A South African music radio station bearing the name of the Jacaranda tree - which is famous for adorning the city of Pretoria - is planning to move its studio and offices to a business tech hub along Johannesburg’s busiest freeway.

Jacaranda FM started out in Pretoria in the 1980s and according to its current owners, Kagiso Media, the station has grown substantially to reach an audience of 2.2 million in 2011 across the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, the North West and Mpumalanga. The station is well-known for its tagline stating that it plays hits "from the 80s, 90s and now".

Kagiso Media also says on its website that the station has grown by over 20% in Johannesburg, the commercial hub of South Africa. As a result, it’s also not uncommon to tune into the station and hear radio presenters speaking in both Afrikaans and English.

And at a time when perceptions of Jacaranda FM being a Pretoria-based Afrikaans radio station are changing, Kagiso Media have decided to move its base to a hotspot property node along the busy N1 highway in Johannesburg.

The Trussard Property Development section on the N1 in Northern Johannesburg is quickly becoming home to a number of top tech companies in South Africa. The likes of Oracle and Vodacom are already in the area, while BT Group and Cell C are also set to move in the vicinity.

Officials from Jacaranda FM say the new premises is to have the capability of delivering a world class radio broadcast facility, which is one of the main reasons for the move.

Jacaranda is also expected to occupy the custom-built premises and broadcast from its new premises as of December 1, 2012.

“It's a big priority for Jacaranda to be situated between the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, in order to be in touch with both of our largest audiences,” Kevin Fine, Jacaranda FM general manager, told ITWeb Africa.

“While the move technically takes us from the border of Centurion to Midrand, there is not a 'mind shift' towards Johannesburg,” he continued.

Mark Truscott, who is a director at Trussard Property Consultants, said Jacaranda’s new spot is ideal, as it places the station in the line of sight of the Magaliesburg broadcast transmission tower. This in turn allows the station to provide its listeners with what is described as ‘crystal clear reception’.

Fine added that a spin-off of being in the area is that Vodacom has also had a hand in establishing a more reliable power grid in the area, meaning the station could be better protected from electricity outages.

But it’s not only its ideal location for better radio quality that’s attracted Jacaranda to this spot but rather its accessibility to staff and clients, as well as creating the competitive edge with rival stations.

“Moving doesn’t change the way we compete, however with a brand new broadcasting studio and editing and production studios; our people with a well-equipped environment will be in a better position to give their best and provide a better overall product,” said Fine.