Springbok Radio #1 - The History

SABC Media Libraries' exhibition poster:
UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2012

"Springbok Radio was the first SABC commercial radio station. Its lifespan was from 1 May 1950 to 31 December 1985 when it was closed mainly because it was no longer  seen as financially viable following the advent of  television in 1976.  

Springbok Radio programmes were uniquely different and fresh, and became people’s companion over the years.  Drama, adventure, comedy, documentaries, variety, and other programme formats kept listeners entertained and glued to the Radio.  Springbok Radio also created a platform for artists and actors to become well-known and loved by the public, and afforded them the opportunity to live out their creativity. Springbok Radio contributed to a wealth of local content.

Unfortunately much of the material was not archived. The reasons ranged from tapes having been re-used to commercial programmes not being seen as ‘culture’ – a world-wide tendency at the time. Since the closure of Springbok Radio in 1985, interest in it by the public has grown and the nostalgic value of "stream" radio has increased over the years."   

             - Retha Buys (Custodian of Springbok Radio Revisited at SABC)

The most recent UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2012 highlighted the dire predicament of the state of the audiovisual heritage of the world.

"Too much of the world's 20th century Audiovisual Heritage is now lost, and much more is slipping beyond recovery because of neglect, natural decay and technological obsolescence.Unesco proclaimed 27 October  as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage to be celebrated annually to build global awareness of the various issues at stake in preserving the Audiovisual Heritage.Unless public awareness of the importance of preservation is increased, this trend will continue.We need to raise public awareness of our Audiovisual Heritage. IF NOT this trend will continue - our AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE will be lost."

This post is the first in a series of posts about Springbok Radio, the SABC radio station material that made it's way back in the archives of the public broadcaster of South Africa after it was "lost"! 

SABC Media Libraries most recent exhibition on UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage focused exclusively on this collection.

The story of the return of Springbok Radio material to SABC is a case in point for the importance of our audiovisual heritage!

Return of Springbok Radio Material

"After the closure of Springbok Radio, the Springbok Radio Preservation Society was formed to collect all the relevant broadcast material and to ensure that this element of SABC history would not be lost for future generations. Mr Frans Erasmus was the driving force of the initiative, and he dedicated his life to collecting all things Springbok Radio, either from producers and production houses, or from private collectors.       

The SABC Radio Archive has worked closely with the Springbok Radio Preservation Society over the last few years to assist in making the collection accessible to the public.  Since most of the material belongs to the SABC, an agreement was reached with Mr Erasmus to grant him permission to look after the collection, and to make the material accessible via a website and a digital stream.  The SABC in return handled all queries relating to Springbok Radio and ensured that copyright was not violated. In addition, copies of the Springbok Radio collections were submitted to the SABC on a regular basis to be catalogued and added to SABC databases. The mutual understanding was to transfer the complete collection back to the SABC, for preservation and as part of the SABC radio broadcast legacy, while the Springbok Radio Preservation Society would maintain the website and digital stream under the auspices of the SABC.

Earlier this year Mr Erasmus decided to hand over the collection in its entirety (including the website and the digital stream) to the SABC Radio Archives. He agreed to assist with and oversee the process of transferring the digital stream and the website, as well as advising on the preservation of the material and related information.

This generous gesture by Mr Erasmus and the Springbok Radio Preservation Society will bring joy to the lives of many people in future, but especially for those who remember Springbok Radio or who can appreciate a good radio story."

                         - Retha Buys  

Related posts:

- UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2012 - awareness by SABC Media Libraries in South Africa

- World Day for Audiovisual Heritage on 27 October 2012

- The story of SABC Springbok Radio via Storify

- Handover of Springbok Radio archive material to SABC

-  Springbok Radio revisited


Blog post by Karen du Toit, Afrikaans Archivist in SABC Radio Archives