Thebe Mabanga
It’s brash, it’s crude and it is definitely sexist, but young people of Gauteng have voted with their fingers and made Yfm 99.2 their number one source of infotainment.
According to the latest Radio Audience Measurement Survey (Rams) released by the South African Advertising Research Foundation, the station has achieved a daily listenership of more than one million in 20 months, making Yfm the country’s largest and fastest-growing regional radio station.
“We are not surprised by these findings,” says Leo Manne, the station’s programme manager (music). Manne points to Yfm’s niched music format as one of the station’s strengths.
The format comprises urban genres such as R&B, hip-hop, a bit of raggamaffin and house music. It is through its relatively high focus on house music that Yfm has been largely responsible for the resurgence of this style.
Another source of appeal for this young station is its DJ line-up. As Phindi Gule, anchor of the weekday mid-morning slot, points out: “I think people are attracted by the creative talent on the station … the fact that it’s original and diverse.”
The line-up is led by Phat Joe, a noisy, unbridled breakfast DJ. His show, Live and Dangerous, is a jam-packed, energy-driven three-hour session that seeks to “lift listeners and then connect them to the world”, according to its host.
The show experienced the highest growth for a weekday slot and is peppered with features.
The most popular is the Battle of the Sexes, a quiz contest with the sole purpose of “establishing the superior sex”. It reached new levels of competition recently when a female listener challenged a male DJ to walk naked down a highway.
The DJ who took up the challenge is Thomas “Bad Boy T” Msengana.
He presents the midday show and cites the unpredictable street talk frequently used on the station as the reason the youth identify with the station.
His old-school, retro-sounds segment and interactive request line are very popular. Good luck charms don’t get taller or zanier than Bad Boy T.
Since its inception, the station has drawn a lot of flack for its colourful, often derogatory language. This is embodied in the likes of Khabzela, one of Yfm’s latest finds.
This former Soweto Community Radio presenter rocks Gauteng with his authentic, Soweto street lingo. It has endeared him to taxi drivers, school pupils and prisoners alike, and has ensured that his weekend noon to 3pm show has experienced the highest growth for a weekend show. He was aptly renamed “Rubzela” (rude Khabzela) by a listener.
Yfm initially underestimated its target audience’s information needs and has since upgraded its news output to hourly (5am to 6pm).
The station has also increased its sports coverage and information slots. Its talk show Youth Crossfire is handled by another “Rudeboy”, Paul (Mnisi) on his Groove Kamikaze.
An interesting trend shown by the Rams is the racially mixed listenership pattern. The station has about 6 000 white listeners. Yfm DJs agree that this trend is set to improve.
“In places like Pretoria and at the Amanda van Heerden jol I’ve seen white kids bounce to our beat,” says Thato “DJ Fresh” Sinkwane. DJ Fresh hosts the drive-time show and SABC1’s Studio Mix.
Dirk Hartford, Yfm’s executive director, says he is satisfied with listenership figures but believes they can do better on the revenue side. “The problem with [the revenue performance] is partly due to the white mentality in the advertising industry,” says Hartford.
Yfm is owned by the Union Housing Trust (48%), Union Alliance Media (25%), the Youth Development Trust (15%) and Youth Investment Network (1%). The remaining 11% is held by the staff.
The station has a majority shareholding in Y magazine, which is co-owned by SLY Media.
Plans to open a Y centre are at an advanced stage. The centre is a joint venture with the National Adolescence Sexual Health Initiative and will be located in Orange Farm. It will have entertainment facilities and will be used to educate the youth on life skills and health issues.
The youth have a new address. It is the station they have made number one in Gauteng: Yfm 99.2.