Meet the Absa Small Business Friday featured Small Business of the week – Hot 107.2FM
HOT 102.7FM is an award-winning owner-managed commercial music radio station, broadcasting to the greater Johannesburg area with a format of “Old Skool and R&B” and a focus on playing only the hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
Lloyd Madurai started HOT 102.7FM as HOT 91.9FM, a community radio station, but new regulations from ICASA caused him to pivot and change the radio station to a commercial one. Though there were challenges at the start, HOT 102.7FM has managed to remain profitable since its new beginning.
Incredibly, despite launching and going on air in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, HOT 102.7FM was able to generate a profit in its first year of trading – which is unheard-of in the radio industry – and that growth has continued, with the station continuing to attract new advertisers and grow its audience and market share, to the extent that it generated revenue of R51m in year two of operations.
Currently, HOT 102.7FM is the fastest-growing radio station in the country, in terms of listener numbers, with an incredible growth of 93% in the last seven months alone – to October 2023. Even though HOT 102.7FM is owner-managed and not part of a larger media group, it gives big, established radio stations in the Gauteng market a run for their money.
Lloyd Madurai’s passion for radio started at a young age listening to Kevin Savage on Capital Radio. He was captivated by this medium which made him feel like he had a one-on-one relationship with someone he had never met. He was given an opportunity to enter this exciting world of radio and has never looked back.
At the heart of the station is a desire to give back. Lloyd Madurai likes to do things differently and likes doing it “because we can”, but most importantly he enjoys helping others. This is why the truth North of the company is centred around “Hot Cares”. This initiative was built on the foundation of assisting those in need with dignity and touching lives in the Hot 102.7FM community sustainably. They focus on humanitarian and welfare needs, healthcare and medical needs, education and animal welfare.
Another initiative established by Lloyd Madurai is The HOT102.7 Radio Academy which is free of charge to those who show a true passion for radio. This is Lloyd’s way of giving others the same opportunity he got all those years ago.
In the future, HOT 102.7FM has ambitious plans to continue growing its listenership and increasing its market share, with a focus on delivering a world-class radio product that is attractive to both listeners and advertisers. This includes upskilling staff, exploring attractive partnerships, regularly reviewing on-air products and investing back into the business.
Anything is possible at HOT 102.7FM and as they like to say, with reference to one of the station’s most popular songs, “Don’t Stop Believing!”
Hot 102.7FM was chosen to receive the 2023 National Small Business Champion Award. They also received the National Community Award and Lloyd Madurai received the National Entrepreneur Champion Award for 2023 at the South African Small Business Awards.
Hot 107.2FM is a proud Member of the NSBC