702 is a commercial
FM radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
based in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, broadcasting on FM 92.7 and FM 106 to the greater
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
province. The station is also
webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, web ...
via its website. It claims to be Johannesburg's number one news and talk station, offering news, sport, business and actuality programming and plenty of phone-in debates.
The station itself was established in 1980 and was initially a young adult music station, moving to a talk format in 1988. During South Africa's
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
era, 702 and
Capital Radio 604
Capital Radio 604 was a radio station that broadcast to listeners in South Africa from transmitters located in the Transkei using Medium Wave (AM) on 603 kHz.
Founded by Martin Rattle, the station started transmitting on 26 December 1979 a ...
, were the only independent sources of broadcast news. The station is owned by
Primedia
Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg.
History
Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 ...
.
Until 2006, 702 was broadcast only on 702
kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
AM. In March 2006, it won an application to move to the FM radio
frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...
, and the first FM broadcast took place on 24 July 2006. The station continued broadcasting on the AM band until 28 June 2007 when it was shut down.
702's
sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement.
Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
is
CapeTalk
CapeTalk is a commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station based in Cape Town, South Africa, broadcasting on AM/MW 567 to Cape Town. The station is also webcast via its website. It claims to be Cape Town's number one news and talk station, offeri ...
, a
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
based AM radio station.
History
Hot on the heels of the independent radio station
Capital Radio 604
Capital Radio 604 was a radio station that broadcast to listeners in South Africa from transmitters located in the Transkei using Medium Wave (AM) on 603 kHz.
Founded by Martin Rattle, the station started transmitting on 26 December 1979 a ...
broadcasting from the
Transkei
Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...
, which due to technical problems had failed in its bid to serve the lucrative multi-racial audience in the urban areas of South Africa's old southern
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
province, Channel 702 was started in 1980 by entrepreneurs Natie and
Issie Kirsh
is a caldera lake located 40 km south of Kagoshima city; Kyūshū island, Japan. It is perhaps best known to tourists as the location of the purported sightings of a monster named Issie, and as the largest lake on Kyūshū island with a surf ...
in the country's
homeland
A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...
of
Bophuthatswana
Bophuthatswana (, meaning "gathering of the Tswana people"), officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana ( tn, Riphaboliki ya Bophuthatswana; af, Republiek van Bophuthatswana), was a Bantustan (also known as "Homeland"; an area set aside for mem ...
, which like the Transkei was at the time independent of South African rules and regulations. The station's signature line was "In touch, in tune and independent."
Radio 702 (first called Channel 702 ) was originally based on the US inspired top 40 music format pioneered by
LM Radio
LM Radio is a radio station based in Maputo, Mozambique. Historically it was a shortwave station broadcasting to South Africa and Rhodesia from Lourenço Marques, the colonial era name of Maputo, hence the name "Lourenço Marques Radio" from 193 ...
broadcasting to South Africa from
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, and
Swazi Music Radio Swazi Music Radio (SMR) was a South African radio station broadcasting from Swaziland between 1972 and 1978. It was initially established as Swaziland Commercial Radio but was soon taken over by the South African entrepreneurs Issie and Natie Kirsh ...
(SMR) which broadcast from Sandlane in
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
with studios in Johannesburg. SMR was established and operated by the brothers Isaac (Issie) and Nathaniel (Natie) Kirsh, the founders of
Primedia
Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg.
History
Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 ...
which owns Radio 702. Many of the early presenters on SMR cut their teeth in broadcasting at LM Radio or worked there, like Gary Edwards, John Berks and Frank Sanders. LM Radio became Radio 5 (now
5FM
5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster. SABC announced the appointment of Mr. JD Mostert as Business Mana ...
)
in 1975 when Mozambique gained independence.
SMR was not very successful and was replaced by Radio SR which was the first South African radio station playing entirely music by black South African and American artists. Radio SR was an instant success and broadcast from the SMR studios and transmitters. Rob Vickers of LM Radio fame was the programme manager at Radio SR. When Issie Kirsh set up 702, he appointed Rob Vickers, Gary Edwards, Frank Sanders and Stan Katz, all of whom had worked on SMR / Radio SR as well as Clark McKay who had previously worked at LM Radio and
Springbok Radio
Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986.
History
SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financia ...
.
John Berks
John Berks (born John Berkowitz; 24 August 1941 – 4 June 2022) was a well-known South African radio presenter. Known for his role as a breakfast presenter on Radio 702 in Johannesburg. His broadcast career covered many countries in Southern Af ...
who had spent time on Radio 5 and later Capital Radio 604 joined shortly thereafter. Cocky Two-Bull Tlhotlhalemaje, a jazz musician and broadcaster was the first black African to work on Radio 702. He helped to break down the barriers between the youth of all ethnic groups.
The station's original weekday line-up was: Clark McKay (Breakfast), Frank Sanders, Jerry Cohen, Paul Stephens (Afternoon drive), Cocky "Two Bull" Tlhotlhalemaje, Zuby, & Jim Hicks. Traffic reporter Paul Beresford was included as a question in the South African version of
Trivial Pursuit
''Trivial Pursuit'' is a board game in which winning is determined by a player's ability to answer trivia and popular culture questions. Players move their pieces around a board, the squares they land on determining the subject of a question t ...
. A late night rock music show was hosted by Glen O'Donovan, who was later appointed one of the station's Inhouse News Producers and Copywriters. Initially, news was only included to meet the station's licence requirements, but as interest in "independent" news grew, so did the station's news resources. The station's first news editor was former television journalist Pat Rogers, followed shortly afterwards by another former TV journalist Chris Gibbons, the latter being one of the station's current anchors. The first full-time reporter, Allan Leibowitz, was employed in 1984. The weekend lineup included Martin Woolf (Saturday breakfast show), Bill Jones, Frank Sanders and Gary Edwards.
In the early days, 702 hosted major promotions such as the Concert in the Park to benefit Operation Hunger, with a multiracial audience at Ellis Park Stadium. Over the years as the station evolved into a 24-hour
news channel
News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...
, it pioneered "702 eye-witness news", broadcasting full
news bulletins
News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...
every hour and headlines on the half-hour. Some of the other popular presenters were
Mike Mills
Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...
on the afternoon show; former
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
and
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
player,
John Robbie
John Cameron Robbie (born 17 November 1955) is a former international rugby union player who played scrum half, and a well known radio presenter in South Africa on Talk radio 702. His previous rugby career has also seen him take up the role of ...
, who began as a late night talk show host, with Talk at Ten, then Talk at Nine (currently hosted by
Aubrey Masango), eventually moving to the main morning talk show; former
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
,
Gary Bailey
Gary Richard Bailey (born 9 August 1958) is a former footballer who made nearly 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, he grew up in South Africa, but went on to be capped ...
, and many others who popularised the station. Also heard on Radio 702 in the early 1980s was
American Top 40
''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...
with
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
.
Up until the late 1980s, 702 was a popular music station. The most popular radio presenter during this era was
Stan Katz presenting the Morning Zoo show. The government run Radio 5 (today known as 5FM) moved from medium wave to FM Stereo in the major centres, and 702 found it could not compete technically. The station dabbled with a half-talk/half adult contemporary music format from 1989, and on 11 February 1991 the station adopted an all talk and news format, however the station retained Solid Gold and Big Band shows on the weekend. By 2016, Bandstand had ended and Solid Gold had become Solid Soul as the station changes the audience it is catering for.
In the first 12 years of operation, 702 played a very important role in bringing news and information to the people of the provinces of the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
and the
Free State. Because the transmitters were located in the nominally Independent homeland of
Bophuthatswana
Bophuthatswana (, meaning "gathering of the Tswana people"), officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana ( tn, Riphaboliki ya Bophuthatswana; af, Republiek van Bophuthatswana), was a Bantustan (also known as "Homeland"; an area set aside for mem ...
, the South African government could not gag or influence the editorial and news content. To have done so, would have made a mockery of the "independence" of the homeland. This freedom of information and speech provided a platform for opponents of the apartheid administration and the station is recognised as having contributed to the peaceful transition of South Africa to the democratic society which now exists.
Members of 'banned' organisations, including the
ANC
The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election installe ...
itself, made use of the opportunity to use the medium to keep itself abreast of national political developments and put across its own views and stories.
The station kept pace with the changing political landscape, covering the major changes throughout the years with a professionalism and zeal that impressed even experienced international newspeople.
Name
Radio 702's name came from the
AM frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...
it broadcast on until 28 June 2007, namely 702
kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
. In 2006 it began broadcasting on the
FM frequency and the AM transmission shutdown in June 2007. Today the station is known as 702.
Awards
*May 2007 – "Station of the Year" in the first
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
"Africa Radio Awards" held in
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
.
*April 2011 – "Radio of the Year" at the inaugural
MTN Radio Awards held in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
*April 2014 – "Commercial Radio Station of the Year" in the 2014 MTN Radio Awards.
Notable journalists
*
Debora Patta
Debora Patta (born 1 September 1964) is a South African broadcast journalist and television producer investigative journalist. She was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and has origins from Calabria, Italy.
Patta is the Africa correspond ...
[Matloff, Judith.]
Life in the New South Africa: Racial Strife Slowly Easing
" ''Christian Science Monitor
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
''. 27 April 1995. Retrieved on 30 October 2012.
*
Stan Katz
Shows
*Early Breakfast(Weekdays: 04:00–06:00)
*Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa (Weekdays: 06:00–09:00)
*The
Eusebius McKaiser
Eusebius McKaiser (28 March 1979 – 30 May 2023) was a South African political analyst, journalist, and broadcaster. Among others, he wrote for the ''Mail & Guardian'', the '' Sunday Times'', '' Foreign Policy'', ''The Guardian'', ''The New Yo ...
Show (Weekdays: 09:00–12:00)
*The Midday Report with
Xolani Gwala (Weekdays: 12:00–13:00)
*The
Azania Mosaka Show (Weekdays: 13:00–15:00)
*Afternoon Drive with
Johanne Joseph (Weekdays: 15:00–18:00)
*The Money Show with
Bruce Whitfield (Weekdays: 18:00–20:00)
*The Aubrey Masango Show(Weekdays: 20:00–00:00)
*Late Night Talk with
Aubrey Masango (Weekdays: 23:00–02:00)
*SportsTalk with
Marc Lewis (Fridays: 19:00–20:00)
*NightTalk with
Lovelyn Nwadeyi (Fridays: 20:00–23:00)
*Late Night Talk with
Gushwell Brooks (Fridays: 23:00–03:00)
*702 Replays (Saturdays: 00:00–06:00)
*Weekend Breakfast with
Refiloe Mpakanyane (Weekends: 06:00–10:00)
*702 Music with
Kenny Maistry
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" ...
(Saturdays: 10:00–14:00)
*702 Music with
Nonn Botha (Saturdays: 14:00–18:00)
*This Is Africa with
Richard Mnwamba (Saturdays: 18:00–20:00)
*702 Music Special (Saturdays: 20:00–22:00)
*702 Music with
Phushaza Sibiya (Saturdays: 22:00–23:59)
*Late Nights (Sundays: 00:00–04:00)
*Early Breakfast(Sundays: 03:00–06:00)
*Soulful Sundays with Kenny Maistry (Sundays: 10:00–13:00)
*Soulful Sundays with
Paul Mtirara (Sundays: 13:00–16:00)
*Soulful Sundays with Nonn Botha (Sundays: 16:00–19:00)
*SportsTalk with Buhle Madulini (Sundays: 19:00–21:00)
*The Midday Report with
Mandy Wiener
Mandy or Mandie may refer to:
People
* Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname
* Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer
* Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper
* Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Co ...
(Weekdays from midday to 1 pm)
* Afternoon Drive with
John Perlman
*Talk @ Nine with
Karima Brown
Karima Brown (1967 – 4 March 2021) was a South African journalist. She worked in a variety of positions, being the political editor for national daily magazine ''Business Day'' and launching Forbes Women Africa. She was also known for a court ...
(Sundays: 21:00–00:00)
Broadcast time
*24/7
Listenership figures
See also
*
567 KFM
*
Primedia
Primedia is a South African media group, headquartered in Sandton, Johannesburg.
History
Primedia was established in 1994 and its listing on the JSE Securities Exchange was completed in April 1995. Primedia remained listed on the JSE until 1 ...
*
Swazi Music Radio Swazi Music Radio (SMR) was a South African radio station broadcasting from Swaziland between 1972 and 1978. It was initially established as Swaziland Commercial Radio but was soon taken over by the South African entrepreneurs Issie and Natie Kirsh ...
*
LM Radio
LM Radio is a radio station based in Maputo, Mozambique. Historically it was a shortwave station broadcasting to South Africa and Rhodesia from Lourenço Marques, the colonial era name of Maputo, hence the name "Lourenço Marques Radio" from 193 ...
*
Capital Radio 604
Capital Radio 604 was a radio station that broadcast to listeners in South Africa from transmitters located in the Transkei using Medium Wave (AM) on 603 kHz.
Founded by Martin Rattle, the station started transmitting on 26 December 1979 a ...
References
External links
702 Official website
{{coord missing, South Africa
Radio stations in Johannesburg
Radio stations established in 1980
News and talk radio stations