The Broadcast Research Council (BRC) has released its second Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) data for the year. This release represents data collected from 30 533 diaries between the period October 2018 and March 2019.
Radio reach for this latest release remains relatively stable when compared to the previous release period (July 2018 – December 2018), with radio now reaching 36.4 million listeners compared to 35.8 million listeners in the last release.
One of the most notable audience increases in this release is that of the SABC’s facility radio station, Radio 2000; the station has experienced a 51.8% year on year surge in audiences.
Top 10 radio stations
The top 10 radio stations in the country by audience figures remains somewhat unchanged compared to previous releases. Ukhozi FM continues to dominate as the largest station in the country, with the station adding 152 000 more listeners since the last release. This release sees the addition of Kagiso Media’s Jacaranda FM to the top 10.
| Station | Audience | |
| 1 | Ukhozi FM | 7 670 000 |
| 2 | Umhlobo Wenene FM | 5 409 000 |
| 3 | Metro FM | 4 372 000 |
| 4 | Lesedi FM | 3 196 000 |
| 5 | Thobela FM | 2 978 000 |
| 6 | Motsweding FM | 2 546 000 |
| 7 | Gagasi FM | 1 394 000 |
| 8 | RSG | 1 170 000 |
| 9 | Jacaranda FM | 1 079 000 |
| 10 | Ligwalagwala FM | 1 074 000 |
Top 5 community radio stations
Jozi FM continues to lead as the largest community radio station in the country with almost 600 000 listeners. It is followed by Mthatha-based Unitra which enjoys an audience of 241 000.
| Station | Audience | |
| 1 | Jozi FM | 595 000 |
| 2 | Unitra (UCR-FM) | 241 000 |
| 3 | Radio Zibonele | 207 000 |
| 4 | Kasie | 204 000 |
| 5 | Vukani | 184 000 |
Diary on diary increases
Just more than half of the 39 PBS and commercial stations have recorded audience increases in this release. Lotus FM and Eastern Cape’s youthful radio station, trufm have experienced the biggest diary on diary increases with 29.29% and 26.22% respectively.
The Western Cape, one of the most competitive radio markets in the country, has seen four of its six commercial radio stations gain audiences in this release; with Primedia Broadcasting’s music station, KFM breaking the 900 000 listener mark. The station has shown steady growth in the last few releases, and if the station manages to maintain its average upward audience increase it may well hit the 1 million listener mark in the August ’19 release.
| Station | Feb ’19 | May ’19 | Increase |
| Ukhozi FM | 7 518 000 | 7 670 000 | 2.02% |
| Umhlobo Wenene FM | 5 216 000 | 5 409 000 | 3.70% |
| Metro FM | 4 176 000 | 4 372 000 | 4.69% |
| Lesedi FM | 3 124 000 | 3 196 000 | 2.30% |
| Thobela FM | 2 812 000 | 2 978 000 | 5.90% |
| Motsweding FM | 2 410 000 | 2 546 000 | 5.64% |
| Jacaranda FM | 1 004 000 | 1 079 000 | 7.47% |
| KFM | 869 000 | 944 000 | 8.63% |
| 947 | 923 000 | 942 000 | 2.05% |
| YFM | 624 000 | 676 000 | 8.33% |
| 5FM | 632 000 | 674 000 | 6.65% |
| Radio 2000 | 577 000 | 671 000 | 16.29% |
| Good Hope FM | 580 000 | 628 000 | 8.27% |
| Algoa FM | 416 000 | 435 000 | 4.56% |
| Smile 90.4FM | 198 000 | 212 000 | 7.07% |
| trufm | 164 000 | 207 000 | 26.22% |
| North West FM | 179 000 | 191 000 | 6.70% |
| Lotus FM | 140 000 | 181 000 | 29.29% |
| SAfm | 157 000 | 174 000 | 10.82% |
| Power 98.7 | 109 000 | 113 000 | 3.67% |
| CapeTalk | 66 000 | 68 000 | 3.03% |
Four consecutive diary on diary increases
Five stations have shown consistent growth in audiences in the last four releases.
| Station | Aug ’18 | Nov ’18 | Feb ’19 | May ’19 |
| Ukhozi FM | 7 504 000 | 7 603 000 | 7 518 000 | 7 670 000 |
| Thobela FM | 2 643 000 | 2 672 000 | 2 812 000 | 2 978 000 |
| Radio 2000 | 393 000 | 465 000 | 577 000 | 671 000 |
| Good Hope FM | 441 000 | 487 000 | 580 000 | 628 000 |
| North West FM | 137 000 | 146 000 | 179 000 | 191 000 |
Year on year increases
Radio 2000 has raked in 229 000 more listeners between the May ’18 and May ’19 releases. The station had a number of line-up changes in 2018 including the introduction of veteran sportscaster Robert Marawa to its line-up.
Cape Town’s Good Hope FM and KFM have also made significant year on year gains in audiences of 28.16% and 19.95% respectively.
| Station | May ’18 | May ’19 | Increase |
| Ukhozi FM | 7 304 000 | 7 610 000 | 5.01% |
| Metro FM | 4 189 000 | 4 372 000 | 4.37% |
| Lesedi FM | 3 077 000 | 3 196 000 | 3.87% |
| Thobela FM | 2 771 000 | 2 978 000 | 7.47% |
| Motsweding FM | 2 464 000 | 2 546 000 | 3.32% |
| Jacaranda FM | 954 000 | 1 079 000 | 13.10% |
| Munghana Lonene FM | 914 000 | 1 020 000 | 11.60% |
| KFM | 787 000 | 944 000 | 19.95% |
| Heart FM | 716 000 | 768 000 | 7.27% |
| 5FM | 645 000 | 674 000 | 4.50% |
| YFM | 610 000 | 676 000 | 10.82% |
| Good Hope FM | 490 000 | 628 000 | 28.16% |
| Radio 2000 | 442 000 | 671 000 | 51.80% |
| Smile 90.4FM | 192 000 | 212 000 | 10.41% |
| OFM | 186 000 | 215 000 | 15.59% |
| trufm | 184 000 | 207 000 | 12.50% |
| North West FM | 169 000 | 191 000 | 13.02% |
| Power 98.7 | 107 000 | 113 000 | 5.61% |
Listener loyalty
Listener loyalty remains relatively stable, with 67% of respondents only listening to one station. The SABC’s Limpopo PBS radio stations Phalaphala, Munghana Lonene and Thobela FM continue to command the highest listener loyalty in the country.
| Station | Feb ’19 release | May ’19 release |
| Phalaphala | 86 | 87 |
| Munghana Lonene | 80 | 81 |
| Thobela FM | 78 | 78 |
| Umhlobo Wenene FM | 60 | 60 |
| Ukhozi FM | 57 | 59 |
| OFM | 57 | 59 |
Time spent listening
The average time spent listening (TSL) to radio remains unchanged at 3h36 when compared to the previous release. Phalaphala FM continues to enjoy the highest TSL at 3h24.
| Station | Feb ’18 | May ’19 |
| Phalaphala FM | 3h42 | 3h24 |
| Ukhozi FM | 3h12 | 3h18 |
| Umhlobo Wenene FM | 3h12 | 3h18 |
| Munghana FM | 3h12 | 3h18 |
| Lesedi FM | 2h54 | 3h00 |
| RSG | 3h00 | 3h00 |
The next RAM release will be in August 2019.
Lwazi Mpofu is the 2017 Liberty Radio Awards Bright Star Recipient and a Radio Production Lecturer at NEMISA. He is currently reading for a Masters Degree in Communication Science at UNISA, he is also an emerging researcher in the fields of media policy and the development of radio in SA.
