Radio Helderberg 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 popular ...

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 province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, South Africa. They broadcast on FM at a frequency of 93.6 MHz and the only one located in Somerset West area.

History

Radio Helderberg went on air at 06h00 on 1 July 1995, broadcasting on the frequency of 95.9FM from Southey Vines, Somerset WestThe 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 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 ...

. 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 12 ...

. 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 Limited () is a South African chemicals group and is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange. History The company was registered as ''African Explosives and Industries '' (AE&I) in 1924, with its headquarters in Johannesburg. It was formed as ...

chemical plant in 1995, when clouds of poisonous gas enveloped Somerset West 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 language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

and Xhosa, 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. 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 *''Deon Strydom'' *Hanlè Barnard *Herman Stoop *Jan Snyman *Jan-Willem Lotz "JDubs" *Khaya Makuleni *Lindi Erasmus *''LooE Swanepoel'' *Lunga Jakuja *Lunga Smile *Lydia Nikani *Mornè Mundey *Mzuthini Nkoyi *Olona Ndzuzo *Stephan van der Merwe *Vanessa Bourne *William Sigwinta

References

External links

Official Radio Helderberg 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

History

Current Studio Location

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

See also

References

External links