Radio Helderberg
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HelderbergFM 93.6 is a
community radio station Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...
situated in the
Helderberg Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West. Or ...
basin area of the
Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
, South Africa. They broadcast on FM at a frequency of 93.6 MHz and the only one located in
Somerset West Somerset West () is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone (formerly called ...
area.


History

Radio Helderberg went on air at 06h00 on 1 July 1995, broadcasting on the frequency of 95.9FM from Southey Vines,
Somerset West Somerset West () is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone (formerly called ...
The first announcer on air was Martin Bailie, previously a breakfast DJ on a national commercial radio station,
5FM 5FM is a South African FM radio station forming part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster. 5FM follows a Top 40 music format aimed at a youth market, together with news and sports coverage. ...
. He now presents an afternoon show on
BBC Radio Cornwall BBC Radio Cornwall is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Cornwall. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Phoenix Wharf in Truro. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 92, ...
. Other presenters making up the first day's schedule were Keren Bracey, Andre Michael & Nik Blundell. The value of this fledgling community radio station was first illustrated during a fire at the nearby
AECI Aeci (or Aetius) (died 1010), Bishop of Barcelona from 995, was a warrior-prelate in the age of the Peace and Truce of God. Besides military endeavours, mainly ''reconquista'' (the re-conquest of Islamic territory), his episcopate was taken up wit ...
chemical plant in 1995, when clouds of poisonous gas enveloped
Somerset West Somerset West () is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone (formerly called ...
and Macassar. The volunteer presenters continued to broadcast throughout the night, becoming the central drop-off point for food and clothing donations, and providing hints and tips to panicked listeners. Initially broadcasting for 15 hours a day, the station broadcasts a wide range of MOR music, interviews and community notices in three languagesEnglish,
Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...
and
Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...
, live 24 hours a day. In September 1996 the station relocated to premises in the Somerset Mall from where the volunteer presenters and a full-time staff of six kept the station going. Radio Helderberg has grown from a charitable association to a business, flourishing on advertising income only. At the end of January 2004, Radio Helderberg once again relocated to Garden Pavilion in the Somerset West Business Park. With listeners from every corner of the basin and beyond and has become a business which continues to be there for the community to support them in their endeavors and to entertain, educate and inform. Finally the studio then relocated to its current address inside the Sanctuary Shopping Centre in 2016. It changed to stronger transmitter, now broadcasting on 93.6 MHz on the FM band which reaches as far as the southern suburbs and
Riviersonderend Riviersonderend is a village in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, about east of Cape Town. It is located on a loop of the Sonderend River, from which it takes its name. In the census of 2011 it was recorded as having a popul ...
. Longtime presenters include ''Fanie Bam'' (deceased 2008), Erna Ridge, Nik Blundell, Neil Ovens aka "''Lend 'n Ear"'', John Floyd, Kobus Schmidt, ''Mike Plummer'' (deceased 2007), Tommy Dell, Annelia Preiss, Marius Dippenaar and Eddy Carter-Smith. In 2022, Radio Helderberg change the brand name to HelderbergFM 93.6 with in studio WhatsApp contact on +21 100 6936.


Current Studio Location

The Studios are located at The Sanctuary Shopping Centre, corner R44 & De Beers Ave, Somerset West.


Presenters (Permanent & ''Stand-in's'')

*Anele du Plessis *Bantu Landingwe *''Barry Odendaal'' *Christie Hansen *Hanlè Barnard *Jan-Willem Lotz "JDubs" *Khaya Makuleni *Lindi Erasmus *''LooE Swanepoel'' *Lunga Jakuja *Lunga Smile *Lydia Nikani *Mornè Mundey *Mzuthini Nkoyi *Olona Ndzuzo *William Sigwinta


See also

*
List of radio stations in South Africa A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links


HelderbergFM 93.6 Official Website

Helderberg Community Site

South African Government
{{DEFAULTSORT:HelderbergFM Somerset West Afrikaans-language radio stations Community radio stations in South Africa Radio stations established in 1995 Mass media in the Western Cape