The station feels that the anniversary is both remarkable and an excellent opportunity, considering that South Africa only got television just over thirty years ago. "Radio can bring history to life," says acting station manager Dennis O'Donnell.
"When we realised that this year was the 70th birthday of broadcasting in English, we thought it was a fantastic chance to do just that. A number of incredibly significant events have happened in that time - both for South Africa and for the world. Actually hearing the sounds will be very powerful."
The programmes are being put together by veteran broadcaster, Will Bernard, who, after thirty years in radio, is himself part of the country's audio history. He ran South Africa's first independent radio news room for Capital Radio in 1980s, hosted Talk At Will - one of the first phone-ins to deal with post '94 issues, and was also the presenter of SAfm's special tribute to Princess Diana, compiled and broadcast on the very day that she died.
"Putting these programmes together is an amazing job and the archive team have put in a lot of work. There are some extraordinary gems to hear, including the voice of Jan Smuts and some of the first field recordings ever. They were made in the Second World War and are preserved on shellac. People will get a chance to hear all kinds of familiar voices from the past."
The four programmes will start by looking at the very early years of broadcasting in South Africa, then go through the Second World War and the beginnings of apartheid, then chart the growth of radio as it developed through the fifties (Springbok Radio started in 1950), sixties, seventies and eighties, and then look at the major changes in radio and in the country during the nineties and beyond.
SAfm: The First Seventy Years will be broadcast on SAfm (104 - 107FM) at 3.05pm on Sunday 6 August 2006 and at the same time for the next three Sundays.
