13 February 2018 is World Radio Day– a day to celebrate radio as a medium: to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.
Radio is the mass media reaching the widest audience in the world. It is also recognised as a powerful communication tool and a low cost medium
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.
A big thank you to all the biker’s, clubs and individuals who came out to support the launch of the Bush Radio Biker Show Winter Charity drive this past weekend (27 April 2013). Almost 2 tonnes of non-perishable food as well and blankets and clothes were collected!
Please remember the giving does not stop – we will be posting information regarding more collection points in the near future.
Winter is approaching fast and to assist those who need help the Bush Radio Biker Show in association with the Wings Motorcycle Club will be launching the BIKER SHOW WINTER CHARITY DRIVE.
The drive will take place on the 27 of April 2013 (Freedom Day) at the Shawco Hall, 12th Avenue Kensington from 1pm to 7pm.
The aim of the Freedom Day event is two-fold: To get 1,000kg of tinned food and 1,000 blankets on the day and to launch the Biker Show Winter Charity Drive. Our ultimate target is 2,000kg of tin food and 2,000 blankets, and a bakkie-load of winter clothing.
Biker’s and non-bikers are welcome to support this event.
Collection points will be pubs, shops, restaurants, churches, etc – are in the process of being identified.
Kensington / Factreton Meals on Wheels Organisation is an organisation that deals with caring for the home-based senior citizens and children. It includes nutritional support, healthcare and general wellbeing.
The Bush Radio Biker Show will also broadcast live from the event.
For more information or to get involved contact Trevor Davids on 074 475 2082
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has declared the 13th February 2013 as World Radio Day. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project we at Bush Radio fully support this intiative as we believe in the power of radio to help build communities and improve lives.
Whether it is through our Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) launched in 1996 where young people learn to use the medium to develop their skills and understanding of media or one of our programmes like Sakhisizwe – Bou die Nation, Build the Nation or even our specialised music programmes like Blues in the Bush where we connect the music to its roots in Africa – radio plays a vital part in almost everyone’s daily life.
Through technology like internet streamingBush Radio is able to connect to the entire planet with it’s audience not just from Cape Flats but with dedicated listeners in Asia, Europe and the Americas tuning into the station online through computers or mobile phones, Bush Radio truly is more than just FM radio.
The Bush Radio Biker Show was broadcast live from the 2013 Steppies Rally in Hawston this past weekend. Joing the crew for the first time was Bushradionews intern Athenkosi Mvane. We asked him to give us his take on being at a rally for the first time.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “biker rally”?
For me, honestly; bad mannered, long-bearded, baseball bat carrying, chain-wielding angry men.
Saturday would have been the day that would have given me concrete evidence that my stereotypes learned from bad-boy movies were true.
I had little sleep the previous night, fantasies of watching tyre burn-outs and drag racing on a long stretch of road had me tossing and turning like a rider on a hair pin bend.
The trip from Cape Town to Hawston felt longer than it was; my eagerness to reach my christening into the forbidden world of two wheelers got the better of me. The picturesque scenery on the drive gave little amusement to my yearning.
Upon our arrival at the Hawston resort, we were signed in by members of the rally hosts, the Stepchildren Motorcycle Club, who showed us the centre of the event and stage.
It was tent next to tent, motorbike after motorbike, braai-stand smoke breathing life into the sea-breeze that whispered relief from the scorching sun that illuminated.
There were high spirits in the main tent as the bikers raved the heat away.
The Bush Radio technical team set up the stage in preparation for the Biker Show’s broadcast from the rally.
This was my first experience of being present during an outside broadcast in my four months with the Bush family.
With the equipment prepared, I headed out into unfamiliar territory and joined the biking community.
Each of the clubs had set up banners displaying their colours and logos, proudly wearing their cuts* adorned with various rally badges.
*A cut-off, also known as a kutte is a type of vest or jacket which originated in the biker subculture
I met club bikers, freelancers and non-bike affiliated supporters of the fraternity.
Richard Appel of Gaansbaai said rallies brought him together with friends from different places who don’t meet for long periods of time.
From the Ikon Cycle Club, Bradley Bruinders said the fellowship of the bikers was a time to be around people who share the same vision and bond. One of their biking team-mates had been biking for 28 years.
Alec Abrahams of Athlone, who has been biking since 1982, said the fellowship of the different clans is what brings him to rallies. “It is something that grew on me since the first time I saw a motorcycle”.
Cuan Edick said his way through biking was unplanned, as he had given a friend some money to buy him a car, and when he had returned home from work, he found a bike instead. “I couldn’t even ride a bike back then” he said.
Jacqui De Doncker said her reason for being at the rally was purely to have fun and to support her biking friends. “The biking community is friendly and they know how to have fun.”
From Atlantis, Cindy Samuels had come to support the hosts Stepchildren, because she found their work in the community amazing. She said, “It makes people see that biking is not about only partying, but about giving back.”
Emile Fredericks from the Claw Riders Club said the biking fraternity is misunderstood by the general public. Their club supports a community crèche with everything the children need; from blankets, to toys and anything that would be of assistance. He boasted that when the Bush Radio Biker Show was started, the Claws were the first club to be invited for an interview.
To my surprise I encountered a club named Friends in Uniform who are police officers. Chantell Mutt chairs the club and said the rallies are one of the ways a cop can relax and have a good time. “The rally is fun, its tons of adrenaline from the sounds of the engines and just being in the company of good friends” Mutt said.
The experience for me was incredible. I got to a first-hand experience in the presence of the “meanies” and realised they are often misjudged by those who don’t understand the brother and sisterhood that exists between riders. They are not the movies’ portrayal of aggression; they are a crowd with big hearts too.
I learnt that there is a body that watches over and holds the clubs accountable which is the Motorcycle Association Western Cape. Under the MAWC registered clubs must adopt a charity of their choice to support.
I learnt that, like in any other group there are rivalries but under the MAWC, clubs that transgress the code of conduct (in which respect for other clubs is part of) are subject to penalties.
I saw no forms of anti-social behaviour at the rally but witnessed an immense amount of friendship, bonding and respect. Although we had to leave while the festivities were still underway I could not have asked for a better way to spend a working Saturday afternoon.
I may have no intention of joining a club soon, but I am converted to the rider lifestyle. Friendship, bikes and rock ‘n roll were the flavour of the day and what happened in Hawston will stay in my mind for a long time.
I want to congratulate the Stepchildren Motorcycle Club on a well-organised and spirited event. I hope this will not be the last time I experience a ride on the wild side.
Bush Radio‘s Everyday People and Biker Show broadcast live from the 2012 Wys Jou Muis Rally, which was organised by the Sons of Thunder MCC this past weekend at Kleinplassie in Worcester.
On the 18th of May 2011, South Africans took to the polls to put their mark in the fourth Local Government Elections. The race to the elections was an interesting one. Political parties pulled out all the stops to ensure that they received as many votes as possible, and the battle for the Western Cape was especially hotly contested.
With the help of these students, we brought you live reports from voting stations all over Cape Town. Together with our regular newsteam these students were our roaming reporters on the day as well as bringing reports and live programmes from the IEC results centre until the final results were announced.
Here the students share their experiences of being trained, working with, and reporting for Bush Radio with you:
“The 2011 local government elections were a nail-biting event, as it saw the leading party, the ANC and the official opposition the DA pulling out all stops to win the votes of the many registered South African voters. Being in the middle of this highly contested election was both a very nerve-wracking and very exciting experience for me. Reporting live for Bush Radio and speaking with both for time and regular was an experience that I will cherish for a very long time.”
Bhekimpilo Dungeni
“Working with Bush Radio is certainly great, but to get to cover the 2011 Local Government Elections and get to interview candidate councillors for different wards was an opportunity to die for. As a young and aspiring journalist, I had the opportunity to mingle with different political officials as they made their last minute rounds before the voting stations doors closed at 7pm on Election Day. It was a great experience being live on radio for the first time, although nervous at first, but it kept me on the edge and it became the drive for me to deliver the best of my ability. I am certainly looking forward to working with Bush Radio in future, and I thank the whole team at Bush Radio who went out of their way to make sure we were ready for the big day. Thank you to our CPUT colleagues and lecturer Mr Shepi Mati for believing in us.”
“When they told us we are going to be reporting live from our voting stations, I was nervous. I didn’t know how to feel, what to feel. When I started that morning it was cold but I made the most of it. As the time for my live cross approached, my heart was beating faster. But after that it went better. Despite me being nervous, I was excited at the time. I was going to vote for the very first time. That experience cannot be put into words. I sounded somewhat professional although I’m still a student. The Bush Radio team put a great deal of energy and faith into training us for this particular task and they are great for that. Not forgetting Mr. Mati for all his awesomeness.”
Thapelo Sodinga
“As a young journalist and a person who is studying journalism at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, being on the field is the most important thing that I always wished would happen in my career. On the 18th may 2011, I can say my dream had come true. The experience that I had during the IEC local government elections was quite a phenomenal one. My experience of the day is really indescribable working with Bush Radio. And of course talking with the Congress of the People (COPE) candidate Mr Phinda Siyo on the day was such an exciting moment for me. Getting to know the process of those elections was also a wonderful experience for me. Lastly, thanks to Bush Radio who gave us such platform to showcase our skills.”
Lauren Petersen
“The Municipal elections are always very exciting but this year it was even more exciting. The reason for this is because I reported live for Bush Radio about the events happening in my area on that day. At first I was nervous because thousands of people will be listening to me, not to mention my family as well. I’m glad everything went smooth though, and according to plan. I enjoyed every moment of it, even standing in the cold and coming home with a headache it was all worth it. Thank you to the Bush Radio Team for giving me the opportunity to be a real journalist for a day.”
Dylan Oktober
“Covering the local government elections was an exceptional experience from the time I arrived at the voting station till the time the voting station closed. It was exciting reporting the happenings of the day as well as interviewing people from different walks of life. I must admit that reporting for the first time was nerve-wracking and required a lot of work as the day progressed but I was able to handle the pressure and deliver a product with which I am satisfied with. I feel privileged for being given the opportunity to report for Bush Radio and I am thankful for the staff’s support throughout the day.”
Baden Gillion
“The experience of working as a journalist reporting on the local elections has been one of the highlights of my life and the memories will always stay with me. The highlights for me were reporting for Bush on the voting process at my local voting stations, to co-hosting the live radio show, Backchat, interviewing Marius Fransman, the Chairperson of the ANC. The absolute best moment was breaking a news story about an investigation into an IEC official before any other media house. This has been an amazing life experience and I’d like to thank Bush Radio for giving me this opportunity.”
“Bush Radio has granted me one of the greatest experiences in my life. For the first time since I’ve started my studies I felt like a “real” journalist. My highlights include every second spent at the IEC Results Centre, where I interviewed various politicians, lined up various politicians alongside my fellow student journalists, including getting the Tony Ehrenreich interview for the coveted 7 o’clock spot, ahead of other media institutions. Also co-hosting Backchat along with my fellow student journalists was a nerve-wracking but ultimately awesome experience. I would like to express my gratitude towards Bush Radio for handing us this opportunity which has helped us to become better journalists. Also a special thanks to Lusanda, Khanyisa and Freedom for showing us the ropes first hand, you guys were awesome.”
“Every student has a particular inclination or plateau within their chosen field of study which they aspire to, something that makes them say “I could do that” or “that will be me in ten years”. Personally, one of these inclinations has always been radio journalism, so when the opportunity to work and gain real-life experience with the Bush Radio team was made available to me, saying that I was excited would probably be the understatement of the year. From the very start of our “working week” all of the students involved were made to feel welcome and part of the team, even though we had very important tasks to perform under the Bush Radio banner: Live coverage in residential areas of the 2011 IEC Municipal elections and coverage of all the happenings at the IEC results centre afterwards, which culminated in myself and three of my class-mates co-hosting Backchat. I would just like to thank the Bush Radio crew as a whole, because by the end of the week I was looking at people within the journalism profession whom I admire and saying: “I did that” and “that was me yesterday”.
For the past few weeks we have been getting nine first-year journalism students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology ready to assist our newsroom trainees to ensure that we have on-the-ground coverage of the elections.
Our LGE2011 team will be bring you updates and live reports from Mitchells Plain to Khayelitsha, Kensington to Belhar and Wynberg through to Bellville. They will be filing reports from 7am through to after the polls close at 7pm.
Stay tuned for the newsteam’s wrap-up programme of the day’s events from 7 to 8pm.
We will also be based at the IEC Operations Centre until the final results are released, bringing you any alerts and results as they become available.
So tune into 89.5 FM or online and on your mobile.
Independent: Thembisile Mbenenene, Lusanda Bill (Bushnews), Mario Wanza
Catch the forth of a series of debates with political parties contesting the 2011 Local Government Elections in the Western Cape on Newsline tonight (12 May 2011) at 7pm, repeated Friday at 8pm.
Tonight the Bushnews team spoke to two independent candidates.
Winter is approaching fast and to assist those who need help the Bush Radio Biker Show in association with the Wings Motorcycle Club will be launching the BIKER SHOW WINTER CHARITY DRIVE.
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