Bush Radio is the mother of community radio in Africa. Delivering news to the local Cape Town communities, Bush covers issues such as AIDS, poverty, and crime, to name a few. The station serves as a starting point for members of the community looking at a career in radio. Bush is proud to host the Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) every Saturday, when children from the ages of 6-17 get the chance to learn the ins and outs of radio, as they create their own shows and go on air.
TESTIMONIALS
Glenn Oviatt
Fall 2008
Bush Radio is a great place to discover the power and beauty of the media as it works to educate the community it serves. Through the various talk shows, music shows, news briefs, children’s radio projects and its internship program, Bush Radio is a prime example of a media outlet providing a “voice for the community.” My time at the station has helped me grow as a student of journalism and the site holds a wealth of knowledge and opportunity for other Marquette communications majors. While with Bush Radio, I helped work with the morning show researching, writing and recording a segment called “This Day In History” taking on the character of a stereotyped cowboy named “G-Love.” I hope it provided as many laughs for the listeners as it did for me recording it! I also gained valuable experience writing, producing and broadcasting my own show called “Peace, Love and Happiness” during the intern hour on Saturday afternoons. The show features music mixed with poetry, interviews, inspirational quotes and reflections. Although it was nerve-racking to broadcast live, I relished the experience. In this way, Bush Radio allows interns to try new things, experiment and explore within the realms of news reporting, broadcasting, scriptwriting and broadcast engineering.
Although some aspects of working at Bush Radio initially seemed quite intimidating, I found it important to take a deep breath every once in a while to listen, reflect and keep exploring the parts that keep the organization ticking. Along with being a great experience, my work at Bush Radio has been fun and many times, exciting. I am grateful that I will carry this experience and the memory of the people I’ve met through Bush Radio for the rest of my life.
Email Glenn for more information!
Ashley Vail
Spring 2008
“Hello, this is Desmond Tutu and you are listening to Bush Radio, The Mother of Community Radio…..and they didn’t even pay me to say that!” This is what I hear over and over when I sit in the Bush Radio programming office during service learning. Archbishop Tutu’s voice telling the audience that they are listening to Bush Radio is one of many station identifications. However, the Desmond Tutu ID is my favorite.
Bush Radio is a community radio station that focuses on providing a voice for the community. The station’s ultimate goal is to inform the people in the surrounding area about what is going on in the community, the city and the country. It is also a station that is designed around the people’s needs. Each radio show is different. For example, the Morning Cruise is meant to ease people into the day. The music is soulful and tad upbeat. However, it is also informative. The Job Shop is a segment that lists different employment opportunities available in the community. There is also an info guide that informs the community about the goings on in the area. This is the show that I have been working on.
I began by engineering, which basically meant that I pushed the buttons and moved the levers when necessary. This was a great experience because I became quickly acquainted with the on-air studio, the inner workings of the show and how to make it all flow. However, presently, I am co-assistant producing the show. It is my job to gain informative interviews and arrange the layout of these interviews. It is an added bonus that the women that I work with on the show are incredibly helpful and friendly. Sometimes, and do not tell my boss, Adrian this, we spend more time laughing and chatting than getting our work done.
Another task of mine was to create my own hour long radio show. I have come up with the idea of “Songs with Substance” which is a show that is based around music that has purpose behind it. Some of the songs that I have chosen so far have been protest or celebration songs. Between each song I give a bit of background to emphasize the meaning.
Bush Radio also plays quite a few service announcements. These short commercials address issues that are apparent in the community and encourage listeners to take action. Some of the issues addressed include domestic violence, racism, unprotected sex and drunk driving. I also have the privilege of writing some of these PSAs. I have recently written a few addressing domestic violence, racism and HIV testing.
As a public relations major I had a difficult time finding my place at Bush Radio. In the beginning, I felt useless because I had no background in broadcasting. However, through the encouragement from my co-workers and my boss, I have found tasks that I enjoy and am somewhat good at. I still hope to do some public relations work to gain listeners however that has taken a somewhat backseat to the other tasks that I have been given.
Overall, Bush Radio, is a very established service site. I inaccurately came into it thinking that I could be a great help. However, I have learned a tough lesson and continue to learn it. Perhaps throughout my entire experience at Bush Radio I will learn more than I can give, and that is the subtle but main purpose of service learning.
Before I began work at Bush Radio I wrote this sentence in my site journal. I believe that it still rings true: (At Bush Radio) I expect to gain double what I lose, give more than I gain, and learn that which is impossible to teach.
Email Ashley for more information!
Ashley Wichman
Spring 2007 South Africa Service Learning participant
Bush is a great place for anyone who enjoys the field of communications and is a fun place for Marquette students. Being a news intern has allowed me to learn more about Cape Town and South Africa than I ever would have otherwise. Bush gives its news interns the opportunity to see all sides of radio: interviewing, editing, researching, etc. Other Marquette interns have worked on producing, managing the music library, researching, and public service announcements. The staff is friendly, helpful, and encouraging, and there are always people coming and going. Try out new things, take the initiative, and let Bush be a learning experience. 89.5 is the place to be in Cape Town!
Email Ashley for more information!
Jeremy Medina
Fall 2006 South Africa Service Learning participant
Bush Radio is very friendly to interns; the station is almost like a revolving door of people coming and going. Anyone with aspirations of being a DJ for a major South African radio station starts at the community stations like Bush Radio for the experience. Interns have various jobs, be it on the news desk researching stories and announcing them on air every half hour, or production interns who produce and manage a DJ's show. Marquette interns in the past have worked on sound editing, producing, interviewing, managing the music library, researching, and public service announcements. Bush Radio is very open and friendly to those who wish to DJ their own show (they have a slot of time on Saturdays allocated to interns.) Beyond that, Bush Radio is all about working to someone's strengths and whatever field they excel at. They are always perceptive to new ideas, suggestions, and projects - It is just up to you to find out what you want to do, and then do it.
Email Jeremy for more information!
