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.
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.
In our continuous effort to engage with the communities we serve and make that interaction as easy – and cost effective- as possible, Bush Radio, Africa’s pioneering community radio station project, and Mxit, Africa’s largest mobile social network, have joined forces to provide listeners with a way to send messages to the station at 2 moola (that’s two cents!) per message.
According to Bush Radio Programme Integrator Adrian Louw: “Giving listeners another platform to interact with the station serves to fulfill our license conditions by making it easier for our audience to air their views and opinions.”
The new service combines Mxit‘s over 50 million registered users, and about 40 000 new registrations a day, and Bush Radio’s ability to be heard not only in Cape Town on 89.5FM, but nationally and internationally on mobile phones via its online stream.
Mxit Spokesperson Sphiwe T. Mahlangu says; “We are very happy to provide this solution to Bush Radio for all listeners of Bush Radio that are already on Mxit and the Mxit community that will have the opportunity engage with Bush Radio on this application.”
The station is confident that it will take radio to a new level of interaction and continue to be the leading community radio station on the continent.
Listeners who currently use Mxit will now be able to add Bush Radio on Mxit by going to Tradepost > Entertainment > Radio > Bush Radio.
You will then be able to find Bush Radio under Apps and send us a message whenever you like.
Get involved and join the conversation!
To download Mxit, go to m.mxit.com on your cellphone and follow the prompts.
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Connect with Bush Radio on the platform that suits you
An eyewitness account by Brenda Leonard, Bush Radio Managing Director.
The Mitchells Plain Backyard Dwellers invaded two pieces of land on Saturday, 14th May at 13h00. Approximately 2000 people invaded the first piece of land which is next to the Kapteinsklip Station. Over 4000 people invaded the second piece of land next to the Swartklip Indoor Sports Field. The City Police gave the invaders a warning and asked them to dismantle their structures and disperse, but people refused. When night fell, the City Police and SAPS withdrew from both sites. On Sunday, at about 10h15, the City Police and the Anti-Land Invasion Unit of the City of Cape Town moved in to demolish the structures at Kapteinsklip station, and they removed the materials that people used to build their structures. Four people were arrested.
At approximately 14h00 on Sunday afternoon, the City Police, SAPS and the Anti-Land Invasion Unit of the City of Cape Town moved in to demolish the structures at Swartklip Sports Field. People formed a barricade to prevent them from entering the site, and the City Police and SAPS then used teargas to disperse people.
When this did not work, they used a water cannon to disperse the crowd and to break down the shelters.
When people resisted the breaking down of the shelters, they arrested the people. The situation escalated and the SAPS and City Police used rubber bullets to disperse people. The invaders and surrounding communities retaliated and threw stones at the City Police and SAPS, causing them to withdraw from the site. The residents then burned tyres in the road trying to prevent the City Police and SAPS from coming back, and it resulted in thirteen people being arrested at Swartklip Sports Field.
Bush Radio is pleased to announce that we have two new members on our breakfast team – and they’re starting stiptelik at 6am on Monday, May 9.
Monde Kapa: familiar for his work on Bush Radio, a few stints at regional and national radio stations, television and commercials (see Monde’s CV). Monde returns to Cape Town airwaves and our online/mobile radio audience as the host of the energetic and dynamic Bush Radio breakfast show.
Monde will be giving back to the station which has introduced many of the radio and television personalities you now see in South Africa.
His role will be to ensure that the Breakfast Show continues to deliver the best and most real radio Cape Town has to offer.
Bhavna Singh: who may be familiar to most through her work on South Africa’s first 24-hour news channel, as well as her print and online work, will join Monde in the studio.
Bhavna describes herself as Durbanite-turned-Joburger finding her way in the Cape on her blog, and what better way for her to experience the Mother City than through the Mother of Community Radio in Africa.
The youngest member of the team is Dennis Kofi – affectionately known in the office as Dennis the Menace. Bush Radio is giving this young buck a taste of media and also readying the world for him.
Other additions to the Breakfast Team will be announced over the course of the month, so stay tuned to 89.5 FM or visit www.bushradio.co.za.
We have decided to launch a new audio streaming option for listeners who prefer to listen to Bush Radio online.
You can listen to Bush Radio online since 2001 and all we have now done is improved the quality and also made it possible for you to choose how you want to listen to us.
The main purpose of Bush Radio providing an online streaming service is to highlight issues from Cape Town to a global audience, and judging by the feedback we have been getting, it is working.
NetDynamix, the company which helped us install the new system provides direct technical support to you as a listener through bushradio@ndstream.net if you are struggling to listen to us online.