| SAfm | |
| Airdate: | 1936 |
| Former Names: |
|
| Frequency: | 104–107 MHz FM[1] [2] |
| Area: | South Africa |
| Format: | News radio, talk radio |
| Owner: | SABC |
SAfm is a national, English-language public radio station in South Africa. It has been operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) since its founding in 1936.[3]
SAfm was the SABC's first radio station, and the country's first public radio station. From 1924 to 1936, the only radio service in South Africa was a privately owned station called JB, which broadcast to the cities of Johannesburg, Durban, and (later) Cape Town. An Act of Parliament in 1936 made official the conversion of JB into a public broadcaster.[4]
In its early days as a public radio service, the station was called the "A" Programme. When the SABC started an Afrikaans-language station in 1937, the two stations came to be called the English Service and the Afrikaans Service, respectively. In 1985 the English Service was renamed Radio South Africa; it has had its current name, SAfm, since 1995.[3] The SAfm studio is now in SABC Radio Park, in the Johannesburg suburb of Auckland Park.[5]
From 1995 to 2003, it gradually reduced the scope of its programming from a general, multi-genre format to a news and talk radio format. In 2006, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa required SAfm to re-add drama and children's radio programmes, and these are now among the station's offerings.[3] In 2012, SAfm was broadcasting 24 hours per day.
Most SAfm listeners are in age range of 35 to 49, and LSM groups 7–10.[3]
| 7-day ! | Average Monday–Friday | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2013 | 645,000 | 281,000 | |
| February 2013 | 566,000 | 263,000 | |
| December 2012 | 517,000 | 218,000 | |
| October 2012 | 516,000 | 218,000 | |
| August 2012 | 550,000 | 219,000 | |
| June 2012 | 540,000 | 221,000 |