Have you ever heard of digital radio? Well if you haven’t, then you have to listen to what the In touch and in tune SA team have up their sleeves.
A group of creative minds got together eight months ago and started brainstorming on a new way to listen to music and connect with people.
“This initiative started out of thinking moving towards digital radio because innovation is becoming more pronounced and we would really like to bring our communities closer to radio and give them an opportunity to understand different genres of music.
“We would also like to extend that footprint globally so that not only our communities can benefit from this information sharing and radio, but we also like to get more listeners intentionally to gain the knowledge and perspective of what our culture is all about,” said partner Neville Smith.
He added that they wanted a different experience because more and more children are becoming tech savvy and want to always have their Ipads and tablets connected.
In Johannesburg alone, more and more of the areas are serviced by fibre optic cables so people are able to access the internet.
“We are looking strategically ahead for a community that we want to extend the footprint to so that people can maximise through our leverage of technology because that is where we going,” he said.
On September 30, the group launched the digital radio platform at Bosmont Primary School. They had a fun day with music, jumping castles and stalls where residents could hire a stand to sell their goods.
The radio station is not one where you can tune in to a frequency, no. You need to download the free app and as soon as that is done, according to Smith you will be able to connect to live music streaming already.
“We are saying that we do not only want to cater for coloured people but we want to cater to everyone.”
The group is made up of techpreneurs Bradford Lummis, Neville Smith, Anneesa Joesph, Louis August, Yunus Sallie, and Jacquiline Davis.
They also partnered with non-profit organisations like Queens of Hearts, Yellow Roses, and organisations such as in touch who reach out to impoverished people, and the Bosmont Policing Forum.
The station is based at the Riverlea Empowerment Centre, but as they extend their footprint they will find their way in different areas. If you would like to know more about the app, contact Jacqui on 074 509 3836.
You have to download the app to listen to the live stream, and it’s free. There are different genres consisting of Afrikaans, Langarm, Bob Marley, Jazz, contemporary music, hip-hop and more,” said Smith.
They also have talk shows which allow the listeners to send through their feedback.
Smith added that they were not only going to be limited to radio but will include live events, podcasts and advertorials as well.
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