OFM extends reach, wins award

Currently, the station is broadcasting two weekend shows from the new studio - Yolanda Maartens on Saturday afternoons and Paul Freathy's Gold Retold on Sundays. The station foresees that it might start presenting a weekday show.

The expansion was recognised as necessary to reach into the North West and the Vaal Triangle to be more accessible to its clients and listeners in the northern part of its broadcasting footprint. In 2005, it opened an office in Potchefstroom, moving to bigger premises at the Mooirivier Mall in 2007.

On Friday, 2 October 2009, the first crossings were done from the new studio. According to Jan van der Walt, OFM's technical manager, “The new studio is equipped with state-of-the-art IP audio technology and can easily compete with the best radio studios in the country. This technology made the installation of the studio easier as the cabling is less than half of a typical analogue studio. The studio will be able to feed the entire OFM network.”

The studio also acts as a backup studio for the main studio in Bloemfontein.

Award for Facebook promo

A panel of both local and international judges judged the annual South African Excellence awards on Friday, 16 October 2009 and the creative production team of OFM won the Best In-House Radio Promo award for their OFM Facebook promotions. The team developed a character that not only fulfilled its needs, but also used elements unique to the OFM broadcasting region that would resonate with the audience both on a humorous and emotional level.

“The promo campaign has proved to be incredibly successful. We immediately saw the impact in the growth on the fan page as well as interactions on the platform. The campaign highlights the synergy, which is possible between the intimate medium of radio and the expanding digital platform,” says programme manager Tim Zunckel.