In May, the average time spent listening to the radio was 4h32 per day, an 11 minute decrease when compared to 4h43 in the previous corresponding period, according to the May 2007 radio audience measurement survey (RAMS).
Research Surveys, which conducts the RAMS for the South African Advertising and Research Foundation (SAARF), says most affected provinces are Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng, especially their metropolitan areas – Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Pretoria.
Listening peaked slightly during international events such as the Cricket World Cup.
While ‘newcomer’ Durban-based 99.5 iGagasi FM, formerly known as P4 Durban, has managed to turn the tide, growing from an audience of 512,000 listeners (RAMS November 2005) per week to 989,000 (RAMS May 2007), some of the more established radio stations are losing listeners.
Among these are East Coast Radio (ECR) which in November 2005 boasted a Past Seven Days listenership of 2.05-million. This has now decreased to an average of 1.78-million.
ECR’s Monday to Friday listenership has also gone down from 1.2-million to 1.06-million.
Gauteng-based 99.2 YFM has lost more than 500,000 listeners in the past three years and has seen the departure of a number of its founding DJs such as Thato “DJ Fresh” Sekwane, Thomas “Bad Boy T” Msenga, Unathi Mankayi, and Sbusiso “DJ Sbu” Leope. These have joined SABC’s 5FM, Metro FM and Ukhozi FM respectively, taking many fans with them.
As a result, the battle of the airwaves has intensified and several of the commercial radio stations have introduced shake-ups to their biggest sources of advertising revenue – drive-time shows.
To mark its tenth anniversary, YFM has changed its programme line-up to create more room for growth, says station marketing manager Tamaria Motsepe.
She says the changes that the youth radio station has undergone in the past two years are typical of the life cycle of any business or institution that has existed for as long as YFM has.
In the hot seat now is seasoned DJ Paul “Rudeboy” Mnisi, host of the morning breakfast show Kamakazi Breakfast, which he co-hosts with Sandile “Sanza de Fanatik” Tshabalala. Mnisi, who has been with YFM for seven years, takes over from Pabi Moloi who failed to save the breakfast show after DJ Fresh left for 5FM last year, where he now hosts the afternoon drive-time slot.
Metro FM now has the very popular former YFM radio personality, Thomas “Badboy T” Mnisi manning the breakfast show. Mnisi, who took over from Azania Ndoro, has brought some much-needed energy and vibe to the 6am to 9am slot.
Metro FM, which at one point threatened to overthrow radio giant Ukhozi FM from its throne as king of the airwaves (which commands a steady Past Seven Days 6.2-million listenership) has seen a decrease in its Monday to Friday figures for the past two years. In November 2005, Metro FM had an average of 2.6-million listeners but that has dropped slightly to the current average of 2.3-million during the week.
The station went through a challenging period trying to find a breakfast show host good enough to replace Justice “Just-Ice” Ramohlola who left the commercial entity in 2003.
Another addition to Metro FM’s line-up is Unathi Nkayi, also a YFM product. The female DJ now co-hosts the station’s afternoon drive-time show with veteran DJ Glen Lewis who has been with the station for close to a decade. Despite the decrease in its Monday to Friday listenership, Metro FM has managed to retain a stable weekly Past Seven Days audience of about 5.2-million listeners.
A surprise announcement however was Ukhozi FM recruiting award-winning kwaito artist and producer Sibusiso “DJ Sbu” Leope to host its breakfast show. In an interview with The Media last year, station manager Welcome Nkabinde said part of the station’s growth strategy was to attract the youth market. Leope hosts the 6am to 9pm slot with Sbonga Zungu and sports anchor Mandla Ngcobo, formerly of iGagasi FM.
Ukhozi FM’s Monday to Friday listenership had been at around 4.5-million for the past two years until May when it showed a slight decrease to 4.3-million.
In Cape Town, 94.5 KFM and Good Hope FM have also had to go back to the drawing board to ensure survival.
KFM, whose market penetration dropped between November 2005 and 2006 from 4.2 percent to 3.8 percent, has introduced presenter Richard Hardiman to its weekday 3pm to 6pm drive-time slot.
The station has a Monday to Friday listenership of around 780,000 and attracts a stable 1.2-million listeners per week.
Good Hope has welcomed Ryan O’Connor after a six-month absence. O’Connor now took over his original afternoon drive show, The Fast Lane, which he co-hosts with news reader Vania Cloete and sports presenter Mark Marshall.
While there has been a general decrease in average listenership figures nationally, this has not trickled down into the advertising revenue of most of the radio stations, especially the more established ones.
Between January and March this year, ECR made R55.7-million in advertising revenue, an increase from about R53-million the station made during the same corresponding period last year.
Jacaranda FM, whose breakfast show is hosted by the likeable Kienno Kammies, made R57.36-million during the first quarter of the year, up from last year’s R46.7-million. The station’s penetration in the Afrikaans, English and Nguni-language (up from 2.2 percent in Febraury this year to 3.6 percent in May) markets continues to increase.
Metro FM attracted R48.6-million between January and March this year, about the same amount it made in the first quarter of last year.
Gauteng regional station 94.7 Highveld continues to be the most lucrative radio station in the country, commanding R285.8-million between January and December 2006, and R61-million between January and March this year. The station has had the same breakfast show host, Jeremy Mansfield, for the past decade and his show contributes to a large chunk of the station’s advertising revenue.
Perhaps one of his show’s secrets to success is stability. While other stations have been scrambling around to appoint new presenters in their drive-time slots, Highveld continues to rake in the money without making any drastic changes to the most important slot in radio.
op 10 radio drive-time shows
Station: Ukhozi FM
Show: Ezasekseni: 6am – 9am
Host: Sbusiso “DJ Sbu” Leope, Sbonga Zungu and sports anchor Mandla Ngcobo
Listenership: 2.4-million (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Station: Ukhozi FM
Show: Ziyakhipha: 3.30pm – 6pm
Hosts: Linda “Mr Magic” Sibiya
Listenership: 2.3-million (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total adspend of the station: R41-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Umhlobo Wenene FM
Show: Breakfast Show: 6.30am – 9am
Hosts: Slyso Saliso
Listenership: 1.66-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Umhlobo Wenene FM
Show: Afternoon Drive Show: 3pm- 6pm
Hosts: Mthobeli August
Listenership: 1.65-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Total adspend of the station: R23.7-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Lesedi FM
Show: Ha re ye (Let’s go): 6am – 9am
Hosts: Chomane Chomane
Listenership: 1.63-million (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R22.7-million
(Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Metro FM
Show: Breakfast with Thomas: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Thomas “Bad Boy T” Msenga with Florence, Lupi and award-winning sports journalist Bareng-Batho Koortjaas
Listenership: 816,000 (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R48.6-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Pic captioned Thomas “Bad Boy T” Msenga
Station: Metro FM
Show: Glenzito Avenue: 3pm – 6pm
Hosts: Glen Lewis and Unathi Mankayi
Listenership: 815,000 (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R48.6-million (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Glen Lewis and Unathi Mankayi
Station: Motswending FM
Show: Bosele: 7am – 9am
Host: Cebo Manyaapelo
Listenership: 668,000 (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R13.8-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Jacaranda FM
Show: Breakfast with Kieno & the Angels: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Kienno and the Angels
Listenership: 577,000(RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R57.3-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: East Coast Radio
Show: The Bokomo Big Breakfast: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Daryl Ilbury
Listenership: 554,000 RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R55.7-million
(Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: 94.7 Highveld Stereo
Show: The Rude Awakening (RAW): 6am – 9am
Hosts: Jeremy Mansfiled, Darren “Whackhead” Simpson, Samantha Cowen and Bongani Nxumalo
Listenership: 499,000 RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R61.6-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: Ikwekwezi FM
Show: Wasala Wena: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Voocy
Listenership: 415,000 (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R3.3-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: 5FM
Show: The Gareth Cliff Show: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Gareth Cliff
Listenership: 290,000
Total station adspend: R35-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: OFM
Show: OFM Breakfast: 7am – 10am
Hosts: Christie Hansen
Listenership: 207,000 (RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R12.5-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: 99.2 YFM
Show: Kamakazi Breakfast: 6am – 9am
Hosts: Paul “Rudeboy” Mnisi and Sandile “Sanza de Fanatik” Tshabalala
Listenership: 206,000
Total station adspend: R26.3-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)
Station: 95.9 Kaya FM
Show: The Dube Drive: 3pm – 6pm
Hosts: Lawrence Dube
Listenership: 166,000 RAMS October 2006 – March 2007)
Total station adspend: R16.6-million (Nielsen Media Research: Jan – Mar 2007)