Southside FM invites community to discuss the station's future

Local community radio station Southside FM is calling on the community and organisations to be part of an engagement session to address the current status of the station.

The meeting will take place on June 21 at 2pm at the SATF Cultural Arts Centre (NTVS) in Silverglen, Chatsworth.

Southside FM station manager, Tansen Nepaul, said attendance is fundamental in securing and sustaining the future of the station.

Southside FM went live on 107.2FM in May 2022, after more than a decade of challenges.

The station is mandated to play Tamil, Telugu, English, and isiZulu music with value-added content to the wider South African community.

The station, which reaches as far as Port Shepstone on the south coast and KwaDukuza up north and inland to Howick and Ixopo, as well as via live stream, was conceptualised in 2009. It was to provide Tamil and Telugu content that was lacking in the community.

Nepaul said the main priority is how they run the station as a business and be able to keep it financially stable.

"Keeping the station alive is what we are concentrating on, as programming is operational. We need the support of organisations to assist us. We want south Indian organisations to get involved. We are also trying to identify organisations that need to come on board and assist us and be part of the business plan," said Nepaul.

The station elected a new board of management after the last AGM in November last year.

"The station had to relocate to Silverglen in Chatsworth due to financial reasons and we had to change part of our business plans in terms of presenters. We couldn't pay them the stipends we were paying them before. For now everybody's working as volunteers.

"That brought about some challenges in the programming. Not everybody could change from being paid stipends to volunteers," he said.

He said the station has gone on a quest to look only for volunteers.

"If we are in Chatsworth, we are not central; as a result, some of the shows are not filled right now.

"There are other stations that are operating just with volunteers. The station relies on advertising revenue. Community radio stations can only attract small businesses and those businesses have taken to social media, so community radio stations the world over have this problem," he said.

Nepaul said in terms of the station's business model there are going to be some changes to keep the station running.

"Being a community radio station we have to keep the community informed of what plans we have, as well as get their input and suggestions. Hence this meeting to inform the community and hear their suggestions. We have not had complaints in terms of content," said Nepaul.

He added that the station continues to broadcast 24 hours a day.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE