Mahluli Mngadi: In your ear
In these days of wall-to-wall music everywhere, it is refreshingly rare to listen to a well-researched and produced programme on a local community radio station. But then one should not be surprised because Bush Radio is the mother of community radio stations in Africa.
It was a founding member of the national Community Radio Forum (NCRF) which lobbied for community broadcasting way back in 1991. Bush Radio took over the infrastructure of one other member of NCRF, the Cassette Education Trust (established in 1987) and continued programme production and distribution of cassettes to the local community, especially in the Cape Flats.
When the former government turned down several applications for a licence, Bush Radio made its first illegal broadcast – which lasted only four hours. Its transmitter was confiscated but later returned, when Bush Radio won the court case.
The main strength of the station lies in the thorough training of Bush members and volunteers, mainly drawn from local community organisations.
This is evident in its varied fare consisting roughly of 40% talk shows and 60% music. There are magazine programmes about gays and lesbians, labour and human rights issues, children’s and gender-related programmes.
Bush Radio, which shares its frequency with Radio C-Flat, broadcasts seven days a week between 2pm and 2am in the official languages of the Western Cape: Xhosa, Afrikaans and English.
It has its own small news service, plus a satellite link with BBC World Service and the Voice of America for world news.
According to assistant station manager Adriaan Louw, the target audience is a mixed bag, ranging from scholars, the unemployed, the youth, community organisations to professionals. So is the music, which includes reggae, hip-hop, Cape jazz, kwaito and music from the African continent.
The station hopes to apply for a four-year permanent licence from the IBA when the present temporary one expires.