17 July 1950
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) introduces its first national news service
The history of broadcasting in South Africa can be traced back to 1923, when the first wireless broadcast was made in Johannesburg.
By April 1927, an hour of Afrikaans programming and one daily news bulletin in Afrikaans was broadcast. Insufficient funding began to hamper the progress of the broadcaster, and an investigation into all aspects of broadcasting in South Africa was launched by the Prime Minister of South Africa, JBM Hertzog.
The outcome of the investigations resulted in the establishment of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and by 17 July 1950, a commercial radio service was established, with daily news bulletins in both English and Afrikaans, which became popularly known as Springbok Radio.
Broadcasts were initially limited to the Johannesburg area, but soon became available in most major centres in South Africa.
References:
- Erasmus, F. (2004) The History of South African Broadcasting [online] Available at: pumamouse.com [Accessed 6 July 2009]
- Springbok Radio [online] Available at: wikipedia.org [Accessed 6 July 2009]