Sometimes you need to take a time out and Rush!

At Bush Radio we deal with very serious issues everyday and an important part of what we do is also individual development (you need to be learning something to be part of Bush). So every Wednesday at the station we host a Staff Development session – normally we gather around “The Big Table” to discuss, debate, watch and learn.

Sometimes we have a chance to get out of the office for some fun. This time Rush hosted us for a fun session, where we could blow off some steam.

Disrupting the media and honouring our roots

Do you like needles? (Video) #WorldNoTobaccoDay

In support of #WorldNoTobaccoDay the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa came to do Health Risk Assessments #HRA for BushRadio trainees, staff and volunteers – because of the importance we did them even if we don’t like needles 🙂

Let’s support each other in getting healthier.

@bushradio895fm

Even if we hate needles – our health is important. Health Assesments at #BushRadio thanks to Heart + Stroke Foundation #worldnotabaccoday

♬ original sound – BushRadio

Getting physical at the office

As part of Bush Radio’s regular weekly staff development sessions, the team decided to get physical. Zola Sibiya of Zola’s Aerobics Club in Gugulethu came in to shake some things up at the office.

Let’s get physical (Video)

As part of the regular staff development sessions at Bush Radio we tried finding out what this “getting fit” thing is all about.

Over the years we’ve done – yoga, how to change a car tire, the internal combustion engine, soldering, signal path etc but this was a special challenge.

The Bush team was hosted by James Owen who put us through our paces. If you want more information on the 360 Specialised Training programme contact James on 074 44 45087.

 

Saying goodbye to Cape Town…a sum of parts

Drew presenting a staff development session at Bush radio discussing his hometown

Recently our intern from the University of Connecticut, Andrew (Drew) Brathwaite returned to the United States after almost 4 months at the station. A requirement of every foreign intern at Bush Radio is that they host at least one hour of programming a week during their stay – sharing their interests and experiences with the broader Cape Town.

In Drew’s final programme he read a poem which he wrote about his Cape Town experience. We thought we would share it here.

Listen to a clip from Drew’s programme and him reading his poem – Click here

A Sum of Parts

This is the part where I get reflective and emotional, where I summon tidal waves of gratitude and mixed feelings of excitement and disappointment. This is the part where I talk about all the wonderful things I’ve learned and the fantastic people I’ve met, how my life has been irrevocably changed for the better, my mind expanded and open, my horizons broadened.

This is the part where I balance my experiences on a series of metaphors and wax poetic about having taken advantage of once in a lifetime opportunities.

This is the part where I use words like “unforgettable”, “profound”, “extraordinary”, “amazing”, “incredible”, the part where I spout superlatives like “Best”, “Kindest”, “Nicest”, “Sweetest”, “Craziest”, “Saddest”, “Strangest”, “Oldest”. This is the part where I make note of important life lessons I’ve learned and committed to preserving in my heart.

This is the part where I assure you that I am DEFINITELY coming back.  Here is a picture of me at a moment of spectacular bliss.

Here is a picture of me walking, running, hiking, climbing.

Here is a picture of me thoughtful, pensive, attentive, deliberate, focused.

Here is a picture of me with some delightful children.

This is the part where I tell you that there’s no way I can summarize Cape Town in a single post. This is the part where I proceed to summarize Cape Town in a single post. This the part where I highlight my firsts and lasts, my highs and lows, and my sadness at the thought of leaving.

This is the part where I tell you “There’s no place like Cape Town”.

Related:

Foreign Internships

Camping it up at Parliament

Yesterday as part of our regular Wednesday staff development session, Bush Radio members went to Parliament to check out the Right2Know’s Camp-Out for Openess and take part in the teach-in that was running at that time.

Fear Factor – Bush Radio style

Bush Radio staff and trainees decided to do something “fun” for the Wednesday staff development session this week. It involved tasting lots of weird dishes and breaking a few eggs.

Discover your inner child at the Cape Town Science Centre

 

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A visit to the Cape Town Science Centre yesterday for Bush Radio’s weekly Staff Development turned out to be a fun playground for the staff.

We had the opportunity to explore amazing displays like the biggest cell phone (video) which made it into the World Guinness Book of Records, Mindball, the game where you control a ball with your brain waves and Sive Msolo became a guinea pig when he went for a spin on the Human Gyroscope (video) to experience weightlessness.

It’s a great opportunity to take your whole family for a day of exploring science.

Call the Cape Town Science Centre on: 021 300 3200 / 083 276 9501

67 more minutes of activism #Mandeladay

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Some of the Bush Radio trainees and volunteers joined in on the 67 minutes of community activism protest at Parliament, calling for a stop to necklacing and asking parliamentarians to help address the issues of poverty in our communities – an underlying cause of crime.

Related:

Making every minute count – #madiba67

Nelson Mandela speaks

Getting our signal to you – A visit to Sentech

As part of Bush Radio regular staff development sessions we thought we’d learn a little bit more about how our signal gets to our listeners and meet some of the people involved in the process.

On Wednesday we visited Sentech, which Bush Radio uses to distribute its FM signal (89.5) to listeners.

Frank Creese – Manager: Cape Town Operations

Frank Creese who is the Manager of Cape Town Operations for Sentech gave us a presentation about Sentech and its services and also conducted a tour of their facilities.

Some facts about Sentech: it has 220 transmitting stations, 742 radio transmitters, 627 television transmitters and 550 staff members at its 16 centres nationally.

Ernst Heydenrych, Senior Technician explaining the finer points of transmission and compression to Sinethemba, Isherene and Lusanda

Bush Radio is currently considering upgrading the old Telkom copper wire connection which send our signal from the studio in Salt River to Sentech and Creese shared some clarity on why fibre optic is the way to go to get improved audio quality to the transmitter.

Gary Urion, Supervisor Transmission Centre Western Region (centre) with Sinethemba, Freedom and Victor

Our staff were amazed when we were taken into the Sentech’s operations centre where the main broadcasting (TV and Radio) signals are monitored 24/7, 365 days a year.

View from transmitter site in Tygerberg

We then went to the Sentech’s transmitter site in Tygerberg where many of the community and commercial radio stations transmitters are located. A highlight was also seeing the new digital television transmitter.

Related: In your ear and in your brain – worldwide