Jacaranda FM

What Jacaranda FM does

Jacaranda FM is a South African commercial radio station founded in 1995 and operated as a subsidiary of Kagiso Media Ltd., a private media conglomerate. The station is headquartered at 89 14th Road, Erand Gardens, Midrand, in Gauteng, and broadcasts primarily on the 94.2 FM frequency with additional distribution via DStv channel 858, OpenView channel 602, iOS/Android/Huawei mobile applications, and web streaming. Its programming consists of live radio shows — including Breakfast with Martin Bester (weekday mornings), The Drive with Rob & Roz (afternoon drive), The Top 40 with Danny Painter, and The Weekend Breakfast Boost with Lucky du Plessis — alongside news, traffic, weather, and sport coverage.

The company's core technology is a broadcasting platform built around a newly launched (February 2026), fully digital flagship studio designed for multi-format content production across audio, video, and digital channels. Its wholly-owned digital audio subsidiary JacPod produces original podcasts, including the Afrikaans-language Mevrou Mevrou and True Crime South Africa – die Afrikaanse weergawe. The station distributes a mobile app, a web "Listen Live" streaming service with quality selection, and a real-time weather service integrated with third-party provider Rainboo.

Jacaranda FM's revenue model is advertising-led, monetizing listener reach through enterprise title sponsorships (SPAR, Pick n Pay, Kia South Africa), promotional campaigns with measurable engagement, and digital/podcast inventory. Its audiences comprise South African radio listeners across Gauteng and nationally, while its advertiser base consists primarily of South African brands and retailers. Charitable community programming (Good Morning Angels) and the Jacaranda FM Future 50 entrepreneur initiative are additional brand and engagement assets.

Name

Jacaranda FM

Legal name

Kagiso Media Ltd.

Website

https://jacarandafm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Jacaranda FM is a South African commercial radio station founded in 1995, operating under Kagiso Media Ltd. and broadcasting from Midrand, Gauteng, on 94.2 FM, satellite TV, mobile apps, and online streaming, serving listeners with music, news, and podcasts while monetizing through advertising partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Commercial radio broadcasting
• Digital audio content
• Podcast production
• Radio advertising sales
• Music and entertainment programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: The station generates revenue through advertising partnerships with brands. The 'Kia Or The Cash' campaign with Kia South Africa demonstrates the station's ability to deliver measurable engagement and brand visibility for advertising partners.
2. Digital Content and Podcasts: JacPod digital audio division produces podcasts including 'Mevrou Mevrou' and 'True Crime South Africa – die Afrikaanse weergawe', which have received Spotify recognition, potentially opening additional revenue streams through sponsored content and digital partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Jacaranda FM is a South African commercial radio station that broadcasts music, news, sport, traffic, lifestyle and entertainment programming over the 94.2 FM frequency, with extension to DStv channel 858, OpenView channel 602, mobile apps and online streaming. Its programming lineup centers on flagship weekday and weekend shows (such as Breakfast with Martin Bester and The Drive with Rob & Roz) alongside the JacPod digital audio division producing original Afrikaans and English podcasts, supported by the Good Morning Angels charitable initiative. The station sells on-air, digital and event-based advertising to brand partners, which constitutes its primary commercial offering.

Product overview

Jacaranda FM is a multi-award winning South African commercial radio station operating as a unified broadcast and digital audio platform. The core offering consists of live radio programming including Breakfast with Martin Bester (weekday mornings), The Drive with Rob & Roz (afternoon drive), and The Top 40 with Danny Painter (music countdown), complemented by the JacPod digital audio division producing original podcasts such as Mevrou Mevrou and True Crime South Africa. The station operates a mobile app for iOS and Android, provides online streaming via Listen Live, and offers real-time weather services. The Good Morning Angels charitable program enables donations and assistance requests, while the Jacaranda FM Future 50 initiative supports emerging entrepreneurs. Broadcast is available on 94.2 FM, DStv 858, and OpenView 602.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Morning Angels: Charitable initiative by Jacaranda FM that assists individuals and families in need through donations and support programs.

Products and services

• Breakfast with Martin Bester Weekday morning radio show airing 06:00-09:00 with Martin Bester as primary host, featuring entertainment news, celebrity interviews and interactive listener content for South African audiences.
• The Drive with Rob & Roz Weekday afternoon drive-time radio show hosted by Rozanne McKenzie and Rob Forbes, airing 16:00-19:00, covering South African culture, travel, braais, books and entertainment.
• The Top 40 with Danny Painter Powered by Pick n Pay Weekly music countdown show featuring the top 40 tracks, sponsored by Pick n Pay with integrated branding into the programming.
• The Weekend Breakfast Boost with Lucky du Plessis Saturday morning breakfast show hosted by Lucky du Plessis on Jacaranda FM.
• JacPod Digital Audio Division Digital audio division of Jacaranda FM producing original podcasts including Mevrou Mevrou (Afrikaans) and True Crime South Africa, with Mevrou Mevrou earning Top 5 and True Crime South Africa earning Top 10 recognition from Spotify South Africa in 2025.
• Mevrou Mevrou Podcast Original Afrikaans podcast produced by the JacPod digital audio division of Jacaranda FM, recognized in Spotify South Africa's Top 5 Editor's Pick for 2025.
• True Crime South Africa Podcast Original Afrikaans true crime podcast produced by the JacPod digital audio division of Jacaranda FM, named among the Top 10 podcasts on Spotify South Africa.
• Good Morning Angels Charitable Program Station-run charitable donation and assistance program that helps individuals and families in need by accepting donations and processing requests for assistance across South Africa.
• SPAR 2U Carols by Candlelight Annual Event Annual Christmas carol event presented by Jacaranda FM in partnership with SPAR, featuring live performances and donation opportunities tied to the Good Morning Angels charitable initiative.
• Jacaranda FM Future 50 Initiative Station-led initiative showcasing and supporting emerging South African businesses and entrepreneurs through editorial coverage on Jacaranda FM.
• Jacaranda FM Mobile App Native mobile application for iOS, Android and Huawei devices providing listeners with live streaming, on-demand content, podcasts and station features in South Africa.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kia South AfricacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 March 2026Jacaranda FM partnered with Kia South Africa for the 'Kia Or The Cash' promotional campaign. The three-week campaign ran daily with on-air clues, social media activations, and live listener calls, generating more than 1.1 million entries. Kia South Africa provided a brand-new Kia Sonet worth R289,995 as the grand prize, demonstrating measurable engagement for the advertising partner.
• SPARcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSPAR is the title sponsor of SPAR 2U Carols by Candlelight presented by Jacaranda FM, a charitable community event supporting the Good Morning Angels initiative.
• Pick n PaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPick n Pay is the sponsor of 'The Top 40 with Danny Painter' show on Jacaranda FM, with branding integrated into the programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Heart FM: Cape Town-based commercial music radio station. Similar commercial/advertising model and South African market context, but Western Cape-focused rather than Gauteng.
• CapeTalk: Cape Town-based commercial talk radio station with an analogous news, talk, and advertiser-funded model. Operates in a different region but competes for the same national advertising pool.
• East Coast Radio: KwaZulu-Natal-based commercial radio station with a similar music-and-news format and advertiser-supported business model. Comparable operating structure but geographically distinct.
• KFM 94.5: Western Cape-based commercial radio station with a similar adult contemporary music-and-news format. Comparable in operating model and advertiser mix, but serves a different South African region.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster and a global digital audio incumbent. Comparable in business model (multi-station broadcast + digital audio / podcasts) and offers benchmarks for how traditional radio portfolios can scale digital extensions.
• Bauer Media Audio: Large international radio and audio operator with multi-market broadcast and podcast portfolios. Comparable as a broad incumbent scaling radio into digital audio, offering a benchmark for cross-platform ad sales and podcast expansion.

Direct peers

• Talk Radio 702: Major Johannesburg-based commercial talk and news radio station competing for the same Gauteng advertising and listenership pool with a news/talk format that overlaps Jacaranda FM's news and traffic programming.
• 5FM: SABC's youth-skewed national commercial radio station, comparable in commercial/advertising model and South African reach, competing for younger demographics and digital audio share.
• Metro FM: SABC's national commercial music radio station, one of the largest in South Africa. Competes for both national advertising budgets and the broader South African radio audience.
• 947: Commercial music radio station also broadcasting in the Gauteng/Johannesburg market on a comparable frequency. Direct head-to-head competitor for both listeners and Gauteng-based advertisers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jacarandafm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6wNQoPhOACnI1iO4QC6u5Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/jacaranda942
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacaranda-94.2
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacarandafm
• TikToktiktok.com/@jacarandafm942

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jacaranda FM