Credibility and collaboration key to radio's future success

Radio continues to appeal to South African listeners and marketers alike because of its cost-effectiveness, credibility and the massive audience that the medium continues to enjoy – 100 years later. This is according to former SABC Public Service Radio General Manager, Zoli Mapipa, speaking at a World Radio Day discussion hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) on 13 February 2024. Mapipa was joined by the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Dr. Sisanda Nkoala, in leading the conversation.

“We need, as radio [industry practitioners], to keep this credibility that has been built over the years. Radio started about 100 years ago and democracy [in South Africa] only began 30 years ago. Throughout this time, the medium has always been trustworthy, and we need to appreciate the legacy that has been left behind because people still believe in us,” said Mapipa.  

Mapipa added that institutions such as the BCCSA ensure that radio remains trusted as a source of information. Despite the emergence of various digital marketing platforms that target consumers directly, radio’s ubiquity and audience numbers keep the medium relevant to marketers, said Mapipa.

“Advertisers will still need those large numbers that radio has. Our audiences can listen to us on cell phones, television, you name it. We [radio broadcasters] also need to make sure that we do not put advertising in a small corner as it informs people in terms of products, brands and services that are out there so that people can make informed decisions in their purchasing.”

Dr. Nkoala shared highlights of a two-volume book series she co-edited on 100 years of radio in South Africa. “Radio in South Africa initially excluded the majority of citizens”, said Nkoala.

“When radio first arrived in South Africa, it was not meant to include broadcasts in indigenous languages. It was only as part of efforts to gain the support of the black majority during the Second World War that black people were even thought of as a possible audience by the apartheid regime,” said the UWC academic.

“But once the medium was opened up to indigenous language speakers through the first isiZulu broadcast in 1941 in Durban, they [black South Africans] found a way to use their voice in a society that would have otherwise silenced them,” she added.

Nkoala concluded by stressing the importance of collaboration between academia and the radio industry in ensuring the sector’s sustainability.

“We celebrate these milestones because they allow us as radio practitioners and radio scholars, to reflect together. We as academics bring our theoretical strengths, while the industry brings the practice aspect and together as we think about where radio should go in the next century, we can come up with more meaningful propositions rather than working in silos.”