The Central Media Group (CMG) is the leading media business in Bloemfontein, with interests in OFM, Mahareng media & advertising (publishers of this newspaper, and Get It Bloemfontein), as well as Digital Platforms.
These three businesses complement each other in the media space, adding value to client’s needs and delivering on objectives and expectations.
I want to reflect on CMG and its brands. The term ‘brand’ is often bandied about and rarely defined. It can be tied to reputation, value propositions, or culture. One great definition is that our brands are what people say about us when we are not in the room.
Simply put, our brands are how people see, experience, and perceive us. I have experienced first-hand how our listeners, readers, and online users have seen, experienced, and perceived us. Our brands are loved and spoken about with such respect when we are not in the room. This is owed to the relationships we have with our users, consumers, and advertisers. We are blessed to be in such a position.
OFM is the number ONE commercial radio station in Central South Africa and won the Best of Bloemfontein readers’ choice awards ten years in a row. To date it has received over 30 SA Radio Award nominations, with 298,000* listeners on FM radio, 260,000* monthly online connections, and 206,000* social media followers across many platforms.
OFM is the number one independent radio station in Bloemfontein, and the whole of the Free State – bigger than any commercial or community broadcaster.
Bloemfontein Courant is the number-one weekly newspaper in Bloemfontein — 45,000* weekly prints and 110,000* readers, double that of our competitors. In 2022, Bloemfontein Courant was voted the number-one weekly newspaper in the Free State.
Digital Platforms outperforms all Bloemfontein digital businesses, with focussed Agri-offerings and development that have changed local and national business.
As we end 2022, I want to thank all our users, listeners, and readers for their business, their engagements, and for keeping us on our toes.
Have a blessed Christmas and a happy new year. We look forward to welcoming you back in 2023, rested and ready to tackle the year we call at CMG, #2020BE.
Nick Efstathiou (CEO – Central Media Group)
*Statistics available from Brand Mapp/BRC/Google Analytics/ABC/ Roots
