Marketing & Media News South Africa

Kaya FM appoints new MD

Finally, Kaya FM 95.9 has a new MD: Greg Maloka's appointment, effective 1 July 2008, was announced this morning, Wednesday 4 June, by the Kaya FM board. Former YFM fundi Maloka takes over from the previous MD, Charlene Deacon, who resigned in March 2008.
Kaya FM appoints new MD

Arthur Mashiatshidi, Kaya FM board chairman said: “Over the past two years, Kaya FM has demonstrated excellent sales and listener growth in an increasingly competitive environment. Greg Maloka's experience and ability to think and deliver ‘out of the box' will take the Kaya FM brand to even greater heights in terms of innovation, audience and sales growth. We wish him luck in his new position.”

Maloka was part of the visionary team that launched the groundbreaking Gauteng youth radio station YFM in 1997. While at YFM, Maloka successfully honed strategic approaches in positioning youth culture as a viable and lucrative market to advertisers.

“The Kaya FM audience is growing in numbers, changing psychographic makeup and upping the stakes in their expectations of being able to live the Kaya FM brand as a bona fide lifestyle choice. I look forward joining the team to further entrench the brand in the hearts and minds of our listeners, advertisers and strategic partners,” said Maloka.

Nine-year tenure

Over his nine-year tenure at YFM, Maloka worked in a number of positions, including programme director, sales and events manager and ultimately, GM of the station from 2003 - 2005. Highlights of his career at YFM include inspiring and creating major brand campaigns, including the award-winning Smirnoff Red. Maloka was also responsible for spearheading growth of kwaito and house music genres in southern Africa and beyond by providing a nurturing platform supported and endorsed by strategic partners in the industry.

Beyond radio, Maloka continued to explore and pioneer research intelligence within the youth market as a partner, shareholder and business development manager of global trends and insights agency, Instant Grass. He stays on as a non-executive director at Instant Grass.

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