The persistent perception that community media is “cheap” is not a reflection of its value. It is a reflection of the industry’s misunderstanding and, often, its unconscious bias.
In South Africa, community media is still too frequently reduced to a low-cost line item, instead of being recognised for what it truly is, one of the most powerful commercial, cultural, and trust-based platforms in the country. This framing does a disservice not only to the platforms themselves, but to the millions of people they reach, represent, and influence every day.
At Thotbox, our experience has shown that discussions around community media often begin with cost, rather than value. That thinking collapses under even the most basic scrutiny of the data. Community media does not only speak to the mass market; it straddles both mass and middle markets, reaching audiences at scale, in their own language, in context, and with credibility that many mainstream channels struggle to replicate.
When you invest in community media, you are not buying reach alone. You are buying relevance. You are buying trust. You are buying influence. Tenets that brands looking to grow should favour.
The mass market is also consistently misrepresented in industry narratives. It is flattened into SASSA numbers, LSM shorthand, and outdated assumptions that ignore the reality of how people live, earn, spend, and aspire. The township economy is largely cash-driven, under-audited, and routinely underestimated yet millions of rands circulate daily through informal and formal trade, retail, transport, fashion, food, and services. This is not a “cheap” audience. It is a liquid, active, consumption-driven market that brands continue to misunderstand at their own peril.
Crucially, this market is aspirational. Price is not always the barrier the industry assumes it to be and brands that understand this win. The success of premium brands within mass environments proves this point. Desire, status, and self-expression often drive purchase decisions more powerfully than price alone. Community media sits at the heart of this aspiration, shaping taste and culture, building credibility, and influencing brand choice in ways that are both intimate and scalable.
To label community media as cheap is to misunderstand its power and dismiss its audience. It reinforces outdated ideas about who consumes media, how they consume it, and what they can afford. Community media is not a discount channel, it’s is a strategic gateway into South Africa’s most influential and most misunderstood consumer base.
At Thotbox, we work in genuine partnership with community radio stations, building mutually beneficial relationships that honour both the value of the platform and the communities they serve. We believe that community media deserves the same strategic respect, rigour, and investment afforded to any other channel because the audiences it reaches are not peripheral to the economy, they are central to it.
For brands and agencies that prioritise growth, relevance, and long-term impact, the question is no longer whether community media works. The question is whether you can afford to keep undervaluing it.
Community media is not a compromise, it is a competitive advantage. At Thotbox, we will continue to champion the platforms and communities that shape real influence, because meaningful reach has always lived closest to the people. For brands and agencies looking to optimise mass and middle-market engagement through community media, Thotbox remains a committed and experienced partner. To continue the conversation, visit www.thotbox.co.za or contact az.oc.xobtoht@ofni.
