By Charles Lee Mathews. Winning South African radio stations no longer sell spots. They sell verified, targetable audio inventory backed by first-party data. Instead of relying on retrospective measurement, stations are now able to use real-time data to guide how they operate. As technology and data change the very face of radio, the real value lies in how they are applied.
“There is definite progress in how stations use data to understand how many people are listening, but far fewer are interrogating why they are listening. That gap remains the most important one to bridge. The best use of data is when it strengthens creative decisions rather than attempting to replace them,” says Grant Nash, radio broadcaster, media academic, and head judge for the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards.
Radio is alive, well, and data-driven
At Gagasi FM, the data makeover has changed how the station operates. “The biggest behavioural shift is not that people are listening less to the radio, but that they are listening differently. In fact, our first-party data shows that our audience spends more than 3 hours per day listening to Gagasi FM. Listening is, however, more fragmented than ever before, with a share of attention spread across linear listening and digital platforms,” Mimi Kesaris, head of consumer insights and technology at Gagasi FM, says.
With 270,000-plus app downloads and over 153,000 registered profiles, Gagasi FM’s audience no longer experiences the brand solely through FM. “They move effortlessly between terrestrial radio, app-based live streaming, web streaming, on-demand podcasts, and social and video content,” says Kesaris.
The technology alone isn’t enough. Nash warns that adoption without purpose delivers no value. “Some stations are doing this well. Others are adopting tools without any clear link to audience insight or content excellence. Data enhances the medium only when it deepens understanding of listener behaviour and supports storytelling, rather than acting as a technological layer without purpose.”
The value of first-party data
The measurement vacuum created by the Radio Audience Measurement Survey (RAMS) transition has increased the value of first-party data for stations that have it. Advertisers are responding with their wallets. South Africa’s industry-standard measurement tool for over two decades, RAMS ceased operations in 2023 amid disputes over methodology and commercial viability.
That gap left broadcasters without a universally accepted currency for audience claims, forcing advertisers to rely on inconsistent station-specific data or simply reduce radio spending. The industry has since been transitioning to the Audio Measurement Standard (AMS), which promises better digital integration and real-time reporting capabilities. But the months-long rollout has created market uncertainty. Stations with first-party datasets are suddenly invaluable to advertisers seeking verifiable reach and engagement metrics during this transition.
“The station sees low double-digit CPM premiums for integrated audio and digital solutions where linear spots, app inventory, web placement, and social distribution are packaged and measured as a unified campaign,” Kesaris says.
Premium pricing stems from three factors that stations can now demonstrate. “Advertisers are willing to pay more where we can show they are reaching the right consumer at scale, in the right context — locally relevant, trusted content — and with measurable outcomes beyond spots and dots,” says Kesaris.
Audience-quality metrics
Globally, programmatic audio is expanding rapidly, with advertisers paying premiums for verified, targetable digital audio inventory. “In South Africa, the absence — and now transition — of RAMS has created a measurement vacuum, intensifying the value of first-party data,” Kesaris says.
Gagasi FM’s advertiser-facing tools include omnichannel reporting that tracks impressions, dwell time, listens, views, click-throughs, and conversions across digital touchpoints in real time. Attribution indicators demonstrate pre- and post uplift, website and app traffic flows, and enquiry and registration spikes. “A recent insurance campaign, for example, evaluated SMS and website click-throughs as core KPIs,” he says.
But radio’s defining characteristics — immediacy, intimacy, and communal power — can feel at odds with algorithmic targeting. How should stations navigate this tension?
Algorithms and community
“The tension is real, but many stations manage it well because radio’s greatest strength remains its live and real nature. Listeners still respond to immediacy, shared experience, and human presence,” Nash says.
The balance requires clear boundaries. “The strongest examples show stations using data as a guide without allowing it to flatten personality or spontaneity. Algorithmic tools can assist with timing, optimisation, and segmentation, but the core of radio’s connection still comes from people who understand audiences through lived intuition and craft,” he adds.
“There are encouraging signs of coherence, particularly where stations approach themselves as audio brands that move confidently across multiple platforms. Some have achieved a seamless journey between live listening, on-demand podcast episodes, visual radio interactions, and app-based extensions,” Nash says.
But integration remains uneven. “Others are still experimenting in separate silos, where podcasting, digital execution, and radio broadcasting function as three different teams rather than one content ecosystem. The sector is moving in the right direction, but integration is not yet universal,” says Nash.
The holy grail — a single view of the customer
One of media’s toughest challenges is integrating different datasets to build a single customer view. According to research that Kesaris cites, fewer than 30 per cent of companies have successfully implemented this capability.
Gagasi FM is working to unify fragmented data. “Gagasi FM uses integrated dashboards spanning streaming sessions, app behaviour, website analytics, and social engagement. These dashboards identify spikes in listening, scroll behaviour, drop-offs, and platform cross-overs,” Kesaris says.
The insights inform programming decisions. “Programmers feed these insights back into music rotations, topic choices, clock and segment placement, and show structure,” he adds.
The strategic framework positions linear and digital as complementary rather than competitive. “Linear FM provides immediacy, connection, and community. Digital platforms provide replay, catch-up, deeper context, and extended life for show features. When digital metrics indicate high on-demand performance, we strategically amplify those content types and cross-promote them on-air for maximum ecosystem retention,” Kesaris says.
“Gagasi FM is actively assembling this capability by unifying app registration and usage data, web and social analytics, Insights Community psychographics, and engagement data — WhatsApp, social, competitions, events, calls,” Kesaris explains.
Data future-proofs radio
Radio faces intensifying competition from Spotify, YouTube, and social audio platforms. Its survival depends on protecting what makes it unique, while evolving how it delivers content. “Radio needs to continue developing platforms where listeners can move naturally between live moments, podcast episodes, visual content, and app-based engagement. It also needs to protect the qualities that make it unique: trust, storytelling, and community,” Nash says.
Trust is a critical differentiator. “Research continues to show that radio is one of the most trusted media sources in an environment filled with false information, and that trust is a powerful differentiator,” says Nash.
The medium’s current health in South Africa contradicts obituaries. “Radio is not a nostalgic medium. In South Africa, it remains a thriving one with millions of daily listeners. Its future strength will come from reflecting the lived experiences of its communities while delivering memorable audio that succeeds across any platform,” Nash says.
Charles Lee Mathews is a senior editor to MarkLives MEDIA and a senior writer to MarkLives.com, as well as co-founder of The Writers, a writing consultancy.
