YFM
YFM is a Johannesburg-based commercial youth radio station founded in 1997 that broadcasts urban music genres over the air and via live streaming on yfm.co.za, serving South African urban youth listeners and advertisers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What YFM does
YFM is a Johannesburg-headquartered commercial radio station founded in 1997 that targets the South African urban youth demographic with urban music genres, including hip-hop, R&B, and related formats. The station broadcasts over the air in the Johannesburg market and extends its reach through live streaming on its website yfm.co.za, enabling online listenership beyond the terrestrial signal. With a workforce of 51–100 employees, YFM operates as a private, for-profit media business whose revenue mechanics are consistent with the commercial radio model — primarily advertising sales to brands seeking access to the urban youth audience, supplemented by digital inventory monetized through its streaming channel.
Beyond the core broadcast and streaming products, the source data does not disclose additional product lines, pricing structures, technology platforms, distribution partnerships, or management composition. No funding rounds, M&A activity, regulatory actions, or leadership changes are documented in the inputs. The company website (yfm.co.za) returned only a loading/verification page at the time of capture, and no proprietary apps, APIs, certifications, or technology stack details are available.
The available evidence supports a description of YFM as a long-established, mid-sized youth-format broadcaster with a digital extension via live streaming, operating in the South African advertising-supported radio market. Further granularity on revenue mix, audience reach, advertiser base, ownership structure, and recent strategic activity is not present in the source material and would require primary research to determine.
YFM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YFM
- Website
- https://yfm.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- YFM is a Johannesburg-based commercial youth radio station founded in 1997 that broadcasts urban music genres over the air and via live streaming on yfm.co.za, serving South African urban youth listeners and advertisers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YFM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)
Keywords
Where YFM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
YFM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
YFM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YFM is a Johannesburg-based youth radio station that broadcasts urban music genres over the air and provides live streaming to online audiences. The company sells its own audio content directly to listeners rather than aggregating third-party programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- YFM Radio Broadcast A Johannesburg-based youth radio broadcast playing urban music genres, available to listeners in the station's terrestrial coverage area.
- YFM Live Streaming Live streaming of the YFM urban music broadcast delivered online, allowing listeners outside the terrestrial signal area to tune in via the web.
Companies that use YFM
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
YFM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
YFM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Expansion highlights2 records
YFM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Power FM: Johannesburg-based commercial talk-and-music station targeting a similar urban professional/youth listener base, competing for overlapping advertisers in the same metro market.
- 5FM: SABC's national youth contemporary hit radio station, also based in Johannesburg and competing for the same 15–34 advertiser demographic with overlapping pop/urban playlist positioning.
- Metro FM: SABC-owned national urban-music station targeting a similar youth/South African demographic; the most direct competitor in format and audience positioning to YFM, but with the backing of the public broadcaster's network scale.
- 947: Primedia-owned Johannesburg-based contemporary hit radio station that competes with YFM for the same metropolitan youth audience and advertising spend.
Regional players
- Good Hope FM: Primedia's Cape Town-based youth-leaning radio station with comparable contemporary/urban playlist and advertiser demographic, but anchored in the Western Cape rather than Gauteng.
- Heart FM: Cape Town-based community-leaning music station owned by Primedia, comparable to YFM as a music-format commercial radio brand targeting a defined audience, though operating in a different province.
- Cape Talk: Primedia-owned Cape Town talk-radio station; comparable to YFM as a South African commercial radio broadcaster competing for the same advertising pools, though focused on talk rather than urban music.
- Gagasi FM: KwaZulu-Natal-based youth/urban radio station with a similar urban-music format and youth-skewed audience, but operating primarily in the Durban market rather than Johannesburg.
Broad incumbents
- Talk702: Primedia's flagship Johannesburg talk station with broader reach and resources; comparable to YFM as a Johannesburg-headquartered commercial radio property competing for Gauteng ad budgets.
- Channel Africa: SABC-owned shortwave and digital radio service broadcasting to the African continent; comparable to YFM as a South African public-affiliated radio operation with cross-border digital distribution.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
YFM social profiles
Digital presenceYFM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YFM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
YFM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YFM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about YFM
What does YFM do?
YFM is a Johannesburg-based youth radio station that broadcasts urban music genres over the air and provides live streaming to online audiences. The company sells its own audio content directly to listeners rather than aggregating third-party programming.
When was YFM founded?
YFM was founded in 1997. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is YFM based?
YFM is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
Who are YFM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Power FM, 5FM, Metro FM and 947. Regional players are Good Hope FM, Heart FM, Cape Talk and Gagasi FM. Broad incumbents are Talk702 and Channel Africa.
Does YFM have an API?
No public API is recorded for YFM.
What industry is YFM in?
YFM's product category is Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAD, Independent Local Radio Stations, with a secondary code of MPAIAEAE, Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only). Its NAICS code is 516110 and its SIC code is 4832.