Shout it from the airwaves

The opening of Radio Veritas’ new studios judged by broadcast experts as being among the best of their kind in South Africa is a momentous event for Catholic media in South Africa.

With new premium technology at its disposal, the country’s only Catholic radio station is entering a new era. We may confidently expect that the new facilities will enhance the station’s production values. This in turn, one may hope, will draw greater numbers of listeners.

Professional facilities lead to a professional mindset. The new studios have lent Radio Veritas a new sense of self-confidence, a new awareness of itself that will surely be reflected in production values.

By increasing its listenership, Radio Veritas will be able to carry out its social communications mission ever more fruitfully.

Readers of The Southern Cross need no reminding of the importance of social communications the Church’s way of communicating its teachings and ideas within itself; indeed, a crucial method of deepening and spreading the Catholic faith.

It has been a long road for Radio Veritas founder Fr Emil Blaser OP, who has faced many obstacles in realising his dream of bringing Catholic radio to the people. Happily for the Catholic community, Fr Blaser has yet to encounter a brickwall he cannot somehow navigate. South African Catholics owe Fr Blaser a vote of thanks for his indefatigable commitment, and that of his many colleagues and supporters.

Throughout its almost decade-long history, Radio Veritas has received relatively little by way of funding from the institutional Church, which in Southern Africa not always uniformly realises the great potential offered by Catholic media.

The new studios, and Radio Veritas share of the property housing them (the Knights of da Gama own the other half), were financed by the generous contributions from individual private donors.

This is significant. Like The Southern Cross, Radio Veritas finances itself without needing to depend on funding from the Church or its agencies. This affords Radio Veritas a greater measure of editorial independence than a Church-owned station might have. This fiscal freedom offers Radio Veritas the opportunity to truly reflect Catholic thought in its full richness respectfully, responsibly and inclusively.

Radio Veritas now has a responsibility of accountability towards those who have supported it so generously, and to those whose monthly contributions ensure that the station can meet its regular financial obligations.

While the generosity of Catholics who support Radio Veritas some without even having access to its programmes is commendable and deserves encouragement, the station will need to find ways towards greater self-sufficiency. Veritas management is already looking at creating new sources of revenue. These must, in the longer term, include advertising.

Such endeavours, however, are contingent on Radio Veritas’ capacity to increase its reach. At present, the station’s 24-hour broadcasts are available only to DStv subscribers and on streamed audio on the Internet. The arrangement is not ideal as it excludes most of the station’s potential listenership

This is not by Radio Veritas’ choice, but represents a solution to an unjust legal imposition that absurdly does not recognise Catholics as representing a community, and therefore precludes Radio Veritas from acting as a community radio station, its only way of receiving an AM or FM licence.

The Catholics community (for we are a community, whatever the law may say) must be encouraged to tune into Veritas’ limited broadcasts on Radio 2000, and provide the station with maximum feedback to persuade the authorities that we need and demand a national licence for our radio station.