NELSPRUIT – Loyal listeners of the only regional radio station for Mpumalanga will again be able to hear the familiar voices of their favourite presenters from March 1.
This will, however, come about under a new name and brand identity for the station. “When listeners tune in to the 94.3 frequency on that day, it will be familiar, yet we will have incorporated a couple subtle changes,” explained the newly appointed acting managing director, Mr Tony Mallam of Times Media Group (TMG), the company that recently aquired 65 per cent of the shares in M-Power Radio (Pty) Ltd.
Local shareholders, Mbombela Media Consortium, still holds 17 per cent of the shares with Direng and AME in possession of the remaining 18 per cent.
It is the first acquisition of a South African radio station for TMG, which announced its intentions to expand into broadcasting and digital media a few months ago. TMG is the publisher of Business Day, Financial Mail and the TM Media division publishes well-known brands including Sunday Times, The Times, Sowetan, Sunday World, Daily Dispatch, The Herald, Business Class, and SA Home Owner. The group owns Business Day TV and not long ago bought a significant stake in Multi Media Ghana, a radio and television business.
According to Mallam, TGM had already provided R6 million toward the payment of outstanding salaries and priority creditors. A total of R12 million will be utilised toward a turnaround strategy for the station, implemented over the next two to three years.
Mallam met with station employees, the 17 that remained after Sentech cut the broadcast signal four months ago, on Wednesday. During this meeting, the vision and strategy for the station was communicated and according to the staff, they were satisfied with what they heard.
“We are excited,” said presenter Sascha van der Westhuizem, who added that the prospect of being back on air again in three months is like a dream come true. More appointments will need to be made fairly quickly, Mallam said, to bring the complement up to the 30s again.
Apart from a change of name and brand, programming will also experience a few changes. He stated, “Our aim is to become a large media player in the province,” and to achieve this, station management will adjust programmes, and tweak the product to reach a wider market.
The target audience for the adjusted playlists and programmes is “middle-class and sophisticated”, as he describes it. “Very simply, our broad vision is to give Mpumulanga a station people can call their own, that instils a sense of pride and appeals to the broad audience of the province, while at the same time providing a solid platform for local and national advertisers,” said Mallam when explaining the measured approach he would use as part of the turnaround strategy.
The mood at the station offices at Riverside Park is notably lighter than a couple of months ago and people are ready to work through December if need be, says Van der Westhuizen and eMalahleni-based presenter, Shaun Lukhele.
See the video message from Sascha van der Westhuizen and Shaun Lukhele:
