Radio in The Gambia - It's a Jungle Out There

Commercial radio stations do not charge their customers for the services they provide them, they depend entirely on their advertising revenues and whatever support their proprietors’ can provide them with.

The development and running of a successful commercial radio station have all the ingredients of the chicken and egg scenario.

This is the case because before a radio station can attract advertisers, it must attract licensers, and before it can attract licensers, it must provide them with a quality product which they require or need.

In today’s extremely hostile operating market place for radio stations where the competitors are many and varied, the only hope for survival is to innovative and be always be willing and ready to adapt to what the market place dictates.

In the old days, which are not so long ago, you could count on one hand all the radio stations operating in the small capital city of Banjul,

In those days, advertisers were knocking on the doors of the few radio stations available to get their product out into the public domain.

In such a marketing environment, you could say that those few radio stations that then existed had a license to print money.

Nothing has changed, as there are nearly twenty radio stations operating in Banjul City.

The main operators being. GRTS, Unique Fm, Vibes Fm, Freedom radio, Gambia talent radio, Kora Fm, City limits, AfricRadio, Star Fm, Paradise Fm, Capital Fm, West Coast radio. Taranga Fm, Radio Gambia, and others not here mention.

Therefore, it should be clear to any newcomer to the radio business in Banjul City, that the fighting arena for public advertising revenue is a crowded place.

The operating environment for radio stations becomes even more competitive when you add to the mix, the advent of the many internet radio stations and all the other social media platforms which are competing to grab the attention of the public.

Given that, what are the chances of a newcomer to such a marketing environment surviving?
However, there is some good news amongst all the doom and gloom so far painted.

This being, radio advertising is still one of the most cost-effective ways for the advertiser to reach a wide market, and on like many other advertising mediums including prints, mobile phones and televisions, you do not have to stop whatever you are doing when you are listening to the radio.

This is because the medium is of such, that it just simply falls naturally into the backdrop of whatever you are doing or wherever you may be.

So whether you are on the way to or from work in public transport or your private motor vehicle or relaxing at any time in your home dwellings the radio makes easy listening.

As newcomers to the radio business your first great task is to persuade all those many potential listeners that you have a special product for them and although others may have similar products as yours, theirs don’t reach the high standard of quality and professionalism.

What is also equally important for a new radio station to quickly establish in the public domain, is the message about their particular brand of information and entertainments.

This could take comedy, serial drama, sporting quiz, general quiz shows where money can be won by the participants and many other similar themes including news in the Gambia, news around Africa and world news.

However, to achieve quick market penetration is easier said than done, because the prospecting new radio station must recruit and retain top professionals in the radio business.

This, of course, will not be easy, because most of the good quality professionals are already engaged in the industry.