Franschhoek on air soon
2007-04-25
FRIDAY the 13th is supposed to be a bad luck day. However, the board and staff of Franschhoek FM 87.6 learned to their delight on Friday 13 April that their strenuous efforts to have their application approved had succeeded, and that a community radio licence has been granted by unconditionally ICASA.
With the licence came all the conditions for a community radio licence, which are quite precise and differentiate it from a commercial radio licence.
For example, the station has to be run on a non-profit basis, which does not mean that it cannot make money, only that it cannot have shareholders that receive dividends.
Any excess income must be used by the station to pay reasonable salaries and to engage in community activities like sponsoring jazz festivals or soccer tour naments.
Loretta Isaacs, the station manager designate, says: “Obviously FH FM will broadcast many programmes aimed at assisting learners at local schools like reading set-works, providing background to the social studies syllabus and getting specialists to answer phone-in questions.
“There will also be early morning programmes for nursery schools and child minders made up of playschool songs and stories.”
News will also be featured at certain times of the day.
Alfrieda Fortuin, Chairperson of the Board, stresses the importance of the station in airing local problems.
“Local municipal and civic issues will be discussed on a regular basis with panels of local councillors and officials appearing on phone-in shows.
“This will be the greatest strength of our community radio, the capacity to generate dialogue between individuals or groups that have never had a chance to air their views to each other.
John van Zyl, consultant to FH FM, says that there is still a lot of work to be done.
”The station will probably be on air live from 06:00 to 20:00 every day, and after that will play music throughout the night, with a different genre every night of the week. That means we have to train a lot of presenters, writers and producers.
“It will broadcast in three languages: Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa.
“Any radio station takes at least two years to find its voice. But at least we’ve got our licence. That’s the first step.”
Vacancies at the station are advertised today (see Business Post inside).
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