Radio Pulpit Licence Application Published

After years of struggling for a broadcasting-license, details of the Radio Pulpit license-application were published in South Africa's Government Gazette on 9 July.

In this official publication, Radio Pulpit’s application is described as an application for two high-powered medium wave transmitters, one in Western Cape and one in Gauteng and a number of FM frequencies in the other provinces.

The radio station’s core listeners are described as a “community of interest of Christians from all nine provinces in South Africa.”

Stakeholders were invited to make representations known with regards to the application, which means that objections to the application can be lodged, or that support for the license-application can be submitted. The closing date for such representations was the 31st of July.

At the eleventh hour one objection was submitted by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

At the same time a whole lot of letters for support was received by mainstream churches and other organization that support Radio Pulpit’s application. Some of the churches include, Apostolic Faith Mission, Evangelic Alliance, and Independent Churches in Africa, the Reformed Church and Dutch Reformed Church Family. These churches represent thousands of Christian congregations and millions of church members throughout South Africa.

The complaint that the SABC lodged is mainly to do with the fact that they dispute the right of Radio Pulpit to broadcast nationally. This complaint comes despite the fact that the SABC sold airtime to Radio Pulpit for the last seventeen years form 1989 to 2000 to broadcast nationally via the frequency of Radio 2000. This contract came to an end earlier this year.

The SABC also states that with a national broadcasting license Radio Pulpit will have a negative impact on stations such as SAFM and RSG, this despite the fact that the broadcasts of Radio Pulpit is specifically aimed at the Christian Community in South Africa.

The complaint lodged by the SABC has been handed over to Radio Pulpit’s legal team who is preparing Radio Pulpit’s comments. This complaint will probably mean that Icasa’s final decision with regards to the station’s license application will be postponed even further.

According to a spokesperson at Radio Pulpit, the publication of the application by Icasa in the Government Gazette is a breakthrough and has important implications for this Christian broadcaster. For the first time in the twenty seven years of the station’s existence, a measure of legitimacy and acknowledgement is given to the concept of a Christian Radio station that are not limited to a small geographical area but rather extended to an audience that has a multiple listener groupings from all cultural groups and all church denominations.

The application also includes the fact that Radio Pulpit will broadcast in all eleven official languages once the license has been awarded to broadcast nationally - the only station in South Africa to do so.

The publication of the license-application in the Government Gazette is one of the last steps before Icasa makes a final decision about the awarding of the broadcasting license.

Dr Roelf Petersen, CEO of Radio Pulpit, says that the station is keen and ready to implement the license when it is approved. The management and Board of Directors of this Christian broadcaster had the vision years ago to provide for a radio development fund in order to be able to establish a national radio station when the license is awarded and sufficient resources are now in place for this purpose.

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