Today in History: The first national news service is introduced by the SABC
Broadcasts were initially limited to the Johannesburg area, but soon became available in most major centres in South Africa.
The history of broadcasting in South Africa dates back to 1923, when the first wireless broadcast was made in Johannesburg.
By April 1927, one daily news bulletin and an hour of programming, both in Afrikaans, were being broadcast.
However, a lack of funds hampered the progress of the broadcaster and was later followed by an investigation into all aspects of broadcasting in South Africa which was launched by the then Prime Minister, JBM Hertzog.
The investigation resulted in the establishment of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and by 17 July 1950, a commercial radio service had been established.
Broadcasts were initially limited to the Johannesburg area, but soon became available in most major centres in South Africa.
In 1976, television was finally introduced, after the government had prevented this move for years. This medium was considered to be controlled by the government and allegedly promoted its interests.
The SABC, which was eventually transformed into a public broadcaster, is still frequently criticised for going back on a promise in its mandate to not promote the interests of the government.
It is significant that public participation in the business of the SABC has increased remarkably in the last fifteen years.
Information sourced from: South African History Online
