by Rushni Allie

Radio 786 was established in September 1995. Its mission was to serve as a tool of education and upliftment amidst a country trying to heal from the scars of Apartheid. A great deal of the station’s existence involved a legal battle with the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in which it affirmed the right to broadcast critical views, a victory not only for Radio 786, but the industry as a whole.

In the pursuit of broadcasting excellence, it has stepped into the limelight and scooped numerous awards, including the Vodacom Journalist of the Year and PMR Diamond Award for good governance and management. One of the station’s biggest achievements was when it hosted an international media symposium, it was at this juncture that Radio 786 declared its commitment, through its broadcasts, to bolster the African Voice.

In a progressive approach to explore opportunities in areas that the radio has previously not tread, Radio 786 has introduced different ways of producing and sharing content and made it accessible on other platforms like its website and social media pages such as Instagram, Facebook and Tik-Tok.

For any person or institution to survive, it needs to be able to adapt to its ever-changing environment. Radio 786 recognizes this need and values the importance of self-growth and development. We have assessed our challenges and adapted to ensure that our objectives are achieved.

Radio development is important because it allows this form of communication to stay relevant in a technologically-advanced era. It brings about new ideas that allows the station to accommodate everyone, therefore inviting more people of different ages and backgrounds.

Radio 786 values development and self-growth; the station and staff have achieved their true potential by improving its on-air presence and the way it operates. It can only continue to educate and uplift the community by allowing its staffto grow, and with that comes change. By recognizing the importance of this, we become more efficient in achieving our goals, enhance efforts at maintaining good quality programming, establishing, and building a formidable brand, developing cutting-edge producers of sound, and have a great on-air presence.

*Rushni Allie is Brand and Communications manager at Radio 786