WORLD RADIO DAY! A BRIEF HISTORY

Shanell Binedell

@shanell_lalala

As declared in 2011 by Unesco, World Radio Day will be celebrated every year on the 13^th of February. The invention of the radio that changed the entire landscape of communication and news transmission can be dated back to the 1800’s. According to Historycooperative.com, Italian Electrical Engineer, Guglielmo Marconi, conducted the first radio transmission in 1895. “Marconi’s revolutionary invention opened new avenues for transmitting information across significant distances, significantly shaping the socio-cultural fabric of the 20th century.”

Another significant role player in the execution of the first radio, Nikola Tesla’s, (often overlooked), contributions significantly influenced the evolution of wireless communication technology. According to Brittanica.com, December 1906 marks the first voice and music signals heard over sound waves, when Reginald Fessenden (Canadian Experimenter) conducted the test trial in Brant Rock, Massachusetts. The music and talk were listened to by radio amateurs and technical observers.

According to Brittanica.com, “One of the world’s first scheduled radio broadcast services (known as PCGG) began in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on November 6, 1919. Other early Dutch stations were operated by the Amsterdam Stock Exchange (to send information to new members) and by a news agency that was seeking a new way to serve newspaper subscribers.” Nevertheless the invention of the radio has had a long journey to become something we now see as a given.

According to VeldFire Media, PUKfm is an award-winning radio station that won the Liberty Radio Award Campus Station of the Year in 2018. It caters towards the students of Potchefstroom and is ideally situated in the heart of the student centre. PUKfm has a variety of programming ranging from traditional daytime shows, such as Breakfast and Drive, together with many specialty shows based on music, actuality and night time radio.

The adorned campus radio station was established in 1996 as Radio Puk and has various shows, something for everyone. The radio station obtained their broadcast licence in 1996 and started broadcasting in 1997 on 103.9 FM. As any business does, the radio unfortunately encountered stumbling blocks and lost its license in 2000. During the years 2000 untill 2003 Radio Puk was off air. In 2004, Radio Puk made its comeback with a special events licence during R&O and Aardklop. 2006 marked a new era for Radio Puk when they started broadcasting on 93.6 frequency and adopted the new name, PukFm.

PukFm is run by students who willingly contribute their time and skills, they have quite the list of achievements. In 2017, PukFm bagged 12 Liberty radio Awards nominations and obtained the following titles: Best Campus Daytime Show, Best Campus Weekend Show, Best Campus Weekend Show and Best Campus Music Show. In 2018, they received 14 nominations in the Liberty Radio Awards and four wins in the categories: Best Day Time Campus Show, Best Campus Weekend Show, Best Campus Night Time Show and Best Campus Breakfast Show.

With their rich history and proof of hard work, PukFm plays a big part in student life and offers the chance to be a part of something bigger. Today, they have a large team who delivers news, sport updates and fills the amphitheatre with carefully chosen music. Today,  we celebrate them and express our gratitude for their service.

Edited by Mhlengi Khumalo