Metro FM is a national commercial
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
owned by the
South African Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts on FM Stereo as well as the
DStv Bouquet Channel 801.
Telephone :
History
The station started broadcasting in October, 1986 as Radio Metro to compete with the now defunct Radio Bop. Playing a mix of urban contemporary and
bubblegum pop Radio Bop was able to reach black audiences in parts of the
Transvaal by broadcasting on the AM band from the "independent"
bantustan
A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...
of
Bophuthatswana
Bophuthatswana (, ), officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana (; ), and colloquially referred to as the Bop and by outsiders as Jigsawland (In reference to its enclave-ridden borders) was a Bantustan (also known as "Homeland", an area set asid ...
where it was licensed. This prompted the SABC's then white management to launch Radio Metro which was put on air in about six months, from the planning stages.
The station launched the careers of a number of radio celebrities including,
Bob Mabena,
Shado Twala,
Treasure Tshabalala and Lawrence Dube.
Over the years the station has had a number of competitors, including in the very competitive Johannesburg radio market where two stations,
Kaya FM and
YFM, launched in mid/late 1990s have taken away some audience from Metro FM.
Metro sponsors the Metro FM Music Awards,
the
2016 edition being the 15th. Known as Mabhena FM.
Broadcast time
*24/7
Listenership figures
References
External links
Metro FM Website
Radio stations in South Africa
Radio stations established in 1986
1986 establishments in South Africa
Radio stations in Johannesburg
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