We always had regular, day-to-day interactions and an open-door policy, as these are invaluable in building relationships and understanding each other’s business. So we implemented a couple of initiatives. Firstly, we made it compulsory for all of our strategists

new normal looks like, but the days of nine to five, Monday to Friday in the office are a thing of the past.

We will likely adopt some kind of hybrid model where people spend some time in the office but continue to work from anywhere. They have proved they can!

and planners to attend various media-owner meetings and webinars via Zoom. Secondly, we implemented regular catch-up meetings with media owners at a management level where we chatted about the big issues and fixed them.

Clients are pushing hard for more and more value. There are many ways in which value can be given and we pay attention to all of them – whether it is upping our client-service game, or sending out proactive information or media ideas to clients, training, or even more savings.

The one thing lockdown has taught us is that our people are more than capable of continuing to deliver excellent service to our clients while working remotely. Empowered with the right IT infrastructure and data requirements, our team have really come to the party and leaned in to this new reality in which we find ourselves. Once everyone is vaccinated and lockdowns are hopefully a thing of the past, will we ever go back to the way things were?

We don’t think so. We still need to do a lot of work in deciding what the themediaonline.co.za

The first thing our central operations team had to facilitate was the rapid adoption of basic digital platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

We had been using these platforms here and there, but we very quickly had to get 130 people up to speed and comfortable using them. We also had to ensure everyone had access to a safe place to work and a reliable internet connection.

The biggest challenge was probably the mental health and well-being of our people. There was a lot of anxiety around the sudden change, and because people are inherently social beings, most of us were to some degree emotionally challenged by the isolation. We’ve since introduced a number of internal employee wellness programmes such as regular desktop yoga sessions and mindfulness training.

Our main focus early on was to ensure stability and business continuity in order to protect our clients’ marketing objectives and the livelihoods of our people. We achieved that by ensuring our leadership Nic Simmonds maintained calm, T H E M E D I A i 63

open communications and dealt with individual challenges in a collaborative, head-on manner as they came up.

Our strategy hinged on increasing customer-centricity, as we reasoned it was more important than ever to listen really carefully to our clients so that we could be agile and responsive to their needs. Fortunately, many of our largest clients are in the technology space and were not affected by the pandemic – in some cases they even benefited. Others, however, were hit pretty hard so our approach was to adopt a partnership mentality. We adjusted scope, provided discounts, and worked with reduced budgets to help them navigate the challenged landscape.

It was really important to get our leadership team aligned. It can be easy to slip into action mode and try to rush through meetings when they are online. We have launched a senior leadership platform that upskills our managers to be better listeners and communicators.

Currently we are using Nancy’s Kline’s work on Thinking Environments to upskill in this area.

We learned we can give our people time by not insisting they come in to the office or drive to client meetings. I’d rather they use that time in a way that makes their lives more happy and fulfilling.

Having said that, working remotely can see people struggling to separate their home and work lives. This can lead to overwork, burnout and a general sense of despondence, which need to be carefully managed.

We will not go back to working the way we did before Covid-19.

We’ve seen too much disruption and learned too many lessons to 64 i T H E M E D I A

revert to what are now outdated ways of doing things.

KEVIN NDINGURI: MANAGING DIRECTOR OF UM AFRICA

We allowed our staff to take home screens and office chairs from the office to ensure they could create a suitable home office setup.

We then equipped all our staff with an internet solution that would allow them to be online even during load shedding. Our IT team was critical to ensuring everyone had the right tools, and continue to provide invaluable support as we navigate changes to work culture and environment.

The pandemic presented us all with a set of unprecedented circumstances. As humans we are social beings and thrive on human contact, especially in our industry, where collaboration with colleagues is fundamental. This was a massive challenge. As a first step we encouraged all our staff to engage on platforms like Teams with their videos on so that they could still see each other. Talking to a black screen can feel disconnected and doesn’t really tell you whether the other person is listening to you or just scrolling through Instagram. Secondly as a management team, it was important that we engaged with our people on a regular basis through video check-ins, a routine we’ve continued throughout this period.

We thought productivity levels would be a challenge but we are incredibly fortunate to have great teams. Productivity actually shot through the roof. It’s nice problem to have when your biggest challenge is ensuring your people maintain a work-life balance and set boundaries for working from home. Moving forward, we will move to a hybrid work model where there is a healthy themediaonline.co.za

Kevin Ndinguri

mix of work from home and work from the office.

For our clients, it was about keeping them up to date with the changes in consumer media consumption and the media landscape as frequently as possible, and optimising their strategies and plans to take these changes into account. We shared monthly insights highlighting key changes at a local, pan-African and global level. We leaned heavily on our relationships with media partners to make the necessary changes and, where necessary, negotiated them out of commitments with as minimal monetary impact as possible. Having open and transparent relationships with media-owner partners was crucial to navigating the impact of the pandemic on our clients’ investments.

The biggest lessons for me over the past year have been firstly that we really don’t know it all and we need to stay curious every day. Secondly, building a great team is critical to ensuring you can thrive in an unpredictable environment, as those will be the people you rely on to go through the trenches with you. Lastly, mental health is too often overlooked and downplayed, especially in the high-paced environment in which we operate.

MEDIA AGENCY

LWANDILE QOKWENI, CEO OF WAVEMAKER SOUTH AFRICA

The single and most important step was to get all employees set up on an online conference system (Teams, Zoom, BlueJeans) because we knew our industry is one of collaboration. We also had to learn to switch off the mute button! What we did not recognise was the need to train staff on how to use these systems to their full ability so they could collaborate and not just communicate.

Now more than ever, we have found that it is important to acknowledge the impact of work on the whole self: to understand that for some work from home means solitude and being cut off from the world because they live on their own, while for others it means not being able to separate work from home, potentially causing distress in domestic relationships and challenges in time-management capabilities.

Maintaining motivation and team culture was possibly the most difficult. This culture is encouraged to flourish through face-to-face interactions where each member can illustrate their adherence to the compact. It is also driven by interactions between the senior management team and the rest of the organisation.

Media-owner relationships were much less predictable, as these are built and maintained through continuous face-to-face interaction.

Many media owners took a long time to set themselves up for remote working, but once they were up we resumed our normal routines, albeit under strained conditions with limited collaboration.

Value in all senses of the word is important when we are challenged like this. Not just the perceived

Lwandile Qokweni

The human spirit can be shaken but still find a way to adapt and grow from that change.

DASHNI VILAKAZI: MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE MEDIASHOP

value we offer to our clients in delivering efficient and effective media solutions, but also that of being flexible, accountable and available to make necessary changes at the drop of a hat with minimum fuss and cost.

The truth is, for the last year it has been hard to plan for clients as they have been challenged by legislation like alcohol bans, curfews, product sales restrictions and mobility restrictions, and challenged by events beyond their control like load shedding, import and export closure, shortage of raw material to produce products, and more recently riots.

It was good to see that staff can be trusted to work remotely, regardless of role.

However, purely remote working does not allow for easy collaboration, which is why we believe the future is a hybrid solution.

Finally, adapt or die.

I have been amazed at our team members’ ability to adapt and find solutions to what we would have previously Dashni vilakazi viewed as impossible. themediaonline.co.za

In March 2020, The MediaShop enabled 142 people to work remotely while still servicing our clients optimally. This was accomplished within a matter of days so that we could preserve our client-centric focus and provide them with reassurance. It was a significant accomplishment for our operations and IT teams.

We worked to maintain a collaborative team dynamic and morale while emerging into a migrated company culture of deep empathy, bringing teams closer together through regular communication and feedback forums, as well as access to psychological support where required.

On-boarding new team members was challenging, especially supporting a team of Gen Z and millennials from our internship programme, who were supported over this period by a thorough training programme that ran over seven weeks.

High-frequency, sustainable client and media-owner engagements managed to preserve our long-standing relationships, which were cemented through business unit and senior leadership management contact.

This was executed at high levels of accessibility for personal, one-on-one interactions, plus innovative ways of engaging with teams like virtual T H E M E D I A i 65

MEDIA AGENCY

cocktail-mixing events and our Media Intelligence Insights series.

The economic impact of this period challenged our billing processes, but our strategic decision making, pioneering implementation strategies and speed-to-market campaigns gave us the platform to apply brilliant tactics at cost-efficient budgets. We leveraged our valued relationships with stakeholders and explored alternative media channel options that helped us succeed through the challenges we encountered.

There is no blueprint for how to work during this period, so together with clients we designed a new way of working regarding effective communication, turnaround times, strategy and planning, creating a bespoke package for each brand. Regular contact ensured we remained relevant, and agility allowed us to change direction.

Value has always been key in our industry, but we need to remember that value means so many different things, so it’s important to create common understanding when talking about it. Value needs to be defined among partners to ensure that real value, not just the perception thereof, is achieved.

Speed to market, innovative processing and empathy were and still are our biggest learning curves.

Empathy in particular – towards our employees, our suppliers, our clients and their direct consumers (the target audience) – is so incredibly crucial.

People clung fiercely to their old world, but this period has facilitated compassion and consideration for our clients, employees and colleague’s welfare as they move more into the driving seat of this new world.

Perfecting connectivity, working remotely, gathering information and entertainment technology 66 i T H E M E D I A

have been central to our ability to cope. WhatsApp, Netflix, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook have earned their estate as vital services on par with water and electricity.

RENÉ FOWLER, HEAD OF AD OPERATIONS AND DIGITAL INVESTMENT FOR AMPLIFI, A DENTSU BRAND

We were in a very fortunate position at dentsu from an IT perspective, as the majority of our employees were already equipped to work from home. Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint assisted in collaborating on projects even though we were working remotely.

The teams were under immense pressure, which often resulted in overworking. The expectation to finish a task or respond was always looming. It was difficult to overcome this and it remains a challenge, but we have set up Cortana, which has helped us manage our calendars, set aside time for breaks, and catch up with mails and so forth during the day.

As a manager dealing with employee’s unsettled feelings around job security and mental wellbeing, I strived to communicate as often as possible with the team. Reassurance does not come with having all the answers, but rather with always being there to support and encourage my team to take breaks and time out.

Given the changes to the landscape with regards to regulations such as alcohol bans, loss of exposure in certain instances, and consumer behavioural changes such as curfew times and the growth of digital adoption, themediaonline.co.za

we also had to be mindful of how consumer needs and behaviours were and still are changing, to ensure our media strategies were aligned and providing value to consumers.

If you can choose the right combination of marketing across product, price, promotion, place, people, process and physical evidence, your marketing strategy is more likely to be a success. You can accelerate digital, tech and analytics by enhancing and expanding the digital channels.

In terms of internal communication, I always try and make people feel they are needed and an asset to the team and business. I try to involve everyone in everything that is happening, especially when there are changes in processes and protocol. I try to maintain a positive attitude as much as possible, as this has been proven to keep the morale up within the team.

We have had to trial and test a lot, so another lesson during this time was to trust in the power of failure because it gives you the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.

I’ve learned that you can have every tool and structure in place, but if you don’t have a team with shared goals none of that matters. Having one vision is essential to successfully implementing radical collaboration. Showing up is the first step, but when a team comes together you can achieve extraordinary things by leveraging collective expertise.

René Fowler

HOTSEAT

Action stations

Stephen Werner is station manager of Cape Town’s Kfm 94.5, which received 12 nominations in the 2021 The Radio Awards, the most of any station in the Western Cape.

He is skilled in brand development, team leadership, talent management, content creation, marketing, client relations and building data-led strategies at an executive management level.

I am 38 years old and so far in my career… I have worked as breakfast

Stephen Werner

show producer across talk and music formats, and as a music radio programme manager. My experience on the ground working with some of the most talented teams and personalities has laid the foundation for my career and my leadership role as Kfm’s station manager.

To what do you attribute Kfm’s success? Hard work, a clear strategy and consistency. I have said before that there is one ingredient that is critical to our success: our people.

People are at the core of who we are and everything we do. The Kfm team is collaborative, has an incredible work ethic, drives high levels of innovation and is prepared to take smart risks.

You worked as an executive producer before taking up this role. What were the hurdles you had to clear in this transition?

Honing my leadership ability and learning to make tough decisions. A big step change was required, moving operational thinking to a strategic approach, and building my ability to coach and mentor talent.

What is your overview of the radio sector in Cape Town? It’s an

exciting time for radio in the Cape.

Radio is the original social media and we have seen this more than ever during the lockdown period, when every single one of us has been taken out of our comfort zones. It has been amazing to watch our listeners share their personal realities, and come to us for much-needed escape and relief in these strange times.

The quality you most respect in people is… A strong, consistent

work ethic, humility and passion. If you have the right attitude and drive you will succeed. You can learn the rest.

Your pet hate is… Tardiness!

Punctuality is important to me.

Perhaps it comes from my life in radio.

What in your view is the biggest challenge radio stations in South Africa face right now? The

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educate audiences. Digital platforms (including social media) are great running mates for radio, and the combination is a powerful one that complements and extends radio’s ability to connect with audiences.

The gadget/s you can’t live without and why… My phone,

misconception that digital is removing radio’s relevance. On the contrary, radio reach and penetration are at an all-time high. No other medium can provide such intimacy, build trust with listeners, and generate real and tangible ROI for advertisers while still being able to entertain and

wireless headphones and my dishwasher. These are the things that help me get through the busiest days.

You think the rest of 2021 will be… A tough journey with a

bright finale. I am optimistic that despite all our challenges, we will come out of this for the better. themediaonline.co.za

T H E M E D I A i 67

MEDIA MEDIUM USAGE TRENDS NAMIBIA 1,180,391

1,145,007

687,562

640,000

268,294

230,000

S

75,600

LISTENED RADIO

WATCHED TV

READ DAILY NEWSPAPER

ACCESSED INTERNET

FACEBOOK

BASED ON ALL ADULTS 16+ NAMIBIA ACCESSED/LISTENED TO YESTERDAY

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

BASED ON THE REPORTED POTENTIAL ADVERTISING REACH OF SELECTED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, 13+

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SOURCE: MEDIAMETRICS COPYRIGHT VISION AFRICA 2019

Na

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RADIO LANDSCAPE

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NATIONAL: Stations listened to most

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Source: Media Metrics 2019

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LIVE FM

Ou TOUCH FM

HITRADIO NAMIBIA

KOSMOS

KARAS COMMUNITY RADIO

NBC AFRIKAANS

RAPIDS FM

KANAAL 7

RADIOWAVE

ENERGY 100FM

OTJI FM

NBC SILOZI

99FM

FRESH FM

NBC NATIONAL

NBC OTJIHERERO

Ma OMULUNGA

NBC RUKAVANGO

Af

bu NBC DAMARA NAMA

NBC OSHWAMBO

COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS NAMIBIA

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S

ince the first Commercial

Namibian Population - 2,630,073 (CIA World Fact Book Jul. 2020)

Radio Station(Radio 99)

Reach 1,180,391 Radio Listeners (16+)

was licenced outside of the

Namibian Broadcasting Corporation in the early Nineties, Mark Knocker has been representing Radio Stations in

Total Namibian Population

2,630,073

Namibian Adult Population 16+ 1,788,450

Namibia and booking advertising for South African Agencies and Clients in that market.

Namibia offers world class media owner

Adult Population Penetration Radio Listeners

1,180,391 66.00%

STATE BROADCASTER

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@MarnoxMedia @MarnoxMedia

INCREASING BUSINESS COMPLEXITIES CAN EASILY CHANGE THE PACE OF BUSINESS. PARTNER WITH A TEAM THAT DOESN’T MISS A BEAT. BDO’s Financial Services Audit, Advisory and Technology team.

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