HOT 102.7FM has announced that the station has won the My Station — Most Loyal Listeners award at the 2024 Telkom SA Radio Awards, held in Johannesburg on Saturday, 30 November.
Three years after going live, HOT 102.7FM came out on top in a category that puts the voting in the hands of South Africa’s radio listeners. The My Station section gives listeners the opportunity to vote for their favourite radio station and this year the organizers received over two million votes in this category. Specifically, the My Station — Most Loyal Listeners award goes to the station with the highest number of votes relative to its listenership, says HOT 102.7FM.
“This award means the most to us because it comes from our listeners and we’ve always placed our audience front and center of everything we do, whether it’s playing the music they grew up with, presented by DJs that they’ve come to know and love, or supporting the causes close to their hearts and throwing the kinds of ‘Old Skool’ parties they love,” says Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM. “This award will just spur us on, in the knowledge that we’re giving our listeners what they want, and that will remain the HOT 102.7FM priority going forward.”
HOT 102.7FM’s Head of News, Tara Penny, was also honored in two categories — Best News Bulletin Reader and in the News and Actuality Show — Commercial category, with the latter for her work on The Bully Chain, which saw a whole month dedicated to dissecting the topic of bullying, the station adds.
Penny delved into how bullying manifests in different environments and most importantly of all, played a key role in HOT 102.7FM arming its listeners with information so they could do something about it. Penny drove this project, producing and presenting a series of special reports that added up to an in-depth series that delved into every aspect of bullying, with moving sound pieces that included interviews with victims and their tormentors, parents, psychologists and other experts, says the station.
Providing the icing on the cake, veteran radio personalities Simon Parkinson and Darren Scott — hosts of the HOT 1027 Breakfast and The Just Plain Drive — were inducted into the industry’s Hall of Fame, says HOT 102.7FM.
“All of these are incredible achievements — not only because we’ve only been on air since 2021, but because it’s also an incredibly competitive industry with high standards,” says Madurai. “When we launched, we set out to make our mark by playing the best ‘Old Skool’ and R&B music, with the best presenters, and with the goal of having the most fun possible. We’ve done that, and these awards are just a nice reminder that we’re on the right track.”
It’s been quite a run for HOT 102.7FM, which was recently named the winner in the Best Local Radio Station category at the Best of Joburg Readers’ Choice Awards for a third consecutive year. The HOT 1027 Breakfast was also named the Best Local Radio Show, whilst Parkinson was honoured as Best Local Radio Personality.
The station also raised R27.5-million in just 12 and a half hours at its annual ‘Teddython Hot Cares’ charity fundraiser in November, ensuring a strong and satisfying end to the year and laying the groundwork for a 2025 full of promise, as HOT 102.7FM approaches its fifth year of being on air, the station concludes.