BY THE POWER OF FIVEBY THE

THE VOICE OFSouth Africa

POWER OF FIVEBY DONNIE RUST

www.littlegatepublishing.com

8 | Endeavour Magazine

To our South African audiences, 5FM requires little or no

introduction. Known as the very voice of entertainment in

the country nothing was popular or current until this station

confirmed it on air. Having firmly established themselves both on

the air as the source for entertainment, the latest news, views

and music they also established themselves through television

with some of the most enjoyably funning and engaging television

commercials in the world. Ahead of their time they were one of the

pioneering drives for the New South Africa entering into an age of

entertainment.

It would surprise many to know that, 5FM was formerly

known as “Radio 5”and developed from a commercial station, LM

Radio, operating from Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) in the

neighbouring country Mozambique.

“Radio 5 first went on the air on October 13, 1975 after

Mozambique gained its independence,” Station Manager Aisha

Mohammed explains, “The station was established with eight

medium wave transmitters, catering for the pop music audience

and the name indicated the SABC’s fifth radio channel at that time.”

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Re-branded “5FM” in 1992, which included a change to its

current logo: a red “5” and superscripted “FM” within a circle and

the words “The Power of” inscribed along the upper periphery of

the circle.

“Music is the heart of 5FM’s format,” Aisha points out,

“Supported by news, sports and traffic catering to a wide range of

tastes for a youthful market.”

This explains the massive impact that 5FM has on the youth and

culture of the nation, becoming the very choice on what becomes

popular in the nation’s music scene. In a country so in love with

music 5fm is perfectly positioned as a proudly South African radio

station with a national footprint, and a strong, loyal following.

“5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top

40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting

Corporation (SABC), South

Africa’s public broadcaster,”

Aisha tell us, “Headquartered in

Auckland Park, Johannesburg,

5FM broadcasts nationally

to a youth audience with the

communitive and engaging

payoff line “The Power of 5” our

vision is to inspire and Entertain

Youthful South Africans.”

As the entertainment

powerhouse for South African

youth 5FM offers the most

popular contemporary music

and entertainment and spends

all of its time plugged into

the pulse of global music

and content trends, thereby

offering audiences access and

opportunity to be part of the

energy and dynamism of the

fast changing youthful global

community.

Indeed, it is 5FM’s inclusive

youthful mindset, combined

with its passionate innovative

attitude that allows the station

to deliver an environment

where the diverse youth of

South Africa meet and amplify

their experiences.

“5FM is also the only national

platform that offers advertisers

access to the upwardly mobile

and trendsetting youth of South

Africa.” She points out.

While we only hear what

goes on during the show, a

10 | Endeavour Magazine

5fm is personality based radio and

key to our success is that we allow our presenters a lot more freedom on the air than most of our commercial competitors. The combination of a winning formula of good music, on-air personalities as well as great content works best for 5fm.”

radio station is a multi-layered business with every level

supported by another and a strong emphasis on team

work. With approximately fifty people working at 5FM to

bring out the daily show which South Africans have come

to rely upon the demands on every person within the

organization to constantly be on form increases tenfold.

“On air personalities have to adhere to the SABC

Editorial policy and the Broadcasting Commissions

Code of Conduct,” Aisha explains, “The Operational

team members have to follow the SABC’s policies

and procedures which include Governance and each

operational staff member is provided with a Personal

Development Plan which outlines training requirements.

This is then supplemented by Training, and Performance

is tracked with a KPA.”

She adds, “A very important metric for optimum

delivery and a performance based culture as well as

individualised job satisfaction is individual development

of each and every staff member.”

Another topic that has to be considered is the

enjoyment of the listeners. One must always remember

that South Africa is an incredibly complex society made

up of different cultures, beliefs, religions, races and

tastes. It surely must be a mammoth undertaking for one

station to satisfy all of the listeners and to attract more?

Aisha explains, “The station focuses on delivering a

quality on air product through a cutting edge CHR Top 40

Format, coupled with content that is relevant to a cutting

edge, cool, trendy, youthful audience.”

“5fm is Personality based radio and key to our success

is that we allow our presenters a lot more freedom on

the air than most of our commercial competitors. The

combination of a winning formula of good music, on-air

personalities as well as great content works best for 5fm.

We also utilise social media for maximum interaction

with an interactive audience. The station is also at the

forefront of eventing and live music experiences for a

youthful audience in South Africa.”

Aisha goes on to explain that the On Air personalities

require a reputation of being experienced, reputable,

credible and full of personality. They are all required to

utilise their profiles and personalities for maximum gain

Aisha Mohammed, Station Manager

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of 5FM’s formatMusic is the heart“ ”

and the station has a legacy of

employing big personalities who

are brands over and above their

time slots on air.

5fm’s strong positioning

as a CHR Top 40, Personality

based Radio station in South

Africa coupled with the strong

On Air offering provides for

the right mix of entertainment.

Constantly delivering the next

level of cool is a full time job and

the station has to remain ahead

of the curve and be ahead of

cutting edge global and music

trends.

“The station ensures

an incredible amount of

flexibility in its decisions and

in its management of big

personalities on the air which

has always been the case and

has made us the station we are

today.”