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Shutdown of 702 medium wave transmitter

1 Jul 2007

Talk Radio 702's 27th birthday marked the start of a new area as founder Issie Kirsh shut down the station's medium wave transmitter in Ga-Rankuwa late last week. Almost one year ago, the station moved to the FM frequency after broadcasting on the AM or medium wave band for over two decades.

This followed a decision by regulatory body, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), to grant the application for the amendment of Talk Radio 702's commercial licence to allow the station to migrate to frequencies 92.7 MHz in Johannesburg and 106.0 MHz in Pretoria. These are the frequencies that 702 had applied for in its original application.

ICASA granted Talk Radio 702 a 12-month period of ‘double illumination'. This meant the station was allowed to continue broadcasting on both the AM and FM frequencies for a period of one year.

“It was time,” said 702 station manager Pheladi Gwangwa. “Although there was a genuine sense of sadness as the transmitter was shut down, it was the culmination of a long process for Talk Radio 702 and a celebration of how far we've really come.”

Gwangwa added that the transmitter was really a ‘dinosaur that was dying' but that it had served Talk Radio 702 well over the years.

“The transmitter was old, unreliable and made with outdated technology. Sadly, I don't think there is much that can be done with it; maybe it will find a new home in the museum of radio and television but its future is really up to Sentech – which owns it.”

Talk Radio 702 is available on the FM frequency on 92.7 in greater Johannesburg and 106 FM in Pretoria. Talk Radio 702 can also be found on DSTV Audio Bouquet, channel 56.