The organization of Bush Radio is faily simple (see flow chart above). There is Zane Ibrahim, one of the founders and the current managing director on the board of directors of the station, and whose life-size picture adorns the entrance under the caption, “Building Democracy Brick by Brick”. We never got the chance to meet Zane as he was out of the country, but from what I have been told about him he is quite a respected and quite an interesting person. He only returned to South Africa from exile in Canada in 1996 and has been involved in radio since 1976. There are many other managers and supervisors who include, Brenda Leonard and programme integrator Adrian Louwe, the people we interacted with the most and who were present at the time. Whenever any important decision needs to be made in terms of programming we have to check up with these three individuals. In the absence of Zane, they handle the entire functioning of the station. The management and production the program are divided based on the show. Like the show I have been assigned to, “Sakhisizwe” (a serious discussion-based show conducted in English and Xhosa that focuses on health, gender, labor, human rights, arts and environment issues and events in the community), has the main host, Busisiwe Mtabane and her producer Mishkah Anthony, who is in-charge of finding topics, arranging interviews and making sure everything runs smoothly when the show is live. My position was kind of under the main producer and I have the freedom to organize interviews that are interesting, current and relevant for the show. Both Mishkah and I were interns. And that is how most of the shows are constructed. There is a permanent host in the other talk-based shows like Denisia Adams for “Morning Cruise” (a magazine program between 9am to 12pm that is light and covers a variety of topics) and Bassie Montewa for “Backchat” (another light program between 2pm to 4pm) with each show having around one to two interns as producers – Amanda Sopko and Tina George for Morning Cruise and Darah Protas and Mikhaila for Backchat. Amanda, Darah and I were guided by the presenters and the other interns as to what to do and eventually, through a lot of trial and error, we got the hang of our jobs. The newsroom of Bush Radio is fully intern-run and is much more grueling and involves constantly making hourly audio reports and updates on news stories that are happening by the minute. There is much more field work involved in that and fortunately I got to experience that as I covered the World Economic Forum 2009 in Cape Town. All long-term interns are rotated between all shows throughout the year to experience the different kinds of production. Some of the shows are one-man shows like CREW which is a children’s only program on Saturdays and is coordinated by Nobukhosi Ngwenya. Another show called “Law on Call” is completely run by Odette Ismail, which focuses on helping people understanding the law and important cases in the city. The early morning, evening and late night programming include shows like “It’s All Good” (run by two RJs, Shiraz Ismail and Victor J) and “Everyday People” that take requests and dedications and play a variety of music from popular to house, the two most common genres in South Africa. And then there is a three-hour intern slot where Amanda, Darah and I each produce and present unique shows with occasional announcements and everything. There was “Animal Hour” by Darah at 1pm (every week the show focused on one animal indigenous to the area and looks at facts and conducts interviews), then “Tech Talk” by me at 2pm (a show that looked at tech-related news, interviews, top and latest gadgets, and advice and played house music) and finally “Boombox Generation” by Amanda at 3pm (a show that focused on students from different cultures, their likes and dislikes, music, and issues).
The newsroom is located in the very corner of the offices and has its own production room so their work is not interrupted or mixed with programming. The programming room is probably the largest room and is where the programming staff works. It also acts as one the meeting rooms when important discussions concerning the station need to be taken and where the weekly Monday morning meeting to talk about the previous week’s shows take place. Most people work between the hours of 8AM and 5PM and the rest work in shifts.
The general atmosphere is quite casual seeing that most of the staff and interns did not live during the peak and the rough times of apartheid but during the time when the National Party finally conceded and South Africa became a democracy with the ANC coming to power. One would assume that having grown up during less oppressive times they would not have experienced the apartheid system and may not find it an element in their lifestyle. On the contrary, the people at Bush Radio are very much in touch with their nation’s history and often discuss it or bring it up in conversations. The staff at Bush Radio is diverse and so there are bound to be interactions between blacks and whites in this small organization. A lot of the whites and Afrikaners in the station even work under black and Colored hosts. So the question of any white supremacy existing is not applicable. There is no animosity or grouping or separatism at all in the station. I suppose this is largely because it is a community station and there is hardly any economic or financial motive and the main concern is to inform and educate. It may sound flowery and idealistic but it is quite true. There are no advertisements run or products endorsed or even gifts accepted. In terms of the power shift, the only thing that the staff often discusses about is the promises the ANC made when it came to power and whether they have been fulfilled. Most of them come are well-informed and exposed and have seen and heard more about the city and its inhabitants. Therefore, they have a very clear idea of what they are talking about and issues affecting the community in Cape Town.
As a community station, it is necessary and inevitable to tackle all racial, sexual and class issues. A show like Sakhisizwe allots importance to each of these issues by talking about them or conducting interviews in these topics on specific days. Mondays are for health issues, Tuesdays are for human rights issues, Wednesdays are for gender issues, Thursdays are for labor issues and Fridays are for arts and environment. Almost every other day we have people who are HIV positive, a member of the LGBT community, a rape crisis center coordinator from townships like Khayelitsha in the studio. No issue, except for religion, is ever avoided in any sense and cannot be so. Instead of advertisements there are announcements made that encourage listeners to submit any issue that they want to hear discussed and report any kidnappings or violence occurring in the community. In short, Bush Radio presents the issues as they are with no frillings or softening.
Among the three girls working at Bush Radio from Emory, I am the only one who is not an American citizen, not white and a Hindu. In some ways my situation is unique as I was the only foreigner there who lived in Dubai but holds an Indian passport. At first they clumped me as American but the more they got to know me, the more curious they became about where I was from and my perspective. They have had many American interns but never one from the Middle East. There are some South Africans who are of Indian origin at Bush Radio but their connection with India is completely different from mine, which is more direct and immediate as I have lived and studied in India. Therefore, I think in a way my presence added a more international dynamic in the office, just because of my background and past experience. During lunch when we all used to gather around the conference table to eat, I would add in sometimes a global point-of-view to the discussion. Once we were talking about American TV shows and which ones are popular among South Africans. I could somehow relate to the whole concept of getting shows late and watching re-runs of old shows daily that probably no longer run in the US. Then I told them about how a lot of Western shows aired in the Gulf are censored for “inappropriate” comments and scenes. Even the different food we bought to the table would raise curiosities. There was this one time I brought dahi chawal which is essentially curd mixed with rice, a common Indian dish. Somehow, everyone could not stomach (literally) how I found it delicious and why the two ingredients were being mixed in the first place. To them it had no taste appeal and I had to convince them that I actually really liked it and that I was not forcing myself. When we would go out as an office, sometimes the topic of drinking habits would come up. The discussion of how alcohol is viewed in cultures would come up and I would present the Hindu and Dubai perspective. There were also Muslims in our group who differed greatly among themselves in their opinion on drinking.
In general, Bush Radio is a very small-scale organization with a lot of emotional, political and personal sentiment involved but conducted with a very professional attitude equal to that of any big media company, yet maintaining its grassroots and people-oriented movement. If there is only one thing lacking it is resources. There are only two production rooms, with one not having a functioning microphone and a fully-functional CD player. During the times we as interns needed the rooms to record our shows for Saturday we had to literally jostle to get an hour to record. From Bush Radio’s history as an illegal and revolutionary organization it is apparent that they receive support from the community, donations and from fund-raising events. The station clearly has objectives and goals that are completely different from a commercial station, which does present a dilemma as to how to resolve this issue. One step that could be taken would be to solicit more funding by raising more awareness about the role of Bush Radio in the South Africa’s past and present.
The newsroom is located in the very corner of the offices and has its own production room so their work is not interrupted or mixed with programming. The programming room is probably the largest room and is where the programming staff works. It also acts as one the meeting rooms when important discussions concerning the station need to be taken and where the weekly Monday morning meeting to talk about the previous week’s shows take place. Most people work between the hours of 8AM and 5PM and the rest work in shifts.
The general atmosphere is quite casual seeing that most of the staff and interns did not live during the peak and the rough times of apartheid but during the time when the National Party finally conceded and South Africa became a democracy with the ANC coming to power. One would assume that having grown up during less oppressive times they would not have experienced the apartheid system and may not find it an element in their lifestyle. On the contrary, the people at Bush Radio are very much in touch with their nation’s history and often discuss it or bring it up in conversations. The staff at Bush Radio is diverse and so there are bound to be interactions between blacks and whites in this small organization. A lot of the whites and Afrikaners in the station even work under black and Colored hosts. So the question of any white supremacy existing is not applicable. There is no animosity or grouping or separatism at all in the station. I suppose this is largely because it is a community station and there is hardly any economic or financial motive and the main concern is to inform and educate. It may sound flowery and idealistic but it is quite true. There are no advertisements run or products endorsed or even gifts accepted. In terms of the power shift, the only thing that the staff often discusses about is the promises the ANC made when it came to power and whether they have been fulfilled. Most of them come are well-informed and exposed and have seen and heard more about the city and its inhabitants. Therefore, they have a very clear idea of what they are talking about and issues affecting the community in Cape Town.
As a community station, it is necessary and inevitable to tackle all racial, sexual and class issues. A show like Sakhisizwe allots importance to each of these issues by talking about them or conducting interviews in these topics on specific days. Mondays are for health issues, Tuesdays are for human rights issues, Wednesdays are for gender issues, Thursdays are for labor issues and Fridays are for arts and environment. Almost every other day we have people who are HIV positive, a member of the LGBT community, a rape crisis center coordinator from townships like Khayelitsha in the studio. No issue, except for religion, is ever avoided in any sense and cannot be so. Instead of advertisements there are announcements made that encourage listeners to submit any issue that they want to hear discussed and report any kidnappings or violence occurring in the community. In short, Bush Radio presents the issues as they are with no frillings or softening.
Among the three girls working at Bush Radio from Emory, I am the only one who is not an American citizen, not white and a Hindu. In some ways my situation is unique as I was the only foreigner there who lived in Dubai but holds an Indian passport. At first they clumped me as American but the more they got to know me, the more curious they became about where I was from and my perspective. They have had many American interns but never one from the Middle East. There are some South Africans who are of Indian origin at Bush Radio but their connection with India is completely different from mine, which is more direct and immediate as I have lived and studied in India. Therefore, I think in a way my presence added a more international dynamic in the office, just because of my background and past experience. During lunch when we all used to gather around the conference table to eat, I would add in sometimes a global point-of-view to the discussion. Once we were talking about American TV shows and which ones are popular among South Africans. I could somehow relate to the whole concept of getting shows late and watching re-runs of old shows daily that probably no longer run in the US. Then I told them about how a lot of Western shows aired in the Gulf are censored for “inappropriate” comments and scenes. Even the different food we bought to the table would raise curiosities. There was this one time I brought dahi chawal which is essentially curd mixed with rice, a common Indian dish. Somehow, everyone could not stomach (literally) how I found it delicious and why the two ingredients were being mixed in the first place. To them it had no taste appeal and I had to convince them that I actually really liked it and that I was not forcing myself. When we would go out as an office, sometimes the topic of drinking habits would come up. The discussion of how alcohol is viewed in cultures would come up and I would present the Hindu and Dubai perspective. There were also Muslims in our group who differed greatly among themselves in their opinion on drinking.
In general, Bush Radio is a very small-scale organization with a lot of emotional, political and personal sentiment involved but conducted with a very professional attitude equal to that of any big media company, yet maintaining its grassroots and people-oriented movement. If there is only one thing lacking it is resources. There are only two production rooms, with one not having a functioning microphone and a fully-functional CD player. During the times we as interns needed the rooms to record our shows for Saturday we had to literally jostle to get an hour to record. From Bush Radio’s history as an illegal and revolutionary organization it is apparent that they receive support from the community, donations and from fund-raising events. The station clearly has objectives and goals that are completely different from a commercial station, which does present a dilemma as to how to resolve this issue. One step that could be taken would be to solicit more funding by raising more awareness about the role of Bush Radio in the South Africa’s past and present.
