Atteridgeville’s beloved community voice is sounding better than ever. Pheli FM, the township station that has kept homes west of Pretoria informed and entertained for a decade, received a major boost on Friday when Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong and the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) handed over brand-new studio equipment.
The upgraded studio is expected to sharpen the station’s broadcasting and production capabilities, lift the quality of its content and give presenters, volunteers and producers a far more efficient working environment.
Ten years of trusted companionship
Morolong described Pheli FM as “a beacon that has touched countless lives, offered hope and served as a trusted companion” to the people of Atteridgeville.
“Celebrating 10 years on air this past December is no small feat. It is indeed a testament to the station’s fortitude in an ever increasingly tough media landscape,” the deputy minister said at the handover.
He praised the station’s deep roots in daily township life. “Pheli FM is deeply embedded in the daily life of the people it serves. It knows the heartbeat of local schools, the small businesses, the community organisations, religious centres, sports clubs and the young people in this community actively searching for opportunities,” he said.
A platform that builds people
Beyond the airwaves, Pheli FM has partnered with residents to document the history of Atteridgeville, a project Morolong said shows “just how intertwined the station’s identity is with the people themselves. When a community has a platform to speak and engage on, it gains the power to find its own solutions.”
The station has also become a training ground for local talent. “By opening your doors to train local youth as presenters, producers and technicians, you are placing real tools for growth directly into the hands of the community,” Morolong said, applauding the station for cultivating what he called a culture of skills development and hope.
Part of a much bigger success story
The handover forms part of a long-running national investment in grassroots media. Since the 2004/2005 financial year, the MDDA has funded 361 community radio and television stations across South Africa, helping local voices flourish in every province.
For Morolong, that mission matters because community media does more than report. He called for platforms that “connect people directly to opportunities, inspire young talent and strengthen social cohesion”, saying Pheli FM “has chosen not to stand on the sidelines, but to stand with this community as part of the solution.”
With new equipment humming in its Atteridgeville studio and a second decade on air under way, Pheli FM’s signal of hope is set to travel further and sound clearer than ever.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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