Lotus FM works hard to undo damage done by Hlaudi Motsoeneng's 90% decree
Lotus FM, the SABC radio station that caters mainly to Indian listeners, has pulled out all the stops to win back listeners irked by the SABC’s local content quotas. The Durban-based radio station’s ratings and listenership tanked shortly after Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s decree that all public stations must play 90% local music. The change has had a devastating impact on Lotus FM, which has for decades played music by artists from the Indian subcontinent. In the four months since the decree took effect, the station has lost about a third of its listeners. Average daily listener numbers have fallen by 130,000 to 260,000. Advertisers have followed suit, saying their target market no longer listens to Lotus FM. Many listeners leaving the station have found a new home in privately owned radio stations like Radio Hindvani and Radio Islam, while others have gone to East Coast Radio. Now Lotus FM has embarked on a campaign to prevent a further slide in listenership. Its marketing team has booked ...
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