One of the Eastern Cape’s biggest and oldest community radio stations can now be found online through audio streaming.
Mthatha-based Unitra Community Radio (UCR) FM, which is more than 20 years old and boasts a listenership of more than 360000 according to its station manager, celebrated the launch of a new logo and online service earlier this week.
Acting station manager Phumzile Gabada boasted that this meant that the station will not only be heard in its designated broadcasting radius of OR Tambo district and parts of Amathole and Alfred Nzo districts, but will go global.
The scandal-prone station, which has seen more than 14 station managers in its 20-year existence, will have to thank Mthatha-born South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) provincial chairman Zukile Luyenge for the boost.
He has offered to pay for the service from his own pocket.
Gabada said they had approached a company of IT technicians who helped with the designing of the audio stream. The station then pays a rental fee for the audio stream to this company.
“But for it to work you have to buy data bundles from a network service provider,” he said.
Luyenge is payingR2500 every month for those bundles, he added.
Luyenge said he was tired of having to always phone in and check up with friends on the latest happenings around Mthatha whenever he was out of town.
“It brings us closer to home .”
Luyenge said the station had also played a huge role in moulding some of the local talent including the likes of current Eastern Cape government spokesman Sizwe Kupelo and Umhlobo Wenene radio presenter Monwabisi “Gudlabatshakazi” Bangi.
“This station has a huge following but very limited resources,” he added.
However, he warned that management needed to come up with sound financial management controls when running the station if they wanted to see it grow.
Gabada said they were grateful to Luyenge for his kind gesture while admitting the station’s well-documented past scandals had tarnished its good image.
He said going online meant they would now be able to grow their listenership once again.
This was also echoed by the station’s new board chairman Fundile Mazantsana, who said UCR FM had once proudly been regarded as the biggest community radio station in the whole country.
“We want to make sure that we take the station back to number one in the country again,” he said.
He said most of the problems faced by the station were due to internal fighting and the creation of factions.
“We are sorting out all those problems now.”
The Daily Dispatch reported earlier this year that the station was on the brink of closure after the sheriff of the high court attached most of its broadcasting equipment to pay off a R1-million debt owed to SARS.
But Mazantsana this week claimed most of the outstanding debt had been paid off and that the current balance on their debt stood at just R300000.
Unitra Radio spreads its wings
Mthatha-based Unitra Community Radio (UCR) FM, which is more than 20 years old and boasts a listenership of more than 360000 according to its station manager, celebrated the launch of a new logo and online service earlier this week.
Acting station manager Phumzile Gabada boasted that this meant that the station will not only be heard in its designated broadcasting radius of OR Tambo district and parts of Amathole and Alfred Nzo districts, but will go global.
The scandal-prone station, which has seen more than 14 station managers in its 20-year existence, will have to thank Mthatha-born South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) provincial chairman Zukile Luyenge for the boost.
He has offered to pay for the service from his own pocket.
Gabada said they had approached a company of IT technicians who helped with the designing of the audio stream. The station then pays a rental fee for the audio stream to this company.
“But for it to work you have to buy data bundles from a network service provider,” he said.
Luyenge is payingR2500 every month for those bundles, he added.
Luyenge said he was tired of having to always phone in and check up with friends on the latest happenings around Mthatha whenever he was out of town.
“It brings us closer to home .”
Luyenge said the station had also played a huge role in moulding some of the local talent including the likes of current Eastern Cape government spokesman Sizwe Kupelo and Umhlobo Wenene radio presenter Monwabisi “Gudlabatshakazi” Bangi.
“This station has a huge following but very limited resources,” he added.
However, he warned that management needed to come up with sound financial management controls when running the station if they wanted to see it grow.
Gabada said they were grateful to Luyenge for his kind gesture while admitting the station’s well-documented past scandals had tarnished its good image.
He said going online meant they would now be able to grow their listenership once again.
This was also echoed by the station’s new board chairman Fundile Mazantsana, who said UCR FM had once proudly been regarded as the biggest community radio station in the whole country.
“We want to make sure that we take the station back to number one in the country again,” he said.
He said most of the problems faced by the station were due to internal fighting and the creation of factions.
“We are sorting out all those problems now.”
The Daily Dispatch reported earlier this year that the station was on the brink of closure after the sheriff of the high court attached most of its broadcasting equipment to pay off a R1-million debt owed to SARS.
But Mazantsana this week claimed most of the outstanding debt had been paid off and that the current balance on their debt stood at just R300000.
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