Johannesburg-based radio station 919 FM has announced that after 12 years in the radio industry, Lebang Kgosana is set to host a brand-new drive time show, titled The Driver’s Seat with Lebang Kgosana, from Monday, 2 September.
Kgosana who began her radio journey in 2011 at Rhythm100 radio station as a news reader, joined Yfm in 2015 and hosted an array of shows for four years, she then co-hosted The Weekend Rush alongside Xtremme Dj for two years. She later co-hosted The Smash and Grab breakfast show alongside Smash Afrika for another two years, says the radio station.
Following a short hiatus from radio, Kgosana expanded her skill set and ventured into the world of production for a few years. In 2021 she made a comeback to radio and served a year at Massiv Metro radio station. She chose to stay true to story-telling and explored the world of podcasting. Kgosana later joined Cliff Central.com, South Africa’s leading podcast hub as the head of creative and production for three years, says 919FM.
Her podcast #LifeWithLebang is focussed on providing support and insights to new parents across the globe. The podcast won Podcast of the Year at the African Podcast and Voice awards (APVA) in 2023, making her the first black woman to win the award, says the radio station.
After giving birth to her sixth child in April 2024, award-winning broadcaster Kgosana decided to make a comeback to radio and joined 919FM to host #TheFreeLunch. According to the radio station, radio is still the most listened to medium in South Africa according to Radio Audience Measurement (RAMS).
According to 919FM, the RAMS data include:
- seventy-five percent of South Africans 15+ listen to the radio weekly, with an average daily time spent listening of five hours and 12 minutes.
- radio scores well across all socio-economic groups.
- even as digital platforms grow, broadcast radio co-exists strongly, with 68% of social media users and 76% of music streamers being weekly radio listeners as well, and
- commercial and public stations attract varied audiences, with many stations garnering over a million weekly listeners across languages like Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English.
“South Africa’s radio landscape is incredibly vibrant with over 300 community and commercial stations broadcasting in 11 official languages across four distinct audience segments,” the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa’s CEO Gary Whitaker concluded.