HOT 102.7FM, a commercial radio station in Johannesburg, has announced Tara Penny as its new head of news.

Penny has been in the radio industry for 15 years, having started her broadcasting journey at TuksFM in Pretoria, prior to writing and presenting drive-time news on Radio 702 for 11 years, while at the same time reporting for Eyewitness News.

During the period, Penny established herself as one of South Africa’s top newsreaders, winning three SA Radio Awards for Best Commercial Station Newsreader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She also won the Gauteng Journalist of the Year Award in 2021 in the Opinion category.

HOT 102.7FM managing director, Lloyd Madurai disclosed Penny took up her new role started on Tuesday, May 3, and has already made a huge impact in the space of a couple of weeks.

“She not only brings great experience to the role but also an amazing energy and unique approach to telling radio news stories, which I think you’ll hear in our news bulletins,” Madurai revealed.

Penny expressed excitement over her new role as head of the HOT 102.7FM news team.

“The appeal to join a young, new and exciting radio station was huge and I love the fact that Madurai is open to different approaches to telling news stories,” she noted.

“I’ve wanted to learn the business side of news for a while now and I’m looking forward to finding new ways to tell stories in a way that resonates with our listeners.”