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 SAfm is the SABC's national English language public radio station with its headquarters at Radio Park, Auckland Park, Johannesburg. It is almost 71 years-old, the same age of its 'owner'. It was first known as the "A Programme", becoming the English Service when the Afrikaans Service came into being a year later. In 1985 it changed its name again to Radio South Africa and, ten years later, to SAfm.
Up until 1995, it was known as a "full spectrum" radio station; news, information, music, art, drama, children's programmes, sport, etc
It was also the first station to introduce 'talk' format and current affairs programming (Radio Today etc). During the next 8 years, SAfm moved away from "full spectrum" broadcasting in favour of news and information, dropping drama and cutting back on music in favour of a live, 'talk show' format. Children & teenage programming had already been removed from the programme schedule at the birth of SAfm. However, in 2006, the broadcasting governing body, ICASA, instructed SAfm to re-introduce both drama and children's programming which it has done.
SAfm draws its audience from LSM's 7-10. It's core listeners fall into the age bracket 30-49 (519 000 with a peak of 730 000 in 2003). The station has also actively sought a 'diverse' audience (currently 61% black vs 39% white). |
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