Radio South Africa (RSA) New Year's Eve Broadcast: December 31, 1977

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording of Radio South Africa which was originally recorded on December 31, 1977 from his home in Plymouth, MN using a Hammarlund HQ-180:

During the late 1970s, Radio South Africa (RSA) would broadcast a New Years call-in show. This recording is from 1/1/1978 (12/31/1977 in the US). At two minutes into the recording, you can hear the interval signal for RAI (Italy) in the background. I have scoped (edited) the music. Unsure how long RSA carried on this tradition, but heard a similar call-in broadcast the following year on 1/1/1979.

Channel Africa: June 1, 2018

Live, off-air, one-hour recording of Channel Africa, an international radio service of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, broadcasting from Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa, on 1 June 2018 beginning at about 17:00 UTC. The broadcast was on a frequency of 11885 kHz using a transmitter at Meyerton, South Africa, with a power of 250 kW and with an antenna bearing of 328° towards west Africa.

The transmission was received on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with its built-in whip antenna in Meloneras, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, in AM mode with 3.5 kHz RF filtering. Reception was fairly good although there was some adjacent-channel interference, most noticeable during the first few minutes of the broadcast.

The program, "Africa Digest" in English, included the latest news; feature items on Kenyan independence celebrations, some problems with the justice system in South Africa, and the dangers of skin lightening; "African Arty Bits"; "Africa News Roundup"; and sports news. Several music pieces are featured including songs by Judith Sephuma and A Peace of Ebony, which conclude the broadcast. The opening announcement gives the formerly used frequency of 15235 kHz in error.