Lotus FM (formerly, Radio Lotus) is a South African national
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
based in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, loosely similar to the
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
in the United Kingdom, that caters for the needs of the
Indian South African
Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it one of the l ...
community. It combines a mix of
Indian music
Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk (Bollywood), rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed ove ...
,
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...
,
current affairs Current affairs may refer to:
News
* Current Affairs (magazine), ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly magazine of culture and politics.
* Current affairs (news format): a genre of broadcast journalism
* Current Affairs, former name for Behi ...
,
interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
s and
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
. Lotus FM targets South African Indians between the ages of 25-34 (core) and 35-49 (secondary) in the
LSM
In molecular biology, LSm proteins are a family of RNA-binding proteins found in virtually every cellular organism. LSm is a contraction of 'like Sm', because the first identified members of the LSm protein family were the Sm proteins. LSm pro ...
7-10 segment.
Lotus FM has occasionally been the subject of complaints, with people of
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n descent claiming that the station's broadcasts favour
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
music over
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
music.
The Lotus FM studio complex is based at the
SABC
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...
in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, next to the famous
Kingsmead Kingsmead may refer to:
Places in England
* Kingsmead, Bath, an electoral ward in Somerset
** Kingsmead Square, Bath
* Kingsmead, Cheshire
* Kingsmead, a district of Shenley Brook End in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Other uses
* Kingsmead ...
Cricket stadium.
Disc jockeys
The following is a list of On-Air Personalities who present and produce shows on the station (including weekends)
*Alan Chetty
*
Alan Khan
Alan Khan (born 17 December 1971) is a media and radio personality in South Africa. His talk show, ''Walk the Talk with Alan Khan'' on Lotus FM, won "Best News and Actuality Radio talk-show, Talk Show PBS" at the 2017 Liberty South African Radio ...
*Althaf Suleman
*
Ashit Desai
Ashit Desai ( gu, આશિત દેસાઈ; born 16 May 1951) is an Indian composer, vocalist, musician and music director. He composes scores for films, TV serials, dance productions and dramas. He is known as Gujarati Sugam Sangeet artist.
...
*Aksoy Turkish
*Avin Moorley
*Byron David
*Deon Chetty
*Diresh Sinath
*Enrico Pillay
*Julian Lurie
*Jailoshini Naidoo
*Josh Michael Reddiar
*Karusha Chetty
*Mala Lutchmanan
*Manick Thor
*Mihir Sharmin Govindasami
*Navitha Gajraj
*Nicholas Pillay
*O'Neil Nair
*Pravina Maharaj
*Raeesa Mahomed
*Rakesh Ramdhin
*Ravi Govender
*Ryan Naicker
*Sareshan Pillay
*Shirdika Pillai
*Shaastra Nagasur
*Sudhisha Naidoo
*Suresh Harilal
*Sanobar Khan
*Sahendran Kandasami
*'n Protea Petalje
*Tharshey Naidoo
*Varshan Sookhun
*Veena Lutchman
[CJ Benjamin was fired after a breach in company policy in 2009. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/lotus-fm-dj-to-fight-for-job-1.460722#.UjmO5dUoEwY]
Frequencies
The station broadcasts in
FM on the following frequencies throughout South Africa
Listenership Figures
References
External links
Lotus FM WebsiteLotus FM Facebook Page*
/www.saarf.co.za SAARF Website*
/www.sentech.co.za Sentech Website
Radio stations in Durban
Radio stations established in 1983
{{SouthAfrica-radio-station-stub