Listenership
at the Bhisho-based trufm radio station has dropped by more than half, the worse figures in its recent history.The station has lost more than 200000 listeners in the past few years, leaving 174000.
This is just 9000 more than competitor Fort Hare community radio, said marketing manager Sbongi Ngcobo.
“Trufm, Mdantsane FM and Fort Hare all compete for the same audience in a very small coverage area,” she said.
Community radio licences granted in its radius have hurt the once popular youth station.
In BCM alone, the station fights for listeners with Mdantsane, Wild Coast, Izwi lethemba, Link fm and Kumkanifm.
A bit further afield are Vukani in Butterworth, Sunshine in Peddie and Lukhanji in Queenstown.
In a desperate bid trufm introduced Mbhaqanga (a genre of traditional music) and gospel.
The Mbhaqanga show Sigida ngengoma, hosted by Sithembele “DJ Mantofontofo” Thomas on Saturdays between 6am and 9am, has the highest listenership.
Trufm has also recruited former SABC continuity presenter Brian Ndevu, hoping he would rescue the troubled station.
“Brian Ndevu is a media personality, boasting stints on SABC1 and 3 as well as Top TV.
“When the station found out he had relocated to East London, it jumped at the opportunity of making him part of the trufm family.
“As a business, the station's objective is to grow listenership and revenue,” said Ngcobo.
However, Ndevu’s presence does not seem to have yielded a positive outcome as listener figures continue their plunge.
Trufm has not enjoyed a good reputation in recent years.
Poor management has been blamed for constant reshuffling of DJs and hiring of inexperienced DJs, which is seen to have lost the station many listeners to other stations.
But plunging listenership is not something new at the station – it lost 90000 listeners just five months after its extravagant relaunch in April 2008.
Before the relaunch it had a healthy listenership of 413000.
At the time the Dispatch quoted former presenter Thandi Ncanywa, who resigned from the station in 2001, saying trufm had failed to plan wisely when the station changed its target audience from an older one to the young, hip, urban market.
Trufm in battle to regain listeners
The station has lost more than 200000 listeners in the past few years, leaving 174000.
This is just 9000 more than competitor Fort Hare community radio, said marketing manager Sbongi Ngcobo.
“Trufm, Mdantsane FM and Fort Hare all compete for the same audience in a very small coverage area,” she said.
Community radio licences granted in its radius have hurt the once popular youth station.
In BCM alone, the station fights for listeners with Mdantsane, Wild Coast, Izwi lethemba, Link fm and Kumkanifm.
A bit further afield are Vukani in Butterworth, Sunshine in Peddie and Lukhanji in Queenstown.
In a desperate bid trufm introduced Mbhaqanga (a genre of traditional music) and gospel.
The Mbhaqanga show Sigida ngengoma, hosted by Sithembele “DJ Mantofontofo” Thomas on Saturdays between 6am and 9am, has the highest listenership.
Trufm has also recruited former SABC continuity presenter Brian Ndevu, hoping he would rescue the troubled station.
“Brian Ndevu is a media personality, boasting stints on SABC1 and 3 as well as Top TV.
“When the station found out he had relocated to East London, it jumped at the opportunity of making him part of the trufm family.
“As a business, the station's objective is to grow listenership and revenue,” said Ngcobo.
However, Ndevu’s presence does not seem to have yielded a positive outcome as listener figures continue their plunge.
Trufm has not enjoyed a good reputation in recent years.
Poor management has been blamed for constant reshuffling of DJs and hiring of inexperienced DJs, which is seen to have lost the station many listeners to other stations.
But plunging listenership is not something new at the station – it lost 90000 listeners just five months after its extravagant relaunch in April 2008.
Before the relaunch it had a healthy listenership of 413000.
At the time the Dispatch quoted former presenter Thandi Ncanywa, who resigned from the station in 2001, saying trufm had failed to plan wisely when the station changed its target audience from an older one to the young, hip, urban market.
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