In today’s digital media dominated world, radio news still holds an extremely important place in the lives of the South African consumer class.
The 2024 BrandMapp survey, which canvassed over 33 000 adults from households earning in excess of R10 000 per month (the consumer class), reveals that radio is the most trusted source of news and information among this cohort.
The consumer class get their news from several sources, and when asked where they get their news (i.e. what’s happening in the world), the primary source was “read free news online” (43%) and the next highest was “on the radio” (40%). TV news ranked third at 35% and beyond that were various social media platforms.
Trusted news media
In response to the survey question: “Which of the following news media do you trust?”, radio ranked the highest (44%), followed by television (43%). There was a marked drop to newspapers (33%), which ranked third in the trust stakes and then another substantial drop in the trustworthiness of online and social media.
“The trust factor is extremely important for radio stations and consumers alike,” says Lance Rothschild, general manager of Bulletin, an independent news content provider to radio stations. “Trust is a two-way relationship and It’s vital that stations ensure that the news content that they present is credible, reliable and consistent as this is a key factor in the relationship that listeners have with the station.”
News bulletins are “appointment listening” as well as “time-markers” for the audience. That is why programmers schedule news bulletins at the top of the hour, and headlines at the half-hour mark – it gives the listener a sense of place and timing in terms of their daily activities.
Compelling listening
This makes it critical for stations to ensure that they update and refresh their stories on an on-going basis as listeners want to hear more information, not constant repetition of the same stories.
News is not a one-size fits all option for stations. Just as stations select music content, interview topics and talk subjects, news content needs to be relevant, interesting, relatable and captivating for the listener. The selection of stories and the order in which the stories are presented can make a bulletin compelling listening, or just a time-filler.
The former ensures that the listener stays tuned in, whilst the latter has the listener reaching for the dial to find another station.
With the trust that listeners have in radio news and the ubiquity of access to radio across many platforms, radio news remains a critical source of information for many South Africans and ensures the vitality of radio in the country’s media landscape.
