Radio, Race and Identity in South Africa: The Case of Metro FM

Abstract

This article presents a qualitative content analysis of Metro FM, a commercial music station owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Metro FM has the second largest audience in the country and was the first SABC station to intentionally target a black audience. While fostering black pride, the station attempts to create a narrative of responsibility while simultaneously negotiating the cultural imperative to interpellate listeners as consumers. The narrative of black identity assumes a homogenous black audience located in urban areas, and while broadcasts are in English, a great degree of codeswitching allows for in-group identification.