Chai FM

101.9 Chai FM

Broadcast area	Greater Johannesburg on 101.9 FM (worldwide via audio streaming)
Frequency	101.9 FM
First air date	09 December 2008
Format	Talk Radio
Owner	The JHB Jewish Community
Website	http://www.chaifm.com [2]

Chai FM is a South African Jewish community radio station broadcasting to the greater Johannesburg area on 101.9 FM. It broadcasts 24 hours a day six days a week, taking a break from Friday night to Saturday night because of Shabbat.^[1]

The beginning

Chai FM is the only full time FM Jewish Radio Station in Africa providing Torah content, current affairs and unity to the South African Jewish Community.

In April 2005, Kathy Kaler was driving with her mother Sandy. She had a dream in which she heard Kathy on the radio. There were three very significant things about this conversation; firstly her mother never recalls her dreams, secondly she explained that she “had” to tell me her dream with an unusual sense of urgency and lastly Kathy knew what her personal reason was for being born.

Kathy then immediately quit her job and began to learn about the many aspects of community radio; conducted community research, interviewed many community members, collected over 2500 signatures of support and fell in love with my community.

Five weeks later the first application for the community radio license was submitted. In 2005 the laws governing community broadcasting licenses stipulated that applications could only be by invitations to apply. At that time ICASA (the issuing body) would identify available frequencies and publish them in the government gazette with an invitation to apply. What’s amazing is the fact that 2005 was the first time in 9 years that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) had published invitations to apply.

At that point I knew the station had to be called “Chai Fm” – Life.

The only frequency available for Gauteng province was 89.1 Fm – a frequency previously used by Alex Fm. During the application process Kathy realised the 89.1 Fm “footprint “ was localised to Alexandra Township and could not have been used for the purposes of the Jewish community. However, she continued with the application not only because she was totally driven by the potential good for the Jewish community but because on another level she knew it was meant to be. The frequency of 89.1 added up to 18 – Chai in Gamatria.

The application was submitted in June 2005 and in December that year the team formally withdrew our application at the public hearings. But it was our “foot in the door”. At the hearings we pushed the parliamentary councillors for a date when the next invitations to apply would be published. We was assured it would be in February/March 2006.

Something is Better than Nothing

Our calls to ICASA during the first half of 2006 produced no reward. They were not going to publish invitations to apply. Surely something is better than nothing? Kathy then launched an application for a 30 day “Special Events Broadcast” license. Our special event would be the Jewish high holidays and the broadcast period would be for the preceding month, the month of Elul 2006. We compiled and submitted a new application in June 2006. ICASA staff had assured us that it was only in extremely rare cases that ICASA turned down these special events licenses. As the weeks grew shorter and the Chai Fm preparations were finalised, our enquiries to ICASA about the status of our application always got the same response. They were still busy with it. 3 days before Chai Fm was due to go on air Kathy drove to the ICASA offices and refused to leave until she had a decision. The decision finally came via a telephone call to reception where she was waiting. The frequency that ICASA used for special events was given to a commercial talk station as their fm frequency.

At the same time we contacted ICASA to inform them we would be applying for a special events license, they notified us that the laws governing broadcasting in South Africa had just been changed. The laws, known as the Electronic Communications Act, would govern all electronic media.

A few days later on the 4th of June, the call came through from ICASA to say that Chai Fm had been granted the licence. The Hebrew was Chai Sivan - the 18th of Sivan.

At that point, a member of the community, Moshe Chaim (Antony) Wegener stepped up to fund the project entirely by himself. He and another man Isaac also spent tireless hours building the studios from scratch into the now world class beautiful studios.

The On Air Team

The Boker Tov Breakfast show Hosted by Greg Hurvitz Produce by Juan Coetzee Sports by Tracy Pepper News/Traffic Tehilla Niselow Driven By Desmond Mongoai.

In Your Element with Nikki Sebirini.

Taking Soul 2 Soul with Lance levin.

The Afternoon Drive show Hosted by David Batzofin Produced By Juan Coetzee Drive/sports/traffic Bryan Isakow News Portia Adams.

Jewish Radio Worldwide

Australia: Melbourne Jewish Radio (Lion FM)

External links

• Chai FM

References

1. ^ [1]