All I knew of Bush Radio when I chose to intern there that it was a more a community-based and community-organized station. I think I also expected it to be a smaller-scale version of National Public Radio but definitely a serious radio station. Clearly I had no idea what Bush Radio was truly about. The moment I stepped into the reception area the first word that popped into my mind was “indie”. All the décor and wallpaper had quirky bits like painted bricks and old transistor sets. The entrance had a sign with the a life size cut-out of the founder Zane Ibrahim by the words Building Democracy Brick by Brick. Memorabilia from the past such as awards and the original logos and transmission devices of the station are displayed proudly. In that way it gave me a sense of how non-commercial Bush Radio was by recognizing and celebrating its shaky roots. When one walks inside they will be surrounded by pale yellow and lime green walls. There are speakers all around the office with the shows playing on full volume as per schedule.The first person to walk in to greet us was one of the RJs Shiraz/ Shaz who was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, something that surprised me for second because I expected a super-professional attire code for a station that considered its members to conduct themselves as journalists. But people were not sloppy about their dressing either. A lot of the people and interns I saw as I walked around wore skinny jeans and nice boots, trendy yet not too casual for the workplace and definitely perfect for the office atmosphere. At one point I found myself feeling not as nicely dressed as everyone else. I guess it was partly the paranoia that many people put into my head regarding conservative dressing style and my own fear and assumption that the way I dress in the US may be “too much” for Cape Town. I was definitely wrong. It was very relaxed even during the weekly staff meetings where everyone joked in-between or passionately criticized something or even swear profusely. And I don’t know if I was expecting it or not but the fact that the staff and interns came from various backgrounds was a nice addition. I am also somehow confident that it won’t take me too long to understand the accents here because I myself have an odd accent of my own.
Everything in general about Bush Radio’s office setup just speaks unconventional. There are some mismatching futons and furniture around that actually add a bit of flair rather than make it seem tacky. Chairs for the staff are not the most comfortable and some even have worn out so much that the padding beneath the chair covers could be seen but somehow it just seem to add to the down-to-earth kind of nature of the station. But one thing the station does not compromise on is equipment. While they may not be state-of-the art by so-called US standards the two production rooms with two huge editing dashboards are really efficient and well-maintained. I feel with enough funding Bush will be able to upgrade some of its computers and field recorders, which I think is extremely important for a community radio station. After looking and using some of the equipment here I feel that at times we have been spoilt in terms of technology access back at Emory and here I feel like I will learn to make the best use of what is available.
