media update’s Adam Wakefield spoke to Phakamani Mkhwanazi, programme manager at Radio Kwezi in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, and Kudzayi Tiribabi, programme manager at Gauteng’s Midrand-based Mix 93.8 FM, to find out what community radio is all about.

Commercial radio’s listenership in South Africa numbers in the tens of millions. However, it might surprise many to know community radio stations such as UCR-FM in the Eastern Cape, Jozi FM in Gauteng, Radio Tygerberg in the Western Cape, and Star FM in the North West each boast over 160 000 listeners.

This is according to the latest research published by the Broadcasting Research Council, which says this is more listeners than well-known stations such as SAfm, Power 98.7, and CapeTalk.

What separates community from commercial radio

The reason commercial and community radio are dealt with as separate categories begins with the way they are owned. According to Mkhwanazi, commercial radio is privately owned, while community stations derive their ownership from members of the community and serve the interest of that designated niche market.

“Commercial radio’s main goal is to make profit through adverts or commercials. Community radio’s priority, although it does have advertising, is to develop, inform, and uplift the community through content-based programmes,” he says.

Commercial radio also employs presenters and producers who have often cut their teeth at peer or community stations, meaning they are fed by ready-made talent on a frequent basis. Community radio, on the other hand, develops its talent from scratch more often than not.

Lastly, while commercial stations are often not easily accessible, with their studios being distributed across major cities, community stations, especially in small towns, are far more easily accessible to the community. 

A community station’s license conditions include a pre-defined ratio of content versus music, such as 70/30, championing the interests of the community the station serves, prioritising local talent, and focusing on local news, events, and topics relevant to its audience.

The importance of talent and listener participation

With a community radio station’s mandate being squarely aimed at serving those in its surrounds, feedback is of the utmost importance to the likes of Mkhwanazi and Tiribabi.

“We get feedback mainly through listener participation in our programmes. They phone us, send SMSs, and send us letters or comments on our social media platforms,” Mkhwanazi says.

Tiribabi says Mix 93.8 FM has taken listener participation to the next level, using the Upinion app to collect data and research, and getting feedback via an SMS line, phone, and, most recently, via WhatsApp.

Both Tiribabi and Mkhwanazi place a premium on getting local talent involved at their stations, but that does not mean there are not opportunities for those living beyond their reach.

Mkhwanazi says, “Even though Radio Kwezi prioritises people who are living within our area of broadcast, we don’t limit ourselves when recruiting new presenters and producers.”

Tiribabi says all of their current permanent staff started as interns, with Mix 93.8 FM placing great value in internships.

“We provide a training ground for youngsters wanting to break into the radio world. We link these up with the guys who have been around,” he says, with one such intern recently moving from Durban to start at the station.

The challenges of running a community radio station

Commercial radio stations, by their very nature, are structured as for-profit enterprises, with their large footprints enabling them to charge advertisers equitable sums for time on air. In comparison, community radio, according to Tiribabi, is regularly challenged by the questions of income and expenditure.

“Some of the challenges of community radio stations are lack of access to infrastructure, funding, experience, and ad sales,” Tiribabi explains.

“Many advertisers have no confidence in community radio stations, but this is beginning to change. Over the years, more and more advertisers are beginning to spend on community radio and, in some instances, even dumping the well-known commercial stations.”

Mkhwanazi says sustaining consistent ad revenue is a constant challenge, as is staying relevant with new stations appearing and tapping into similar listener bases.

Community radio gives a voice to the voiceless

However, even among these challenges, Mkhwanazi says the positive impact community radio can make among its audiences is tremendously rewarding. Community radio shapes the lives of its audience, both physically and spiritually, through informative and educational programmes.

Furthermore, the role community radio plays in producing presenters and professionals who later work in commercial radio, and at other community stations, cannot be underestimated.

“Community radio prioritises the interests of local people who are in under-developed areas and are neglected,” Mkhwanazi says.

“The role of community radio is to make their voice heard.”

Tiribabi says radio, as a whole, has an important role to play in South Africa, which is to change people’s lives for the better.

“I love how South Africa came together recently in assisting all the people in need in Knysna, which was partly because of radio. At Mix 93.8 FM, we made a call to our listeners to assist, and the response was heart-warming,” he says.

“For over 10 days, each day, a truck was going down to Knysna. Our corporate clients came through for us and even donated a fire truck worth R5-million. That’s exactly what radio is supposed to do.”

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Radio plays an important role in South Africa, and becoming a radio presenter takes hard work and determination. Read more in our article, Three tips to becoming a presenter.