The millennial era has evolved since radio started, now a days you find podcasting, online radio, audio streaming and many other platforms that have taken over the space of radio broadcasting.
Radio broadcasting is largely known as a mass communication and has maintained its relevance in the ever changing times, even after television captured the imagination of the people radio still thrived because it’s a live medium, current and relatively reports on breaking news as they happen.
South African History records radio broadcasting as a medium that began on the 18th December 1923 as an experimental broadcasting for music and later evolved to public, commercial and community radio stations.
According to My Broadband,”Radio remains firmly in place as the country’s most loved medium. Millions tune in daily to 40 commercial and public broadcast stations and over 250 community stations.”
Moving with the times, many radio stations including community radio have cemented themselves on the internet space by not only broadcasting live from airwaves but have live streaming, radio apps to keep the internet users tuning in.
As we all know load shedding has made things difficult and has affected everyone including advertisers on radio which is a main stream of income for some radio stations.
However, the CEO at MediaMark Wayne Bischoff shares with Bizcommunity that, “As we are forced to spend more time in traffic with traffic lights out, radio is the consistent commute-based companion. According to the latest Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) figures, listening to radio in the car and at work has seen an upward trend compared to the previous survey. The most popular listening device for audiences that listen to the Mediamark portfolio of radio stations (East Coast Radio, Jacaranda FM, and Kaya FM) is via the car radio, at 44%.”
Radio has been known for its intimate relationship with its listeners and has consistently noted to be the most current medium for broadcasting in all indigenous languages, trusted news source and charismatic hosts.
Bischoff, continues saying that “BRC RAMS Amplify highlights that the top reasons for audiences tuning in to radio include the music (95%), the local news (88%), the weather updates (87%) and the traffic updates (79%).
Despite challenges this medium proves to still be on the top list for the most trusted source of broadcasting.
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