The Pumamouse Website: Pumamouse Pieces Of The Puzzle: The Pumamouse's Essay-Bee-See

Please, allow me to share a story that I hope might interest you. I must start by noting that some of the following information came to me from highly reputable sources whose names will not be disclosed. I respect my sources' desire for anonymity as much as I trust in the accuracy of the information that they have provided. I have composed this essay to share that information for your consideration.

Before proceeding, I feel I must interject a very personal observation. As an OTR enthusiast, I hold all of the High-Mucky Mucks of the SABC (circa 1985) responsible for pulling the plug on Springbok Radio, and thereby virtually ending South Africa's production of OTR. For that, they will never be forgiven, regardless of their reasons, which have never been adequately explained to me, and probably never will be. The true motivation behind the SABC's unfortunate decision remains a mystery. However, in all fairness, I feel it is time to set the record straight about a few other things.

I have received several unexpected benefits through my efforts towards South African OTR preservation for which I am very grateful. Not the least of these benefits might be termed as simple peace of mind. FINALLY, I have answers to some of the nagging questions that have been perplexing my poor Pumamouse brain since my interest in South African OTR was first sparked by Frans' devotion to Springbok Radio.

I believe some of my questions, and my subsequent relief to finally know the answers, may be shared by others with an interest in South African OTR, which is why I have decided to include this essay here. If you think I am writing this lengthy narrative only to boast about my newly gained knowledge, you obviously do not know me very well. I can not fault anyone for their natural inclination towards thinking the worst, based upon their ignorance. Until recently, I had been equally guilty of the same crime regarding the SABC. I was convinced of the SABC's complete disregard and negligence regarding the preservation of South African OTR. As in any circumstance, it is often a terrible mistake to jump to conclusions without benefit of the facts. When those facts are difficult to obtain, it is very tempting to rely upon personal conjecture or even gossip. My apologies must go to the SABC for my former misperceptions, and my thanks must go to the individuals who have provided the truth.

Many rumors have been circulated about the SABC since the close of Springbok Radio. I can not comment with any certainty on all of them, but one rumor that I had heard prior to direct inquiry stated that the SABC decisively tossed all of Springbok Radio "glass" records and reel-to-reel tapes into the dumpster when the station closed. This rumor was completely untrue.

Based upon what little I knew, and what I had heard, (all of which had admittedly served to infuriate me), I had many questions regarding the extreme rarity of South African OTR, beginning with: HOW could the SABC have made such a muck of it and not preserved what should have been saved of South African OTR, including the contributions and donations which others had reportedly made during the last decade or so? The answer to this and numerous other queries are provided here for your consideration as they were recently explained to me.

During the heyday of South African OTR, the production houses (studios) were issued "warranties" (rights) to produce radio programs by various sponsors. The sponsors paid for the reel-to-reel tapes that were used by the production houses. These tapes were eventually sent to the SABC, after they had been aired by the radio stations, and the tapes were then given back to the sponsors, since the tapes were their legal property. The sponsors would then routinely send those same tapes back to the production houses to be used again, and again, and again. This ongoing process of recycling was necessary because the tapes were expensive. (The process was standard practice in many countries, which is one of the many reasons why OTR recordings, in general, are so special today.)

Prior to the widespread use of reel-to-reel tapes, radio programs had been recorded on "glass" records. The records were not made of glass. They were made of vinyl, but the term "glass" is used to denote that they were original master recordings. (The term "glass" is sometimes used for the original reel-to-reel master recordings, which can be very confusing to novice OTR enthusiasts.)

The "glass" recordings (records) of many production houses eventually became road filler, as is common knowledge. (Again, this process occurred in many countries, which is another of the many reasons why OTR recordings, in general, are so special today.)

Just like the tapes, the "glass" records made at the production houses belonged to the sponsors who had paid for them. These "glass" records were sent back to the sponsors, once the program had been aired. When all of the production houses in South Africa changed their recording format and switched from records to tapes, nearly all of the "glass" records were sold to a Johannesburg company, which bought them in mass quantity, paying by the pound, to be used as road filler. It was the individual production houses which sold the "glass" records to the Johannesburg company, NOT the wrongfully accused SABC. The only production house that did not sell their "glass" by the pound for road filler was RPM Studios in Johannesburg. RPM Studios wisely donated all of their "glass" (the few recordings which the rather young studio had produced at the time) to the SABC Radio Sound Archive, and those "glass" recordings are still preserved there to this day.

Granted, South African OTR productions, like all OTR productions, are so rare today because they were not properly preserved at the time that they were made. However, the fault lies not with the SABC, the production houses, or the stations, none of which owned the tapes, and not even with the sponsors that did, but with the general economics of the day. This is a sad truth, but I prefer knowing the sad truth, rather than believing erroneous rumors.

And, what about more recent history? Some reports suggested that past donations to the SABC Sound Archive, made within the last decade, were misplaced or discarded or destroyed, either through negligence or intent.

Previous inquiries and various private reports had shown the SABC to have no interest in the preservation of South African radio productions. Some reports suggested that past donations to the SABC Sound Archive were misplaced or discarded or destroyed, either through negligence or intent. Evidently, this conclusion was completely erroneous. I have since learned that the SABC Radio Sound Archive routinely accepts, catalogues, archives, and forever preserves any sound recordings of South African radio productions that they acquire. The general belief that the SABC had discarded or destroyed the contributions and donations which others had reportedly made during the last decade or so was based upon an understandable error. Individual inquires, regarding previously donated sound recordings of radio productions and related material, were made by concerned parties invariably to the SABC Sound Archive. The SABC Sound Archive has no record of those donations, since their chief purpose is to archive sound recordings of a musical nature. The SABC Radio Sound Archive, (apparently a separate department within the organization), contains all of the sound recordings of radio productions and related material which they have ever acquired through donations, carefully preserved.

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to learn these truths, and to share them with you here. I am pleased to be making progress in my efforts to archive and preserve South African OTR, and I am delighted by the interest in this subject that has been expressed by those who routinely visit The Pumamouse Website. And yet, I feel that I have accomplished very little towards my goal of sharing South African OTR with those who miss it. Indeed, rather than feeling any sense of accomplishment, I have been left with a desire to do more.

Meanwhile, I hope that this essay has provided some answers to long-held questions, as well as general information regarding my efforts towards the archiving, preservation, and sharing of South African OTR.

The Pumamouse
(MaryAnne)
15 April 2002

SOUTH AFRICAN OTR LINKS:

LM RADIO

JET JUNGLE GEMS

THE HISTORY OF THE
SOUTH AFRICAN OTR
SECTION

THE TRUTH ABOUT
"THE MOTHER LODE"

PUMAMOUSE PIECES
OF THE PUZZLE (Introduction)

A LEGACY OF LOVE

NEW PRODUCTIONS

You are viewing
"The Pumamouse's
Essay-Bee-See"

THE GEORGE JENNINGS EXPEDITION

PUMAMOUSE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE LINKS:

LUCKY LISTENER
LETTERS

SOUTH AFRICAN OTR
INTRODUCTION
(The Section Begins Here!)

IN MEMORY OF
SPRINGBOK RADIO

THE HISTORY OF SPRINGBOK RADIO

CATALOGUE