Finally, a youth radio station for Eastern Cape

truFM is a public broadcast service radio station broadcasting in English and Xhosa, using colloquial, hip and buoyant language to communicate to the Eastern Cape youth. The DJs' lineup includes co-presenter of SABC1 Live, Andile Ncube. Whereas CKI FM had the reputation of being a gospel station, the offering has now been changed to full spectrum programming, including news and music.

According to the spokesperson for the SABC, Kaizer Kganyago, “market research has revealed that the youth in the Eastern Cape are underserved as they do not have their own medium for entertainment, education and information. truFm aims to meet their frustrations head-on by providing programming that replaces the sense of being isolated.

Peer-to-peer approach

“The station has a peer-to peer-approach. It is vital that the youth in this province should feel that they are on par with the youth in the rest of the world. We want to provide something for the youth within the broadcast that they will jolt them to action and pursue their dreams.”

Explaining the need to phase out CKI FM, Kganyago said, “CKI - which stands for Ciskei, the one of the former homelands, resembled the past and lead to a lot of people enquiring about its relevance in the new South Africa. People had a bad perception of CKI, hence there was a need to phase it out into something more relevant.”

The State Broadcasting Re-organisation Act 91 of 1996 provides for the closure of broadcasting services from the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei.

In 1998, the former Radio Transkei was merged with Umhlobo Wenene, and this left CKI as the only station remaining from the former homelands.

“This reality is a long overdue project; we needed to change the name and identity as the older people identified with it since it was Ciskei which is no more. The new name resonates well with the youth which it serves,” explained Kganyago.

Tapping into Generation Y

The station has been fully integrated into the SABC, with departments transformed into units that are accountable service providers, each with their own managers: SABC Education, SABC Sports, SABC News and Radio Broadcast Facilities.

Comments Bizcommunity.com's marketing analyst Chris Moerdyk, “One of the most difficult markets to tap into is the 16 - 24 markets with the advent of social media networks such as MXiT. Research shows that this market is creating their own networks and news networks.

‘I am sure the SABC did proper homework in this regard to establish a need for the radio station before launching it. This target market might not necessarily have cellphones and be underserved, which is a good idea to aim for them. But, because this is an audience that advertisers cannot make money from, as it does not have buying power, the station wouldn't survive as a commercial; a PBS stands a good chance of doing well.”