Reared On Radio

Short Writing Contest- My earliest memory of radio, is being positioned next to a massive mahogany speaker in the lounge of our house at 24 Geneva Rd, Blairgowrie in Randburg. That must have been in the early 70s as the roads in the suburb were not yet tarred. I recall having a sense of great excitement and expectation that our favourite shows like “The Eyes of Tracy Dark” or “Squad Cards” was coming onto to air. So must have been. A Friday night – every Friday I was Radio Ga Ga for Springbok Radio– glued to the radio and enjoying the sound stories which unfolded. It was part of the fabric of our lives.

Enter Radiocracy’s Short Writing Contest (before 28 October 2022)- My Radio Memory here

My grandfather, Claude Warrington-Jackson, who lived in Pietermaritzburg, was also an avid radio listener. Many a Saturday afternoon, he listened to the cricket matches being played around the country. Charles Fortune’s voice would boom out across the smart English lounge, filled with bookshelves and flowery patterned sofas and armchairs. He had a Sansui valve-set stereo tuner radio with matching wooden boxed speakers. I still have the radio set today, which was passed to me. Minus the speakers unfortunately. But I still have pleasure turning on the radio with its old-fashioned chrome knobs – it makes a deep, pop sound which the valves heat up and the set light is on. Many, many hours of happy listening have resulted from this radio – either to my favourite radio stations, records or later coupled to a DVD player. The sound from this tuner is like no other – it has a deeper, rounder sound in tenure. My grandpa loved to listen to BBC Radio News and Classic FM on many an occasion. When my lovely Gran, Doris, passed on, the radio became a companion to him too.

During my teenage years, all the music stations had me Radio Go Go. Especially the Springbok Hits show with David Gresham on Springbok Radio. His show set the course for which records and later the CDs you would seek to buy. And play over and over again! I had a silver portable radio set, with build-in speakers which could run on mains electricity or on batteries. It went everywhere with me. Because while listening to the radio, one could make a sandwich and do your homework, with the music pumping. It was the height of 80s music – a golden era where the revolutionary music of the time, reflected the changing world culture, views and the walls crashing down. We felt that we didn’t want to be “another brick in the wall” but if you owned a radio tuner, or portable or tuned in on your car radio, you were doing alright.

In essence, radio weaved a path in my own live that became a passion. In later years, I was fortunate to meet and work with a few of the talented broadcasters in this country. And even those who set the tone for free and independent radio in the country, like Robin Sewlal.

While working in public relations industry, in particular on Vodacom Journalist of the Year awards, I was honoured to meet radio journalists countrywide as they put forward their best work into the entries received. These journalists were from smaller regional stations as well as the larger commercial stations. Each of them played a part in informing and entertaining their audiences in a unique and profound way. Winners of the awards include talented journalists such as Nomsa Maseko, from EWN now at BBC Radio, who took the overall title for the awards in 2009.

Later, I got to meet and work with broadcasters such as Tom London, at Vodacom who launched in-house Yebo Radio with Tony Blewitt and the team. They brought the radio waves into Vodacom stores around the country. Many an interview was arranged by myself with them as part of the line-up on the various Vodacom projects and sponsorships.

How important is radio as a media platform in our country?

EWN reported in Februry 2022, the conversation, THAT RADIO IS THRIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA: 80% ARE TUNING IN

“Radio listenership in the country is consistently higher than the global average and even increased during the COVID-19 lockdowns of the past two years”. Therefore, radio still remains an effective means of mass communication, especially to those who don’t own a TV set.

The way in which South Africans consume radio has changed and built up to a crescendo of ways in which they can access it – through podcasts, live streaming and via a cell phone. But the essence of the power of radio remains the same. As the centenary of radio broadcasting in South Africa approach’s, we continue to enjoy our favourite shows, broadcasts and stations that entertainment, inform and appeal to us – in each of our own unique languages and style. The Radio beat lives on. By Jean Robertson