Media
The North West is well-served by national, regional and local media.
The North West’s position very close to the province of Gauteng, where the headquarters of so many of South Africa’s media houses are located, means that the province has good access to a wide variety of print, radio and television services. All of the province’s major towns are included in the distribution networks of the major newspapers.
The North West’s own media sector is growing in quantity and quality. The Potchefstroom Herald, owned by Mooivaal Media, a joint venture between Caxton and Media24, sells about 8 000 copies every week. It is also sold in Ventersdorp. The Noordwes Gazette is a free community newspaper with a distribution of close to 30 000 in the same area. Caxton has a number of its own titles in the province: The Rustenburg Herald, Klerksdorp Record, Midweek Record and Lentswe (Klerksdorp), The Mail (Mafikeng), Stellalander (Vryburg), Brits Pos (Brits), Bonus (distributed in the Sun City area, Mogwase and Rustenburg) and the Noordwester (Lichtenburg).
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has several radio stations, which cater to the North West market, as well as several that cover parts of the province and parts of other provinces. Phalaphala broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The station boasts a listenership of almost a million and coverage includes parts of the North West, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The station broadcasts in Tshivenda and targets young, aspiring and upwardly mobile Africans.
Munghana Lonene FM broadcasts predominantly in Xitsonga to a listenership in parts of the North West, Limpopo, Gauteng and
Mpumalanga. The station targets metropolitan and rural African communities and boasts an average of 925 000 listeners per day.
Motsweding FM broadcasts a range of programmes in Setswana to a diverse listenership in various provinces, including the North West.
Community radio remains a critical part of the South African broadcasting landscape, broadcasting in every South African language and servicing every corner of the country.
Community radio stations in the North West include Radio Mafisa, Vaaltar Community Radio, Letlhabile Community Radio (based in Brits) and the university station PUK FM.
