South African Broadcasting Corporation radio stations have “exceeded all expectations” in the latest Saarf RAMS results for the period May-August 2013 , the public broadcaster said. The SABC reported that radio stations had embraked on a three year strategy process, called ‘Quest to be the Best’ that was bearing results.
Ligwalagwala, a youth-oriented station in Mpumalanga, described as an “upbeat, aspirational” station, has grown to 1 582 000 listeners, an increase of 20.6%. Cape Town’s Good Hope FM reports a growth of 112 000, taking its listernship to 717 000, a 18.5% increase. And national station Metro FM now sits on 6 630 000 listeners, an increase of 14.2% or 825 000 listeners.
This latest wave of research incorporates the updated census 2011 population data which means that the higher population count of the country had a positive impact on SABC Radio listenership. “It must be noted that the latest figures cannot be compared with previous data releases due to the differences in population estimates and the comparisons below are merely to illustrate the listenership increases based on the population data adjustments,” said the SABC.