Radio RSA

Radio RSA: The Voice of South Africa was the international broadcasting service of the Republic of South Africa. It was run by the South African Broadcasting Corporation from its inception on 1 May1966 until its demise in 1992 following the end of the apartheid era. Radio RSA broadcast news and opinion programming, which was often propaganda aimed at defending the apartheid regime and demonizing its opponents, like the African National Congress.

Management

Radio RSA, as part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, was originally part of the Department of Information, which was established after the 1948 National Party victory. The Department of Information’s task was to promote the image of South Africa internationally and reduce criticism of apartheid. After the Muldergate scandal of the late 1970s, the functions of the Department of Information were split. The Department of Foreign Affairs took over control of Radio RSA. [Horwitz, Robert Britt. Communication and Democratic Reform in South Africa. 2001, page 287] The annual budget was about 20 million rands.

In 1976, Radio RSA transmitted for 36 hours a week, using the transmitters of Springbok Radio and the three regional services. [Sandra Van der Merwe., The Environment of South African Business. 1976, Maskew Miller. ISBN 062300948X, page 35] Radio RSA broadcast in 12 languages in 1976 [Michael O'Mara. Facts About the World's Nations. 1999, H.W. Wilson. ISBN 0824209559, p. 863] including English, French, Portuguese, and Afrikaans. In 1984, 11 languages were broadcast. [ Roberts, Steven. International Directory of Telecommunications: Market Trends, Companies. 1984, Longman. ISBN 0582900212. p 17]

Facilities

The studios of Radio RSA were located in Johannesburg, with additional facilities in Bloemindal.

Transmitters operated at 250 to 500 kW power.

Identification

The station identification in English was “"This is Radio RSA, the Voice of South Africa, calling from Johannesburg", with similar announcements in other languages: "Ici R. RSA, la Voix de l'Afrique de Sud". [Johansen, Oluf Lund. World Radio and TV Handbook: 1978 edition, page 146] [World Radio TV Handbook, 1992 edition, p. 168]

In 1992, following the fall of apartheid and the election of an ANC government, the service was renamed Channel Africa.

References