Community radio station Energy FM, recently celebrated three years of broadcasting as it continues being the pulse of the city.
“When it started, there was no listenership but now it’s a different matter altogether,” says the founding Managing Director of Energy FM, Shonisani Muleya popularly known as Ashifa Shabba.
This information is backed by the August 2017 radio listenership measurement results released by the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), which listed Energy FM as the most lis- tened to community radio station in the Capricorn District.
Muleya, who co-hosts the Ashifa Breakfast with Bothwel ‘BK’ Matewe and Mpho Maumela be- tween 6AM and 9AM, Monday to Friday, told Pride News that the BRCSA results are a confirmation that they resonate with their tar- get audience.
He says all the success has been brought about by having the best on-air team, the hard work- ing marketing and branding team and the loyal listeners who continue to support the brand.
Energy FM now has a sister station called Choice FM which broadcasts from Thohoyandou in the Vhembe District and parts of Mopani District Municipalities.
Muleya says they share some programmes of common interest for the benefit of the listeners. “The syndication has benefited Choice FM and helped to boost its listenership figures to be the number one community radio station in the Thulamela local Municipality.”
Muleya has also welcomed the new kid on the block, Vhembe FM which recently went on-air, “We have our own target audience and the same applies to Vhembe FM. However, we would like to wel- come them to the market because it gives the audience a choice of stations to listen to, thereby providing a diversity of sounds and products.”
He says in Thulamela, Choice FM still occupies the number one spot and they will continue to deliver quality radio that does not alienate their constituency.
