Every family has its road trip traditions.
Often, the debates begin long before anyone leaves home. Where should we stop for lunch? Which garage has the cleanest restrooms? Which farm stall has the best pies or biscuit selection? Which guesthouse is worth an overnight stay?
Everyone has an opinion. Most of the time, those decisions aren’t based on facts at all. They’re shaped by memories, assumptions or something someone once heard from a friend. Sometimes those choices work out brilliantly and you feel like you’ve struck travellers’ gold. Other times, you drive another hundred kilometres with nothing but Stop-and-Go’s to keep you company.
Media planning can be surprisingly similar.
When planners build regional radio schedules, it’s easy to make decisions based on what seems obvious. OFM is often viewed as a Free State station. Algoa FM is often thought of simply as an Eastern Cape station. Those assumptions may seem logical at first glance, but the reality is that both stations have a far greater reach and audience loyalty than a single provincial tick box in our planning software suggests.
Anyone who has driven from Johannesburg towards the Namibian border through the North West and Northern Cape knows that OFM stays with you for much of the journey. Travel from Central South Africa towards the Eastern Cape and, as OFM begins to fade, it naturally gives way to Algoa FM. Regional radio isn’t provincial radio, and listening habits aren’t shaped by a map.
They’re shaped by lifestyle, work, family, commerce, industry, and travel. These factors create listening patterns that extend well beyond towns, cities and provincial borders.
United Stations recognised this reality and has worked to create dedicated planning options within Telmar and Nielsen that better reflect how audiences actually consume regional radio. The predefined planning areas showcase OFM’s presence across Central South Africa, spanning southern Gauteng, the Free State, the Northern Cape and parts of the North West, while Algoa FM’s footprint and Western Cape Synergy with Smile 90.4FM reflects the Cape Coast, covering the Eastern Cape, the Garden Route, and into the Karoo as well as the larger Cape Town region
This isn’t about learning another piece of software. It’s about making better decisions using the tools planners already rely on.
Instead of manually selecting multiple districts and municipalities, planners can now simply choose the predefined OFM Central South Africa or Algoa FM and Smile 90.4FM Cape Coast options already available in Telmar and Nielsen. The result is a planning process that is quicker, simpler, and far more representative of where these stations genuinely connect with audiences.
Like any successful road trip, the destination hasn’t changed. We’ve simply been given better information to make the journey easier. No more asking, “Are we there yet?”
At United Stations, we believe campaign planning should reflect the way people actually move, live, and listen; not how we assume they do. These predefined planning tools are another step towards helping agencies and advertisers make smarter regional radio decisions, backed by data rather than perception.
The best journeys are rarely left to guesswork. Neither should your media plan.
Speak to your United Stations Account Manager if you would like a more detailed presentation.
