Welcome to the "SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO" section of The Pumamouse Website! Pour yourself a cup of Rooibos tea, dip an Ouma Rusk, and let us fondly reminisce about an old friend for awhile. |
| A SPECIAL "PAWNOTE" (FOOTNOTE) FROM THE PUMAMOUSE: Everyone is welcome at The Pumamouse Website, regardless of how or why they found it. However, if you are not already aware of the fact, it might interest you to know that the South African Old-Time Radio section is actually only one of several highly varied sections which comprise The Pumamouse Website. The South African Old-Time Radio section is certainly a very popular section, for good reasons, and you need venture no further, if that is your preference. Yet, there is a much more to this website than might have first been suspected. Therefore, if you wish to browse through the entire website, please start at the true beginning, THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE HOMEPAGE, (www.pumamouse.com). You may go there at any time, directly from any webpage, by clicking on the link for THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE HOMEPAGE, which is located at the very bottom of every webpage, or you may explore the varied sections of this website by clicking on any of THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE SECTION LINKS. Thank you for your consideration! The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) January 2002 |
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| If you have prowled around on the Internet, hungrily yearning for a small piece of South African Old-Time Radio to savour, you will know that searching for any surviving recording is like searching for a needle in a haystack. South African radio productions are sometimes erroneously categorized as Australian or BBC productions, and they are often not acknowledged or offered by Old-Time Radio collectors/traders/dealers. To complicate the matter further, many Australian and BBC and even American OTR productions were broadcasted in South Africa, particularly prior to the years when South African radio productions began. Finding those radio productions which originated from various other countries and were heard in South Africa can be nearly as difficult as finding the radio productions which were produced in South Africa. My main purpose for creating this section of The Pumamouse Website is to offer a place where information regarding these hard-to-find South African Old-Time Radio productions, (as well as those which originated from other countries that were broadcasted in South Africa), and samples of the actual recordings, can easily be found, acquired, and thoroughly enjoyed, primarily by all who miss hearing them on Springbok Radio...Your Station For Brighter Broadcasting, but also, by anyone who is curious about this specific category of Old-Time Radio (commonly abbreviated “OTR”). The "SOUTH AFRICAN OTR SECTION LINKS" listed below will allow you to visit additional webpages, (grouped together in subsections), all related to the topic of South African OTR. As I have already noted, there are some references to Australian, BBC, and American OTR included. There is much to see and hear, and you may explore it all in whatever order you choose, but I believe a brief summary for each of the subsections might be helpful to you, so here it is. (Please forgive me for not describing the subsections in alphabetical order, as the links are listed, but I must jump around a bit to properly explain each subsection.) The first link that you will see listed as being one of the "SOUTH AFRICAN OTR SECTION LINKS" on every webpage within the South African OTR section is, of course, the link to this INTRODUCTION webpage. As the link states, "The Section Begins Here!", and I am delighted that you are here! Welcome! "THE PUMAMOUSE'S OTR PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS" subsection features information about the various series which once aired in South Africa, and the "CATALOGUE" subsection features long lists of the series which have thus far been archived. Compiling the information about the programs, and gathering the surviving recordings, has definitely been a labour of love. What you will see listed within the "THE PUMAMOUSE'S OTR PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS" and the "CATALOGUE" subsections is the result of past and continuing efforts. Both subsections will be updated periodically as more information is learned by myself about the series, and as new discoveries of the old recordings are made and they are acquired. New information will also be added to every webpage related to South African OTR as it is learned by myself, to ensure that the material provided here is always current and correct. With regard to learning, please be sure to click on "THE HISTORY OF SPRINGBOK RADIO" subsection link, and read essays about South Africa's most beloved radio station...Springbok Radio...which, sadly, is now only a sweet memory...written by The Pumamouse Website's #1 Springbok Radio Authority, Frans Erasmus. Most of what I know about South African OTR, I have learned thanks to Frans' kind tutelage. The "SPRINGBOK RADIO" subsection actually consists of only a single webpage. It has been created solely to inform those who find themselves at The Pumamouse Website as a result of an internet search using the words "springbok radio" to please come to this webpage and read what is available regarding Springbok Radio, because there is simply too much Springbok Radio related material featured at The Pumamouse Website to fit into a single subsection. Such as? Please read on! The "IN MEMORY OF SPRINGBOK RADIO" subsection will allow you to see photographs and read insightful essays and hear exclusive audio interviews which should lend a unique perspective, all as written and spoken and provided by those who were actually a part of Springbok Radio. The "SPRINGBOK RADIO PHOTOGRAPHS" subsection features literally hundreds of photopages. The subsection serves as a picture gallery of South African radio personalities, particularly former Springbok Radio personalities. The "SPRINGBOK RADIO SOUND FILES" subsection features a group of webpages which will provide the opportunity for you to download and hear rare samples of Springbok Radio's "Brighter Broadcasting"...some of which will probably amaze you. The "JET JUNGLE GEMS" subsection features all sorts of nostalgic memoribilia regarding an extremely popular children's adventure serial which aired in South African on Springbok Radio for two full decades, "The Adventures Of Jet Jungle". This unique subsection is sure to make you become a kid again! Springbok Radio was not the only popular radio station that was once enjoyed in South Africa. If you wish to see and hear even more about South African OTR, please be sure to click on the link for the "OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO SERVICES" subsection. There you will find groups of webpages ("subsubsections") devoted to the English Radio Service, the Afrikaans Radio Service, the All Night Radio Service, and the External Radio Service of South Africa. The information pertaining to these four alternative radio services, all of which once graced the South African airways, includes general introductions, histories, photographs, and sound files. And what of LM Radio (Lourenco Marques)? Granted, the LM Radio signal originated from Mozambique, but the station was reportedly as popular with some South African listeners as the English Radio Service or the Afrikaans Radio Service was the favourite choice of others. And so, the "LM RADIO" subsection features essays, photos, and sound files related to LM Radio. Likewise, the "REGIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN RADIO SERVICES" subsection will allow you to explore several regional and alternative radio services that also warrant mention, some of which are still in operation today. At present, the South African Regional Radio Services featured in the subsection include Radio Algoa, Radio Bantu, Radio Good Hope, Radio Highveld, Radio Jacaranda, Radio Lotus, Radio Oranje, and Radio Port Natal. The "SOUTHERN (NOT SOUTH) AFRICAN RADIO SERVICES" subsection features groups of webpages ("subsubsections") which include essays, photographs, and sound files related to several Southern African radio services. At present, the Southern (Not South) African radio services which are featured include Botswana, Capital Radio, Radio 540 Bophuthatswana, the NRBC (Northern Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation), and the RBC (Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation). Webpages for the radio services of the NBC (Namibian Broadcasting Corporation), and other Southern African countries are planned for the future. Before Namibia, there was the South West African Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC). The "SOUTH WEST AFRICAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION" subsection is presently only a single webpage, but in time it shall feature essays, photographs, and sound files related to the SWABC. The "LUCKY LISTENER LETTERS" subsection features selected letters from guests of this website who have kindly written and shared their recollections of their personal interaction with South African radio personalities, and also their unique memories of radio listening, in general. If you click on the link for the "PUMAMOUSE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE" subsection, you will find answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions regarding the "SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO" section of this website, some of which might surprise you. The essays in the subsection explain some of the efforts which have been made by myself and others towards the preservation of the relatively few South African OTR productions that have survived. It is my hope that the essays might serve to explain the true stories behind the rumours which pervade the world of South African OTR. And, if you click on the link for the "NO BULL" subsection, you will find even more candidly written essays regarding OTR related subjects, such as a full explanation of my ongoing personal efforts towards the preservation of South African OTR. The "NEW PRODUCTIONS" subsection features essays and photographs regarding the NEW South African radio productions which have been commissioned, recorded, and aired as part of the nostalgic Vintage Radio program on Radio Today...truly historic events! The "VINTAGE RADIO ON RADIO TODAY!" subsection provides a reference regarding the "Vintage Radio" series which aired on Radio Today 1485AM in Johannesburg, South Africa, every Thursday evening from 8 August 2002 until 17 June 2004. The "WHERE TO BUY OTR RECORDINGS" subsection consists of single webpage, but it clearly answers, once and for all, the question which is asked most frequently by eager website visitors who wish to purchase any genre of OTR. Many of the OTR series that once aired in South Africa were based wholly or loosely upon American OTR originals. Various classic American series were reproduced in Australia, and these Australian reproductions often made their way to South Africa even before the South African reproductions began. The "USA OLD-TIME RADIO" webpage features an essay and a link which will allow those who have never heard any sample of original American OTR the chance to do so. Directly below the SOUTH AFRICAN OTR SECTION LINKS, there are listed THE PUMAMOUSE WEBSITE SECTION LINKS, which will allow you to access all of the other sections which comprise this website. Among those sections, there are a few which should be of interest to anyone who is interested in South African OTR.. The "SOUTH AFRICAN TELEVISION" section is intended to feature essays, photographs, and sound files related to the early days of South African television, (just as the "South African OTR" section regards the early days of South African Radio). The "SA BROADCASTING AND "THE BACK ROOM BOYS"" section features information about South African radio and television broadcasting, including photos and essays written by and about "The Back Room Boys" of South African radio and television broadcasting. Who were "The Back Room Boys" and what did they do? Good question. I hope you will please take the time to visit the section which was created to provide the answer. Regardless of whatever else you may choose to investigate, PLEASE be sure to click on the "Z.B. MAN UPDATES FOR THIS MONTH" section link each and every time you visit The Pumamouse Website for a complete list of all that is new and all that has been updated in this and all other sections during the current month. And, for your added convenience, you may click on the "HELP! HELP! I'M LOST! SITEMAP" section link for more direct access to whatever webpage you wish to visit. I hope that this lengthy overview of the many South African OTR related subsections has inspired you to begin your personal expedition into this SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO section. It is a rather large section which some kind website visitors have termed in their correspondence as "an impressive archive of South African OTR". However, if you are still not sure of what you want to see and hear first, you might wish to click on the sound file link directly below, and then read the GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH AFRICAN OTR for a bit of added enticement. Enjoy! The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) January 2002 Revised December 2004 |
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A Self-Portrait Of The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) |
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| You are viewing "South African Old-Time Radio" (Introduction) |
| While my knowledge and understanding of South African radio productions will never equal that which Frans possess, I would like to offer a simple introduction to this topic, mainly intended for those who might be completely unfamiliar with this specific category of OTR. As anyone with an avid interest in OTR might tell you, many of the radio programs which were produced throughout the world before the invention and popularity of television have been lost forever. The ravages of time and wear have taken their toll, yet these grim reapers are not the only culprits. Many radio productions were performed and broadcasted live, not pre-recorded, thus leaving no trace save the impression they left upon the listeners. Also, as was too often the case in most countries during the infancy and height of radio drama, the original recordings of many fine performances were routinely erased, sometimes even as they were being broadcasted, so that the reel-to-reel tape could be used again, thus reducing the radio station’s operating expenses. When the subject turns to South African OTR, this sad reality is duly compounded by the gut-wrenching fact that many of the original "glass" recordings were intentionally destroyed. The records were used as a bonding ingredient in the material which was then used to construct the roads on which South Africans now travel. The very thought of such a practice is enough to make The Pumamouse cry...not to mention, deeply perturbed. But, wait...it gets worse. Not only have many of the programs been destroyed by frugal necessity. Much of the information pertaining to them has been lost over time. As a result, accurate information regarding South African OTR is now nearly as hard to find as the recordings themselves. For the record, it should be noted that The Pumamouse loves a challenge nearly as much as I hate an injustice. You may rest assured that every effort is being made by myself (and Frans) to locate and archive whatever remains of South African OTR. The various clusters of webpages which comprise the "SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO" section of this website should prove that shared intention beyond any shadow of doubt. Indeed, the "SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO" section of The Pumamouse Website is a sort of archive in its own right...a place of reference, conveniently located on the Internet for you to access at your leisure. This section will serve to inform anyone with an interest in South African OTR regarding the progress which is being made. It is my hope that, while this section may educate, it might also entertain. Please accept my apologies for the length of this introduction, and allow me one further indulgence. Before you commence your trek towards greater enlightenment regarding South African OTR, please join me in giving thanks to all of those wise individuals who possessed the foresight to preserve what they did of the few South African OTR productions which are still in existence today. Although many of their names might never be known to us, their efforts deserve our recognition and gratitude. The Pumamouse (MaryAnne) January 2002 |
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| You are viewing "South African Old-Time Radio" (Introduction) (The Section Begins Here!) |
| SOUTH AFRICAN OTR LINKS: |
| A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH AFRICAN OLD-TIME RADIO |
| South African Old-Time Radio (Suid-Afrikaanse Oudtydse Radio) INTRODUCTION (The Section Begins Here!) |