25 Years and Beyond

At 2pm on the 9 August, 2020, Bush Radio marks the 25th anniversary of broadcasting with a license from the broadcast authority.

Read: Bush Radio, Africa’s oldest community radio station project

9 August 1995 – South Africa’s first National Women’s Day – was chosen because we wanted to honour all the women who had been instrumental in giving rise to the community radio sector and establishing Bush Radio, in particular.

Listen to an audio documentary on Bush Radio and community radio

This year COVID19 has proven the importance of community media in helping the fight against the pandemic, by being a vital source of information and supporting the communities we serve through our programming.

Our events to celebrate 25 years of broadcasting were put on hold, but now we have an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve and look towards the next – dare we say it – quarter of a century!

READ: Radio, community and identity in #SouthAfrica: A rhizomatic study of Bush Radio in Cape Town – By Dr Tanja Bosch

During the pandemic, we can be together via 89.5FM and stream on http://www.bushradio.co.za

The Struggle to launch community radio – Partial Eclipse

Thank you for your support, and keep safe.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

Basic protective measures against the Novel #Coronavirus – click here

Official websites for accurate information regarding COVID19:

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

Regulations and Guidelines – Coronavirus Covid-19

World Health Organisation

Western Cape Government Health Department

Celebrate #AfricaDay with the Mother of Community Radio in Africa – #BushRadio (Images to download and share)

Africa Day on the 25th May is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union in 1963.

Join us as we celebrate all that makes us African. As Africa’s oldest community radio station project, this day has a special significance to us.

Below are graphics you can use on social media.

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On your phone click on the image and sa. On a computer right-click and save as

The video clip above features an amended extract from the, “I am an African” speech by Thabo Mbeki at the adoption of the RSA Constitution Bill, 8 May 1996 and was made by our trainees a few years ago.

Basic protective measures against the Novel #Coronavirus – click here

Official websites for accurate information regarding COVID19:

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

Regulations and Guidelines – Coronavirus Covid-19

World Health Organisation

Western Cape Government Health Department

A call for journalism without fear or favour – World Press Freedom Day 2020

World Press Freedom day (3 May) is a date which celebrates the principles of press freedom, to evaluate and defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence.

· Support independent journalism so that media workers can report without fear or favour. Newsrooms should be free to make independent editorial decisions that favour public interest and preserve accountability.

· A free and independent press is essential at all times, but is particularly important during a health crisis such as the one we are currently experiencing. At a time when many seek information primarily online, the role of professional journalists, whom are trained to help sort through the flow and provide necessary guidance, is vital.

· No crisis can be resolved without accurate and reliable information. At all levels, from governments to individuals, the decisions we make can be a matter of life and death and must be based on facts and science.

· It is only through joint multilateral coordination that these crucial issues can successfully be addressed, and we are deeply committed to this global effort.

· It is also important to help the media and journalists report on the crisis effectively and safely, and to promote critical thinking to limit the spread of rumors and misinformation.

· On World Press Freedom Day, on 3 May, UNESCO calls on governments, media and civil society to join us in a global online movement to draw the world’s attention to these issues which are essential to the survival of our democracies. Together, we will ensure that our response to the crisis is effective. This unprecedented health crisis has the potential to rebuild citizens’ trust in the media.

Text: UNESCO

How you can keep Bush Radio’s work moving. CLICK HERE

Related:

Basic protective measures against the Novel #Coronavirus – click here

Official websites for accurate information regarding COVID19:

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

Regulations and Guidelines – Coronavirus Covid-19

World Health Organisation

Western Cape Government Health Department

Ministers indifferent to the plight of the community radio sector

The National Community Radio Forum issued a press statement after their meeting with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) yesterday.

The meeting was held to discuss the current crises with regards to the planned closure of certain community radio stations by the broadcasting authority.

READ NCRF STATEMENT 7 November 2019 – Ministers indifferent to the plight of the #communityradio sector

Again Bush Radio is very concerned about these developments and we believe that a closure of one station is worrying. We call upon all parties involved to look for an amicable solution for the continued survival and growth of the community radio sector.

We also encourage communities, individuals, organisations and businesses to support their community radio stations.

Related:

Community Media demands to be heard

Keep your voice alive

Don’t just like what you hear.

The end of revolutionary radio in South Africa?

Don’t just like what you hear.

Have you received airtime on Bush Radio?

Have you received training at the station?

Have we promoted your song, organisation, issue or start-up?

Please consider making a contribution to the continued running of Africa’s oldest, volunteer driven, not-for-profit community radio station.

Check out: https://www.givengain.com/cc/bushradio/

Spread the word so that we can keep doing what we do by being of service.

For more information visit: www.bushradio.wordpress.com

Or visit www.bushradio.co.za to listen online and find links to our social media pages.

Find out more about the work of Bush Radio and the struggles of community media visit these articles:

allAfrica.com

Mail and Guardian

Politicians, drag queens and schoolchildren #SONA2019 #6thParliament

On Thursday the 20th June 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his State of the Nation address to the people of South Africa via Parliament.

As usual the Bush Radio team was at the sitting covering all aspects of the speech, from expectations of civil society and political parties, the fashion and the protests.

Here is a picture slideshow of some of the happenings:

Check out our instagram for more videos and pictures.

“Activism: Past, Present and Future.” #TBT

On Human Rights Day (21 March 2019) Bush Radio broadcast live from Community House as part of their celebration of 34 years of activism.

One of the our international interns, Katherine Goguen from the United States compiled this video clip.

Besides being part of the organizing committee, we also had several interviews leading up to the day and spent the day at Community House broadcasting and engaging in the discussions and activities

CLICK HERE for 6 important things to remember when using ATM’S.

 

Radio, dwasdeur jou porridge #WorldRadioDay

13 February is World Radio Day. A day we celebrate the power of radio in our lives. This year UNESCO’s theme for the day is “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace”.

We thought it appropriate that we ask our listeners, supporters, trainees and everyone who has used the medium to send us whatsapp video clips (because community radio moves with the times).

We received clips from listeners, Alternative Radio, BBC, activists, media professionals, editors and artists. The range of the responses we received clearly shows that Bush Radio lives up to this year’s theme of “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace”. More than just being one of the most sort after training radio stations, it truly is building bridges between the various communities we serve.

Watch some of the clips online via our YouTube channel.

All the action from #SONA2019

The State of the Nation address is a busy time for Bush Radio. It is usually the first major news event that our trainees cover. Our coverage has evolved from simply doing radio to producing videos, live tweeting and photography. Watch the playlist below:

Working at Radio Station and what it taught me.

The following was written by Maryam Adhikarie on her blog about her experience as an intern. (Reposted with permission)

It has been months since I updated my blog and it feels really good to get back into the swing of things. Consequently, a few months ago I applied for my first ever real Journalistic job in media. I’d never ever thought any sort of job would change me as much as a person as working in the media industry.

Just finished my 1st year final assignments and rushed over to catch a ride to head over to an interview I never thought I would have gotten. With no prior experience to what an actual interview entails I sat sweating on the seat taking a look at the surroundings and tried not to look like this was my first time.

Think of any police, bad cop, good cop type of scenario where they interrogate the suspect. It felt and looked like that with the interviewer asking questions and the room with the glass windows. I was very unsure on how to behave and the teenager in me at the time could not stop fidgeting. It was a process that I felt took an eternity.

I got the golden phone call, and soon was in training alongside my newly wed colleagues. Thrown straight into editing as much sound as we possibly could. It was a painstaking process of editing sound that I assure you no intern liked, however, it would benefit us immensely later when it came to collecting sound.

From editing we were taken outside, which we appreciated. What we did outside was collect sound from people on the streets. A basic question on current affairs asked to as much as people as you can get on record, called a Vox Pops. This is where we learnt how to approach people properly to get there opinions on anything such as sex, sport, politics to circumcision.

I thoroughly enjoyed asking people out on the streets on there opinions about things. It showed me a different perspective on things and made me more knowledgeable about how people think, enforcing the fact that not everyone thinks the same. There are instances where I would not agree with what the person is saying, however, I would reiterate in my mind that it is not my job to disagree, my job is to get a balanced story.

A balanced story is not something I was well equipped for when I started. I had to learn what a balanced story entails. There was so much learning that had to be done, not that my first year of Journalism did not prepare me enough, it is that there is certain things you have to learn in the field when your are thrown into the deep end.

University in essence is a safety net, you can make mistakes, whereas in the media industry or more specifically radio, your name as well as the company is on the line and that is where the pressure comes from. You repeat a year or a module if you fail at University and that is really no ‘biggie’, but in the media industry if you do mess up you may not have a job the next day and no media company would want to hire you after that. Protect your name.

Radio, specifically, sounds pretty easy when you listen to it, however, think of radio as a piano keyboard, anyone can sit down and press down onto the keypads but how terrible will that sound to the ears. You need to know what you doing and it does takes loads of practice. This is called engineering.

Watching presenters engineer for themselves, playing jingles, playing sound and multitasking was an honor to watch. I laugh as I write this sentence because I soon had to engineer for myself and that was, personally, for me, the most difficult but the most rewarding when I knew how. I felt like a puppet controlling the air waves and controlling what you heard, it was and will probably always be the best.

In the couple of months that I was there, news was pouring out of every corner and it would be overwhelming at first. But, overtime you would get familiar with the influx and amount of work put in to bring out your best story. You would learn how to work alongside people. I learnt that you wont be an expert at first everything takes time, some more than others, have patience.

Other than hardship, stress and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you also get to meet fellow presidents, ministers and politicians. Particularly in radio, because of the type of radio station I worked at you get to meet loads of different types of people from chefs to singers and dj’s, you really get a nice blend.

Read the original blog post and follow Maryam’s journey on twitter.