Yarona FM is an urban broadcaster targeting young adults. The

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

station is a private commercial entity that has existed since 1999. It is regulated by BOCRA and attracts a unique weekly audience of 250,000.

History

The radio station started its 24-hour broadcast on August 22, 1999, the first independent radio station in the country,"Botswana TV delayed until 2000", ''Africa Film & TV Magazine'', nº. 22, September-October 1999 and at first was primarily a local broadcaster within

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...

(the capital city of

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

) covering a radius of 50 km from its central transmitter. Until 2004 it was one of the only two licensed private radio stations in the country. In June 2007 the station was offered a national broadcast license by

Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority Botswana Communication Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) is a government agency founded under the Communications Regulatory Authority Act, 2012 (CRA Act) on the 1st of April 2013. BOCRA is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunic ...

and began a national rollout covering Botswana's major centres:

Lobatse Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...

Mahalapye Mahalapye is a town located in the Central District of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory pa ...

Serowe Serowe (population approximately 60,000) is an urban village in Botswana's Botswana Central District, Central District. A trade and commercial centre, it is Botswana's third largest village. Serowe has played an important role in Botswana's histor ...

Palapye Palapye is a growing town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone ( from Francistown and from Gaborone). Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–so ...

, Selibe Phikwe,

Francistown Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 inhabitants and 147,122 inhabitants in its agglomeration at the 2022 census. It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gabo ...

and Maun. For much of its history, its programming focus was on arts and culture, primarily consisting of programs devoted to RnB,

Hip Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

Motswako Motswako is a subgenre of hip hop originating from South Africa additionally prominently popularized in Botswana. Mafikeng, the genre's origin point, is located close to the border of Botswana, where Setswana (Tswana) is predominantly spoken simi ...

and

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

music.

Brand

From its conception, Yarona FM has identified itself with the "freshest" and newest songs, targeted towards Botswana's urban youth audience. Its initial tag lines were "Re tswhere vibe": setswana for "we've got the vibe" and "blazing GC's most rocking tunes". When the station went national in 2008, the tag line changed to "Live the music". Yarona FM is a positive, upwardly mobile forward thinking brand that encapsulates the aspirations, style, language, lives and future of the Youth of Botswana.

Frequencies(From South to North)

Until April 2008, the radio station was broadcasting through the frequency 106.6 FM, which was part of its logo and brand until 7 more frequencies were added. *

: 102.1 FM *

: 106.6 FM *

: 99.9 FM *

: 102.9 FM *

: 105.1 FM * Selibe Phikwe & Maun: 97.5 FM *

: 100.1 FM * Sojwe: 100.8 FM * Salajwe : 98.2 FM * Takatokwane,

Jwaneng Jwaneng is a town located in the Southern District of Botswana, but it is not part of this, being a separate district, with its own Town Council. History The town was formed around the Jwaneng diamond mine, considered the richest in the world ...

& Senyamadi: 104.9 FM * Malwelwe : 94.9 FM

Past presenters

Japs, Luzboy, Stups dawg, Big Duke Bonni (Current Programmes Manager), Tumie Ramsden, DJ Izzy, Chawa Bale, Dollar Mac, King Bee, Tshepo Ntshole, Dig Nash, Otis Fraser, Kepi, O'neal, Junior Psy, Jazelle, Owen Rampha (Current general manager), McD, Kedi Lezozo, Scar, Kingdom, Dum-luv, MduThaParty, and Big Fish are all popular names identified with the Yarona FM brand in the past. Some of these have now moved on to other local radio stations or to other ventures. Of late, and due to the high standards at Yarona FM, the station has become the number one breeding ground for talent amongst other broadcast entities in Botswana. The youngest presenter in the history of the station are Kabelo "Japs" Tlhomelang (at age 15), airing in July 2000 with Kgosi "Dollar Mac" Kgosidintsi.

Yarona FM schedule

Podcasting

Yarona FM shows are also available via the stations SoundCloud account.

Schedule

The network's base schedule is noted here, and applies only to Yarona FM's outlets.

References

{{Media in Botswana Radio stations in Botswana Radio stations established in 1999 1999 establishments in Botswana