The latest radio trends reveal that the old medium is still relied on, with South Africa’s Metro FM seeing a rise in the recently released listenership trends of the First Quarter of 2023.
The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa Radio Audience Measurement (BRC RAM) is a multiplatform and intuitive survey that is respondent-friendly across all walks of South African life.
This tool collects the most accurate data through a seven-day diary across geographies, locations, languages, and socio-economic landscapes.
According to the report, Metro FM has dethroned UMhlobo Wenene FM as the second most listened-to commercial radio station after Ukhozi FM, which remains the leader in the space.
Half of the Metro FM audience resides in Gauteng (49%), mainly in metro areas (67%), and the station has primarily black listeners (91%), with 67% listeners between the ages of 25-49 years old.
Jacaranda FM, stationed 11th on the rankings, has the most racially diverse audience, mainly Black (51%) and White (42%) listeners. The station’s primary audience resides in Gauteng (62%) but also attracts audiences from neighbouring provinces, Mpumalanga (16%) and North West (11%).
With the likes of Podcast and Chill, with MacG sitting with just below a million subscribers and seasoned broadcasters such as DJ Fresh also getting into podcasting – these numbers aren’t surprising.
However, DSTV’s MultiChoice and Openview subscription TV likes have remained stagnant. One would’ve expected a decrease there, too, given that several people are subscribed to streaming platforms such as Netflix. But the tyranny that subscription TV has on sports makes it difficult for many people to cut ties.
The stats reveal much about what content works for which age and gender. It’s not astonishing that the older generation is more drawn to classic radio such as Radio 2000, SAfm or 702. But the older generation’s apprehension about entering competitions is somewhat surprising.
