Websites

The internet’s availability to a large part of the population indicates that the use of websites enables stations to get in touch with their listeners through that platform. This category comprised of one code, namely, promotional platform.

4.10.3.1 Promotional platform

Even though at the time of this study none of the stations have websites, employees believe that the stations’ use of websites could create a promotional platform for them. The employees believe that:

The website would actually promote me as a radio presenter and allow people to actually see who this person is and not just listen to the voice (Andile (presenter), 30/08/2016).

I think it can promote the station before me, personally, and then after the station is promoted that is when people will know us, through personal profiles, and they then could put their money on us (Buntu (presenter), 06/03/2017).

It would allow people to familiarise themselves with my brand image through a website so, it would definitely help me (Anda (presenter), 30/08/2016).

Websites are instrumental in creating the visibility of community radio broadcasters that have aspirations of working at commercial stations. A number of authors (Anon, 2016c; Daly, 2016; Mothowagae, 2016) state that talent scouting is a common practice. Thus, participants believe that their stations’ possession of websites would create an additional platform for them to be scouted by commercial stations. Websites indeed allow for the creation of digital profiles for personalities, which potential employers can gain quick and easy access to in order to determine if presenters would fit within their brand or organisations.

4.10.3.2 Potential influence of websites on station sustainability

In order to get a clear reason why the stations in this study do not make use of websites, station managers were asked if they thought having a website would influence their stations’ financial stability. The managers indicated that:

Not a lot as I said. Our audience does not go to websites (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).

If you apply for funding, when funders research and google search the station to investigate, most of the time they end up on the website. It will help a lot that way (Boitumelo (station manager), 26/10/2016).

Anthony’s excerpt suggests that he knows his listeners’ preferences well. As a result, not much benefit would be derived from Station A’s establishment of a website. On the contrary, Boitumelo believed that having a website could attract funders. This view coheres with McEvoy’s (2016) perception that websites give organisations credibility and make them easier to discover. Therefore, funders’ discovery or opening of a station’s website will give them an idea of the station’s business without having to speak to anyone.

4.10.4 Podcasts

Kalvari (2017) posits that the future of radio is podcasting - a clear indication that CRS need to introduce podcasts at their stations. Apart from the benefit of time shifting, this service enables listeners to listen to programmes at their own convenience.

4.10.4.1 Lack of podcasting

Both stations in this study indicated that they do not have a podcast service. With Kalvari (2017) having indicated how pivotal this service is to radio stations, the station managers were asked why they do not make use of a podcast service. They responded that:

It has to go through the University and the content has to be approved by the University, because we cannot post it anywhere else but on the University site. I have to send it to the Dean, then to student affairs then it needs to go to the Director of Communication and Brand Management. Once is has been approved, Computer Services uploads it. Now because a podcast is an immediate thing, you can’t upload it a week after or 2 weeks after, you have

maybe 2 hours before it becomes irrelevant (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).

I think with the podcast, I left it for the website as it is going to be part and parcel of the website. I think it is much easier to have a podcast service that’s more accessible via the website (Boitumelo (station manager), 26/10/2016).

Anthony’s reason for not making use of a podcast service can be plausible as podcasts need to be immediately available to the listeners. However, the idea that podcasts are created so that listeners can listen in their own time (Krüger, 2017) implies that they may not have time limitations stipulated for their use. Thus, Station A should consider making use of the service, test its plausibility and decide whether their listeners would make use of the service or not. In addition, Station B needs to speed up their process of acquiring a website so that they can make use of the podcast service.

4.10.4.2 Potential influence on stations’ sustainability

Even though both stations do not make use of a podcast service, they were queried on what potential influence they thought having this service would have on their listenership. This question sought a clear understanding of whether they believed there is a need for this service. The responses indicated that:

Podcasting is an effective tool if you are in an environment where data is very cheap and not in this community especially in community radio. For example, if we have an interview with Cassper Nyovest and we podcast it, but we also do a video of the interview and you put it on Facebook, who is going to listen to the podcast? (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).

I feel the podcast service makes it easier for the listener to download and get what they want. I think the podcast would help quite a lot and make it easy for our listeners. There are a couple of instances, where the listeners wanted a

recording and we could not give it to them (Boitumelo (station manager), 26/10/2016).

Anthony’s observation that the capabilities of podcast are achievable through other mediums that are already being actively used by his listeners gives reason as to why he may not be keen on the use of podcast. Betters (2017) indicates that, Facebook Live can enable anyone to start a live video where friends and followers can watch and engage with in real time. The video is then downloadable at a later stage by those that may have missed the live broadcast (Computer Hope, 2017). Hence, the popularity of SNS, especially amongst young adults (Rambe & Ng’ambi, 2014) makes it challenging to convince listeners to make use of the podcast service, especially if there is a platform that they use that already has those capabilities.

4.11 CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter presented the findings and discussion of the study based on the in-depth interviews that were conducted with CRS managers and employees.

The next chapter focuses on findings and discussion based on the observations conducted during the study.

CHAPTERFIVE:FINDINGSANDDISCUSSIONOFOBSERVATIONRESULTS

5.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter focuses on the direct observations that the researcher conducted while sitting-in on two radio programmes at each of the stations (a total of four radio programmes). She observed the stations’ procedures such as selection of content for programmes, how programmes are conducted, employees’ conduct during programmes, and the use of studio equipment. These observations were conducted in order to study the LO methods practiced and the CBT used. These observations were also conducted to verify the interviewees’ perspectives expressed in the previous chapter. The subsequent sections cover the main themes generated from the observations and the discussions thereof.