Yarona FM has appointed David Moepeng as its new Station Manager following the departure of Owen Rampha who left the station earlier this year.
The Station has of late been attracting a lot of attention not for their broadcast content, but staff turnover that saw the station losing services of the likes of popular sports presenters Thabo Osekeng (The Brand), Kamogelo Madikwe (sports presenter) and news reader Kutlwano Mosime who left earlier this year among others.
Moepeng, who was News Editor, had been acting as manager since Rampha’s departure earlier this year. He rose through the ranks after joining the station as News Reporter in 2000 and his real break came courtesy of his hard-hitting analytical Monday evening programme, Point Blank, featuring different topics of national interest including ; education, business and politics.
He went through the Yarona FM Management Development Programme which included his study at Rhodes University in South Africa where he attained two Post Graduate Diplomas in Media Management and Economics Journalism in 2009 and 2010 respectively. His training and experience has facilitated his rapid mastery of the operations of the station, the culture and the ever-evolving trends in the market. He brings with him fresh perspectives to the leadership of the radio station.
Yarona FM recently celebrated its 14th Anniversary, having been the first licensed private radio station in 1999. The station signed an agreement earlier this year to comply with the regulations of the Copyright Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) meaning artists will get royalties for musical content that will be played.
Moepeng says that their aim is to also grow closer to their listeners, hence their recent decision to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Botswana National Youth Council as a way to expand its role in serving the youth. He said in a press statement that Yarona FM listeners are very experimental and nomadic in their choice of entertainment, adding that the station will continue to explore ways through which to keep serving them with engaging and interactive programmes.
“We pride ourselves in articulating our audience’s key issues of interest from a socio-economic, lifestyle, political and entertainment point of view well, and are well known for our unique on air promotions and contests which cater to their needs,” he says.
