Broadcasting in South Africa

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 28, 18 January 1935, Page 43

Broadcasting in South Africa

(By

A.

Maule

37T.)

\ OUTH AFRICA recently celebrated — its tenth anniversary of broadeasting. Few of the pioneers of broadcasting have had so many difficulties to overcome, and so many disappointments, as the South African Broadcasting Company. Until recently, broadcasting in the Union: of South Africa was not a financial success, depending’ as it does upon a white population of something under two million. As in America, sponsored ‘programmes were at one time the order of the day; but now very few, if any, sponsored items are broad- ‘ east. .Generally, the programmes are ‘good, considering the small and scattered population | and the lack of suitable broadcasting talent. South Africa’s pioneer station, Johannesburg, using a power of 15 k.w,, serves most of the. Transvaal. It also supplies Pretoria and Bloemfontein with relayed programmes. Bloemfontein which is approximately 450 miles South of Johannesburg,.in turn supplies the Orange Free State. Although the Johannesburg station is received with great clarity on the South African coast, 1000 miles away, it is not heard at all well in Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, only thirty miles away. It was found, while expérimenting with pertablé receivers, that Johannesburg was received perfectly well in one street and faded completely in an ad jacent one. This is because the city of Johannesburg is surrounded by what is known as the Reef, consisting ‘of a .’ chain of gold mines, which have a very ‘bad sereening effect. Pretoria itself is built on alluvial soil and the mineral deposits completely absorb the transmissions from JB, as the Johannesburg station is called. To overcome this, the Broadcasting Company installed a 50 watt transmitter to relay the JB programmes, which are sent over by trunk telephone line. This. relay station will, however, shortly be replaced by one slightly larger and probably using a power of 1-k.w. Two 10 k.w. transmitters are in use at Capetown and Durban. Both have their own studios, and except for oceasional relays from Johannesburg,: transmit their own programmes, Situ-

ated as these stations are, so that they form a big triangle, a gap is‘left in the eastern province and two of the Union’s largest towns, Port Elizabeth and Bast London, are dependent on Capetown and Durban for their programmes. It has therefore been decided to build a station approximately midway between these towns. Grahamstown, in the Hastern Province, was selected for the site, and this station will shortly be in operation- with a 10 k.w. transmitter, relaying programmes from JB or Capetown. This will be the most modern of the South African stations, although’ n the near future: Johannesburg will be re-built .and another relay station erected at Pietermaritzburg, forty miles from Durban. One of the most notable achievements of the African. Broadcasting Company was the relay of the Livingstone Memorial at Victoria Falls. This was conducted over 2000 miles of landline. Johannesburg is the only station transmitting shortwave programmes, which are broadcast on 49 metres simultaneously with the long-wave programmes, Durban is experimenting with a small portable transmitter using only. 4 k.w., and although remarkably good results have been obtained in the Union it is completely dwarfed by JB’s 15 k.w. transmitter. South African programmes are easily recognised, as the programmes are broadcast both in English and African. The stations now operating in South Africa are :- ZTC Capetown, 600 k.c., 10 k.w. ZTJ, Johannesburg, 645. k.c., 15 kw. ZTD, Durban, 723 k.c., 1 k.w. ZTM, Milnerton, 800 k.c., 10 k.w. ZTE, Bloemfontein, 809 k.c., 1 k.w. ZTP, Pretoria, 952 k.c., 50 w.

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