In a world where information moves quickly and attention is scattered, radio continues to hold something rare: trust.
This trust is not built through algorithms or automation. It comes from tone, consistency and care. It is built by people who show up each day with purpose, and by listeners who return because they believe in the voices they hear.
Radio may not always dominate the media conversation, but it remains a constant and accountable presence in our lives. It listens, it reflects and it acts. And when things go wrong, radio is still the medium people turn to.
I have spent my career in radio, working across newsrooms, in various leadership roles, and, more recently, in podcasting and on-demand content. Through all the changes in format and technology, one thing has stayed the same: the depth of trust listeners place in radio that consistently shows up for them.
A simple request
In 2016, during a severe drought in KwaZulu-Natal, East Coast Radio made a simple request. The station asked listeners to bring sealed bottles of water to help communities ravaged by drought. We expected a modest response. Instead, the station’s parking area filled within hours.
People drove long distances. Children used their pocket money to buy bottled water. Schools and companies delivered truckloads. Traffic backed up outside the building, and a marquee had to be set up to protect the growing piles of water from the sun.
In total, more than one million litres were collected in just a few days. The station partnered with Gift of the Givers to ensure safe and fair distribution. It was an extraordinary moment that demonstrated the station’s strong trust among listeners, which is why the call for help was heard and acted upon so quickly.
Rallying support in a crisis
When floods struck the province in 2021, the station once again mobilised within hours. After a deadly tornado hit Tongaat in mid-2024, East Coast Radio broadcast live from the community to raise awareness and rally support. These responses were instinctive and human. People acted because they trusted what they were hearing and because radio moved first.
At Jacaranda FM, trust has been built over time through a series of consistent community initiatives. One of the most recognisable is Good Morning Angels, which celebrates its twentieth year in 2025. Since its first broadcast in 2005, the feature has grown from a weekly moment of kindness into one of the most respected community upliftment programmes in South African media.
Over two decades, more than R120 million has been raised and distributed to people and causes across the country.
In 2024 alone, Good Morning Angels raised over R14.8 million. That support reached 46 organisations, 41 families, and more than 3,700 children. Listeners contributed because they trusted that the station would use their generosity wisely.
Each request goes through a careful, transparent process so that listeners know their support is handled responsibly. It is a form of trust that takes years to earn and is reinforced each week when listeners see their help making a difference.
Human connection changes lives
Among the many stories shared, one stands out. A young student who once collected recycling to fund his studies was about to lose his chance to graduate because of unpaid fees. He reached out to Good Morning Angels, and listeners stepped up with support that cleared his outstanding fees, paid his following year of tuition, and provided enough for essential costs so he could continue his studies.
Today he works as a centre manager in his hometown. His experience is one example of how credibility, generosity, and human connection can change a life.
Trust does not arrive in a single moment. It is built through repeated acts of care, fairness, and transparency. Every time a station follows through, tells the truth, or responds with compassion, it strengthens that connection. When listeners give their time, money, or support, they are drawing on the steady reserve of confidence created through many small interactions over many years.
Authentic relationships
The success of initiatives like these is not about airtime or scale. It is about the authenticity of the relationship between the station and its audience. People give because they know they can trust the station. They know their help will make a real difference. They know the work is done with care and integrity.
Because trust accumulates slowly, stations have a responsibility to protect it with care and discipline.
While platforms evolve, radio’s core strength has stayed the same. It remains a live, local, and human-centred medium that builds real relationships with its audiences. Even as we extend our storytelling through podcasts and digital platforms, that human connection is still what holds everything together.
Radio as an anchor
Research supports what many of us already know through experience. The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 found that radio remains one of the most trusted forms of media globally, ranking higher than most online-only sources. In South Africa, where trust in institutions often falters and economic pressure is constant, the consistency of radio provides reassurance. It is an anchor.
At Kagiso Media Radio, which includes East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM, trust is seen as the foundation for everything else. The two stations operate independently and serve different audiences, yet both share a commitment to honesty, accountability, and community connection. Trust is not a by-product of what we do. It is the reason we exist.
When people are asked to give, whether it is R50, a bottle of water, or a message of support, and they respond, it reveals something important. Radio is not background noise. It is a companion, a connector, and a place where people feel safe enough to listen and moved enough to act.
The work of building and maintaining trust is not quick or showy. It happens quietly, through the daily act of showing up, telling the truth and keeping promises. This is why radio continues to matter.
Diane Macpherson heads up on-demand content at Kagiso Media Radio, where she leads podcast and digital audio strategy for East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM. She built her career in radio news and spent many years in newsroom leadership before expanding into long-form audio and on-demand storytelling. Her love for radio has carried through every chapter of her career and now fuels her work in the podcast space, where she focuses on audience-first ideas, trusted storytelling and audio that feels alive in people’s daily lives.
