COM3706
Assignment 1 Semester 2 2026
Unique number
Due date: August 2026
A SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON SAFM’S
FACEBOOK PAGE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
This proposal examines how SAfm, a public broadcasting radio station within the
South African Broadcasting Corporation, engages audiences through its official
Facebook page, SAfmRadio, where station content continues beyond scheduled
radio programmes (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2025). Social media
gives radio audiences visible opportunities to react, comment, share and take part in
discussions, which makes Facebook useful for studying the changing relationship
between broadcasting and audience participation (Bosch, 2024). The proposed
analysis will concentrate on the latest fifty station posts so that the research remains
small enough for careful coding while still covering different topics, formats and
, A SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON SAFM’S
FACEBOOK PAGE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
This proposal examines how SAfm, a public broadcasting radio station within the
South African Broadcasting Corporation, engages audiences through its official
Facebook page, SAfmRadio, where station content continues beyond scheduled
radio programmes (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2025). Social media
gives radio audiences visible opportunities to react, comment, share and take part in
discussions, which makes Facebook useful for studying the changing relationship
between broadcasting and audience participation (Bosch, 2024). The proposed
analysis will concentrate on the latest fifty station posts so that the research remains
small enough for careful coding while still covering different topics, formats and
audience responses visible on the page. The following sections present the research
problem, three subproblems, relevant literature, network society theory and a mixed
methods research design for Karibu Media Strategies, including sampling, data
collection and analysis procedures (Du Plooy, 2013: 94–97).
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT / MAIN ISSUE
The research problem is that SAfm uses Facebook as part of its public broadcasting
communication, yet the visible patterns showing how the station engages audiences
on this platform need systematic description rather than assumption (Bosch, 2024).
This mixed methods, cross sectional study will analyse the fifty most recent posts
available on the official SAfmRadio Facebook page at the selected collection date,
because a research problem should clearly identify the issue, action, method and
time boundary (Du Plooy, 2013: 85–97). The study will classify post themes and
formats, count reactions, comments and shares, and interpret language together
with positive, neutral or negative audience responses so that the limited sample
describes current engagement without presenting one cross sectional snapshot as
proof of long term influence on listeners, using content analysis suited to measurable
and meaningful communication features (Neuendorf, 2017: 1–9).
1.3 SUBPROBLEMS
Assignment 1 Semester 2 2026
Unique number
Due date: August 2026
A SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON SAFM’S
FACEBOOK PAGE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
This proposal examines how SAfm, a public broadcasting radio station within the
South African Broadcasting Corporation, engages audiences through its official
Facebook page, SAfmRadio, where station content continues beyond scheduled
radio programmes (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2025). Social media
gives radio audiences visible opportunities to react, comment, share and take part in
discussions, which makes Facebook useful for studying the changing relationship
between broadcasting and audience participation (Bosch, 2024). The proposed
analysis will concentrate on the latest fifty station posts so that the research remains
small enough for careful coding while still covering different topics, formats and
, A SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON SAFM’S
FACEBOOK PAGE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
This proposal examines how SAfm, a public broadcasting radio station within the
South African Broadcasting Corporation, engages audiences through its official
Facebook page, SAfmRadio, where station content continues beyond scheduled
radio programmes (South African Broadcasting Corporation, 2025). Social media
gives radio audiences visible opportunities to react, comment, share and take part in
discussions, which makes Facebook useful for studying the changing relationship
between broadcasting and audience participation (Bosch, 2024). The proposed
analysis will concentrate on the latest fifty station posts so that the research remains
small enough for careful coding while still covering different topics, formats and
audience responses visible on the page. The following sections present the research
problem, three subproblems, relevant literature, network society theory and a mixed
methods research design for Karibu Media Strategies, including sampling, data
collection and analysis procedures (Du Plooy, 2013: 94–97).
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT / MAIN ISSUE
The research problem is that SAfm uses Facebook as part of its public broadcasting
communication, yet the visible patterns showing how the station engages audiences
on this platform need systematic description rather than assumption (Bosch, 2024).
This mixed methods, cross sectional study will analyse the fifty most recent posts
available on the official SAfmRadio Facebook page at the selected collection date,
because a research problem should clearly identify the issue, action, method and
time boundary (Du Plooy, 2013: 85–97). The study will classify post themes and
formats, count reactions, comments and shares, and interpret language together
with positive, neutral or negative audience responses so that the limited sample
describes current engagement without presenting one cross sectional snapshot as
proof of long term influence on listeners, using content analysis suited to measurable
and meaningful communication features (Neuendorf, 2017: 1–9).
1.3 SUBPROBLEMS
